July 4th

 Or how NOT to take fireworks pictures. My city, in its infinite wisdom, decided to host the big fireworks bash on July 3rd. Not the 4th, the 3rd. Why? I have no idea but I missed it (the 'werx would have been over the city skyline) because I was expecting it to be on the proper day. Silly me.

In any case when I found out I'd missed it, I was right ticked, so on the 4th I went to a much smaller venue and sat too close to the show, thus cutting off most of the edges. Oh well, next time right?

In the meantime, here are some I did like.

Too Many

Last one of the fireworks shots. I too a bunch, kept most (actually, not that difficult to take good fireworks shots once you know the method) but too many overwhelms the senses.

This will probably be my last post for a week or so, underwent some minor surgery under my left arm, and it's difficult to shoot one handed.

Blue

I like blue fireworks, not enough of them shot off around here. I have no idea what goes in to making fireworks, perhaps blue is difficult to work with, but coupled with the white dazzlers here, it lends a nice overall backdrop.

Abstract

So on the actual 4th of July, a park within walking distance of my home was having a fireworks display and large concert band. I knew the 'works would be going off somewhere around 9pm, and I knew the park would be crowded (it's a very popular place almost year round) so I headed there at 8pm(ish)

Naturally the park is packed, and finding a good spot for the upcoming lightshow was a tad tricky. Finally I spotted an open space, unfortunately next to some filthy Canon users (note: that was humor, I've nothing against Canon, I've had one in the past, but have since seen the light) who were actually quite friendly.

Anyway, the show *finally* started, somewhere closer to 10pm and come to find out, I'm way too close to the launching pad to get effective shots.

Even at 17mm, I needed a wider lens (I *knew* I should have bought my 10-20mm) so most of the shots should be treated as abstract works of art, as opposed to fireworks.

Last Shot of the Night

After the official show was over, and as I was breaking down my gear, some kids lit off some small fireworks close by. I watched with some amusement before I realized they were quite pretty, so I quickly uncapped my camera and handheld this shot. I didn't review it until I got home, figuring it was going to be a throwaway shot and much to my surprise, it turned out well.

So there you have it for the day, possibly more to come tomorrow, assuming it doesn't rain.

Wind

The wind was moving at a good clip last night, keep the smoke at a minimum (or just blowing it away quickly) and sometimes, as you an see here, taking spherical fireworks and making them more oval shaped, thus sort of reminding me of strawberries, with the little green bits on top.

Hummingbirds

A little bit of everything in this shot, I really like the four 'works that are just starting to explode, reminding me of hummingbirds flitting about over the grassy field below.

Dandelions

Another set of unusual colours. I can't recall ever seeing pure yellow fireworks before. The explosions are tight with no bright center, reminding me of dandelions or their blooms.

Strawberry Ice Cream

There were some unusual colour combinations last night, this one being one of them and reminding me of strawberry ice cream. I was pleased at how well these turn out, mainly because I shoot with an ancient (on dSLR terms) Nikon D1x, and while it's daytime abailities are great, low-light and nighttime acumen is sorely lacking.

Nonetheless, the noise is kept to a minimum and overwhelmed by the main subject.

Improvement

Every year I try to take good fireworks pictures. It's been hard as I don't really get to practice but once a year, and I tended to forget what I did right, and what I did wrong.

This year I nailed them. Maual focus was the key. Pre-set the camera, set the ISO as low as it will go, run a remote shutter and a wide angle lens, and start shooting.

I took about 223 shots in Nikon's RAW format, and to be honest, virtually all of them were keepers. But I narrowed it down to 30 or so that really stood out, and I'm posted the best ones here.

Sky Flowers

Anyone who recognizes the title to this post knows the types of films I enjoy, and let's face it, zombie or not, these fireworks had everyone's attention.

What July 4th Would Be Complete Without Fireworks?

Taken on our Nation's Independence Day, July 3rd of course.

Wait...what?

Yeah apparently there are two different fireworks companies in town, and rather than competing, they are running on different days. So the set you see here were taken last night (July 3rd)

Here is your classic fireworks shot, taken with an f/stop of f16, and 4 seconds to get the right amount of streaming. No adjustments, this is straight form the camera. In fact, all the shots you will see of fireworks are as-is.

I've said it before, and some readers have said it more eloquently as well, I'm a purist, what you see is what I took, nothing added or taken away. I will crop from time to time, but the original source remains unmodified.

Obligatory Fireworks

Every celebration has to have fireworks correct? Well here is one from Canada Day. Shot through the hotel room window, but with it being night I don't think the tinting of the windows had too much effect. This shot wasn't on the tripod, but rather braced. SHould have used the tripod, oh well, live and learn.

Oooooooh, pretty!

Great fun (read: A pain in the neck) trying to shoot through hotel glass without getting reflections, dirt, etc in the picture. Now add fireworks (they shot them on weekends over the falls) and water spray and most of the shots didn't turn out.

I have to admit they didn't shoot the fireworks off where I'd expected, so the angle wasn't the greatest, but it still gives the overall idea of what was occuring.