Hotpants Ablaze During World Record Run
Towards the end of the 60s, Joe Weston-Webb, my stunt arranger friend, phoned to tell me that Mary, one of his intrepid Moto girls, was going to attempt to drive her bike through the world’s longest ‘Tunnel of Fire’.
Building the ‘Tunnel of Fire’ for the World Record Attempt
I forget, now, exactly how long it was, but I do remember it seemed to stretch forever across a field.
The tunnel was constructed from several hundred straw bales. These would all be set afire immediately before the young woman attempted drive, at high speed, through the blazing and rapidly collapsing tunnel.
Stunt rider Mary, with helpers, preparing for her attempt
Preparing My Cameras
I made my preparations carefully, setting up several radio-controlled and motorised Nikon cameras far closer to the impending inferno than I was prepared to venture. But I also kept one camera around my neck. This was fitted with a, slightly wide-angle lens, 35mm lens. I set the stop to f8, and the shutter speed to 1/1000th second.
This combination would enable me to freeze reasonably fast action, while at the same time providing sufficient depth-of-field to ensure sharp focus over a good range of distances. The film was Kodak Tri-X which I intended the process, as usual, for a film speed of 400 ASA.
The Record Run Begins
Mary is prepared for her life risking ride
When all was ready, the fire was started and, within seconds, the entire tunnel was blazing merrily.
So great was the heat, I found it impossible to stand within 15 feet. Mary, wearing only a t-shirt, hot pants and high leather boots, sped into the inferno without hesitation.
I watched in horror, fearing the worst as the straw bales collapsed, the tunnel fell in on itself and there was still no sign of Mary. It seemed I would be covering a cremation rather than a record-breaking ride through fire.
Mary emerges from the tunnel with both herself and her bike on fire
Hot Pants Ablaze
At that moment, Mary appeared with both herself and her motorbike on fire. Jumping off her still speeding, but flaming machine, she sprinted towards me with smoke billowing from her hot pants.
Hot Pants ablaze Mary ashes to safety
As she rushed past, a quick-thinking Joe flung a bucket of water at her rear end. This icy douche quenched the flames and enabled her to escape with nothing worse than the hottest of Hot Pants.
Joe’s quick acting extinguishes Mary’s Hot Pants
Mary’s burning bike at the end of the record-breaking run
I shot a series of excellent pictures which made headlines in newspapers and magazines all over the world. I also learnt an important lesson about covering fast moving and dynamic events.
Mary displays her fire damaged pants
Lessons for PhotographersThe photographer must be on the alert for everything and anything so as not to be taken by surprise when things failed to go exactly as planned.
If using a manual camera, ensure your shutter and focus settings are able to cope with the likely speed and distances involved. Keep alert, follow with the action and get in as close as is reasonably, and safely, possible.
Use your camera creatively, to tell a story. Don’t be content with just one picture for the whole series. Start at the beginning and then go through to the end. But be sure to include what some photojournalists call the “key shot” and others the “money shot”. That is the pivot around which your story rotates. In the case above is a picture of Mary emerging from the tunnel fire without that, but the other pictures makes much sense or have any impact. Remember that photojournalism is the art of telling a story use your camera rather than your pen.
