Week 18
Man on Fire
May 4, 2011
I'm not a rabid fan of Vegas. I don't dislike the place, I just don't have a yearning desire to go that often. I've been well over a dozen times for various reasons over the years (the most recent on a corporate event shoot) and while it's an experience, it's not one that holds much appeal for me these days. I guess I feel like the chirping of slot machines promising riches with the pull of a handle is a poor replacement to that of birds in a mountain forest early in the morning just outside my tent. That said, the image above was from one of a number of performances put on by a circus group hired by my client for their main evening event at Caesars, and WOW... what a show. This fire-thrower was among acrobats, dancers, gladiators and jugglers as part of the evening's entertainment, which was, I admit, spectacular.
My first thoughts were about how dedicated to their craft these performers had to be. These were no weekend warriors out to make bucks on a side job. These were professionals, with extremely difficult and sometimes dangerous feats performed for (presumably) well-paying spectators. The time and effort and sacrifice involved in perfecting their skills can only be life-consuming.
I also thought about how pervasive our need for entertainment is. I mean, what is the appeal of a circus? Entertainment. Excitement. Fantasy or Escape. While these are arguably selfish pursuits, perhaps they are based in something a little more noble. The search for celebration.... one of the talents and gifting and stewardship of them in a way that is a witness to the giver of these talents.
Whatever it is, hats off to this Man on Fire. Brilliant show.
Image taken with Canon 60D, 70-200 2.8L lens, .5 sec @f8.0, ISO 100
