As I’ve mentioned here numerous times in the last couple weeks I spent a few evenings at the Edmonton Fringe Festival as a member of the Multimedia Team. This role is basically a casual ticket to wander the grounds and complete photo assignments, snapping pictures of other volunteers doing their jobs, performers on the outdoor stages, and people having a good time. What these pictures get used for is both diverse and cryptic — I don’t always know and there are probably too many uses to list — but that is hardly important. It’s both a good time and a good learning experience (from a photography standpoint).

Last year (my second year) I found myself covering one of the stages as the daylight was disappearing. I had a perfect opportunity: having just the previous week figured out how to take some cool long exposure lightning shots, I re-used those skills to capture a performer “fire painting” wherein he spun, twirled, and traced torches throughout the stage.

The shots were awesome, and rate as about the only ones I wish (I can’t) share with you all here. Needless to say, one or two of them made photo of the day and I was asked (specifically) this year to shoot the Friday night fire show fund raiser, an all-out, all-performer, after dark fire juggling extravaganza.

I was on YouTube early this morning, looking for something else actually, and I came across this video of some of the (admittedly not the most impressive segment) fire show from last Friday night.

The camera pans around the back of the performer — and I remember this guy as he was on stage taping as the show was going — and catches a glimpse of the audience. As far as a clear image, it definitely wouldn’t stand up in court: but I know where I was and I recognize the shape of a camera on a tripod and me sitting on the ground. I’ve provided a screen-cap below.

I don’t know if this is what Andy Warhol meant by 15 minutes of fame — hopefully not, actually — but I’d found myself on YouTube in a video I didn’t make. Cool.