NEED HELP - subject on fire.

[rk]

I need to shoot a picture of an entertainer who specializes in setting himself on fire. I don't want to go automatic and risk losing detail the way you can when your subject is a light source, but since we're talking about an extremely limited time-window to get the shot (for obvious reasons), I can't really stand around metering the guy and trying different settings. I realize this is an incredibly unusual situation, but do any of you have any insights on how I can shoot this well? It's for the cover of a publication, and I only have one chance at it.

I'm using an EOS 10-D with a Canon Ultrasonic 24-85 lens.

[Scottes]

Shoot Raw. Did I say that loud enough? RAW RAW RAW.

Meter the guy as normal before he's on fire. Flip to manual but add 1/3 or 1/2 stop. Bracket 1/3 or 1/2 stop - that should take you about 1.5 seconds to take 3 brakceted frames.

Oh yeah. Shoot RAW. And remember that you can add a stop easily, but subtracting a stop is tough if you blew anything out. So it may be best to underexpose a bit.