Matchstick!

[Arghya]

hey newbie here..1st post!
didn't come out as i wanted ...but still
[IMG][/IMG]
Canon Ixus 95 IS (point and Shoot)
F/3.2
Exposure 0.5 sec
Bias - 0
ISO 100
Macro mode
Cent. weighted avg metering
Flash off, Did not fire

Put the matchstick in between two books (out of frame) kept the camera on the table about 10 cms away..locked the focus and the exposure...set it to self timer and turned off the lights and set it on.
lit it with another matchstick just before the shutter clicked.

[RecurrentNerve]

Good first try, but you'll get better results with a much faster shutter speed - say 1/2500. Check out my thread on it here. Not sure how much control you have over the shutter with a point-and-shoot but might help.

[Arghya]

Hmm..checked them out...pretty good stuff..!
unfortunately with my P & S the fastest I can get is 1/1500 and that too in the preset ISO 3200 mode i think! and that again takes away most of the manual control options!

[theent01]

another setup i find worked well was to light a candle, then have someone hold the match just above the candle. You can tell when it's about to light, and the light from the candle give your autofocus something to work with. Also, if you can, throw some off-camera light at it. In this shot, there is an sb-600 camera left.