Is setting a bride on fire going too far for a “Trash the Dress” wedding photo?

For wedding photographers, the Trash the Dress phenomenon only seems to be growing in popularity. After all, the logic goes, when are brides going to wear the thing again? And sometimes, the images look fantastic, juxtaposing the beauty of the dress against a harsh surrounding. But sometimes, these photographs can go too far.

The video below was shot by the Israeli photo studio "White Studio," and in it, they do a Trash the Dress shot by setting the dress on fire while the bride's still wearing it. The final shot is certainly dramatic, but we have to ask if this is taking things a bit too far?

The photographer takes some safety precautions by having a fire extinguisher on hand, and shooting near a body of water. But working with fire is potentially extremely dangerous, and working with fire on people doubly so. Generally speaking, stunt people who work with fire wear multiple layers of protective gear between the burning clothes and their skin, often doused in fire retardant materials. They often frequently coat their skin in gel to try and prevent the flame from burning any sort of cloth directly onto their skin. And these are trained professionals who know how to act if something goes wrong.

Admittedly, we don't know all the details about this photo shoot. The bride could have been a stuntperson, and known exactly what she was getting into. But if she wasn't, and her bridal train and veil had both burned more quickly, they might have caused significant damage, and been very hard to get off.

Keep in mind that just last year, a bride drowned during one such photoshoot.

If you really want to have a photo of your subject with their wedding dress on fire, it might be a better idea just to stick to Photoshop.

(via DIYPhotography)