Challenge: Fireworks

[Betty Bolerjack]

Let's see what we can do with fireworks! I love fireworks and I love pictures of fireworks!! :basic05 So, get your cameras out tonight and take some pictures. Let us know the settings you used. Those of you in other countries who are not having fireworks tonight, feel free to post any that you have taken in the past or come back and post here if you take some in the future! :basic03

Now, to get us started, here are a couple of pics I took 3 years ago at a local fireworks display. I didn't have my camera, but had my PDA w/built-in camera and a camera phone. I think these were taken with my PDA. I almost lost my pictures recently transferring them to my external hard drive (don't ask! :basic02) and they still aren't completely reorganized. I do have backups, but I'm changing the way they are organized and these were handy. Obviously, they aren't very good, but what do you expect from a PDA??? :basic02

[Dana Grant]

Yes, I'm up for that challenge!! We're going to the Air Force Base tonight for fireworks.......soo.......I hope I get a FEW good ones!!

We shall seeeeeee

[Terri Knoll]

but the neighbors are putting on a pretty good amateur show so thought I would grab a few pics and post them. doesn't compare to professionals but eh... :)

the first one is blurry but I love the colors and the trails it made, second one reminds me of a dandelion seed blowing away and third is just a good pic of amateur pyrotechnics I think!

[Betty Bolerjack]

Good job, Terri! Dana, I'm anxious to see yours. I just got through looking at ours. I got some awesome pics. Mark got some good ones, too. Posting will have to wait until tomorrow, though. I'm tired and need to get to bed. I have a showing in the morning. :fun07

[Dana Grant]

We went to the home of friends for 4th of July -- they live on Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, and the fireworks display was located just about 30 feet behind their back yard.

The first is a picture of where everything was set up, taken from their back yard, and then the rest are fireworks......it was fun! I was missing a tripod, as it was loaned to a friend last week and I haven't got it back yet......

OK, here goes --

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[Dana Grant]

Well, I have more to share -- I mean, I took about 200 pictures, so it was hard to narrow it down!!

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[Dana Grant]

OK, last but not least......
This one was my favorite, I think.....Yes, there is a lot of camera movement on this one, but it is so funky, I loved how it turned out!!

We were so close to the fireworks that it felt like they were raining down on us!! It was sooo neat. We had the best seat in the house!!

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[Marsha Gupton]

This was the first time I tried to make a picture of fireworks with my little camera. It even has a fireworks setting but the pictures didn't come out good.

Our church as a big block party, but this year we just drove down to the church and parked at another parking lot.

[Dana Grant]

This was the first time I tried to make a picture of fireworks with my little camera. It even has a fireworks setting but the pictures didn't come out good.

Our church as a big block party, but this year we just drove down to the church and parked at another parking lot.


Marsha -- I've decided that a lot of it is a timing issue. I mean, the camera and the settings are very important and all, but TIMING plays a big part in getting the right picture. It's the same with the dog agility -- a timing issue. The pictures that turn out the best are the ones that I have a good rhythm with the subject matter. I need to practice and practice and practice to get that right!!!

[Terri Knoll]

I love the funky ones!

[Betty Bolerjack]

Back from my showing and creating the thumbnails now. I'll post them shortly!

Dana, you got some good shots! How fortunate to be so close. We were almost as close. We went early to grab our favorite spot. We told a friend who joined us that our name was on the fence! It was invisible, but still repelled anyone else who tried to park there! LOL We've gotten the same spot for several years now, but it's getting more challenging. It's pretty easy with a digital to take a couple hundred shots! That's what I got, too! I've also got some funky ones. Some because I forgot the camera wasn't done with the pic and moved it! Haha! OK, Easy Thumbnails is done with my 205 fireworks pics. I have a few others to reduce, then I'll post.

Marsha, your little camera didn't do so bad! You might find this article (http://www.dpcorner.com/) interesting. He says it's not the camera that matters so much as the photographer. The camera is just a tool. I just read that yesterday and thought it was pretty interesting.

[Betty Bolerjack]

First up, some pictures of Tamara with sparklers. A guy parked close to us brought them over for her along with some pop-its. We haven't bought fireworks in several years now. They are illegal in the city limits. However, Wal-Mart had the pop-its and some other similar type stuff this year.

I set my ISO to 400 for the evening. These were taken in program mode without flash, so everything else was automatic. There was a little bit of camera shake, but the kid couldn't stay still long enough to get the shot off!! Go figure! LOL

I had a hard time getting her to look at me. She was more interested in looking at the sparkler!
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The sparkler had 3 sections, pink, then a yellow middle section that sent out sparks, then a green section. This was the pink section.
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In this one, she had just had it pop toward her eye. She said it got in her eye, but we never actually saw evidence of it and she is fine. However, she was being very cautious!
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This was the middle yellow section.
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I think this must have been the green section.
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Now, on to the big fireworks!

[Betty Bolerjack]

I set the camera on Tv (shutter priority) for the fireworks. Most of them are at 1 sec. I did change the time a bit at first, but they were going off so fast, I didn't really have time to think about it. I will note if they varied from 1 sec. ISO 400. Everything else was automatic.

This one gives you an idea of how close we were. Ring side seats. Only way to get any closer would have been to be the ones setting them off!
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One of those funky ones. Even with a tripod, I was still moving the camera!
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This was an interesting firework which created and interesting picture. Shutter speed: .8 sec.
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One of the ground fireworks.
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I thought this looked kind of like a flower. Camera shake can produce some interesting effects!
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[Betty Bolerjack]

Here's a few more. I have so many very interesting ones, it's hard to know what to post. I need to upload them to my flickr account and post the link, I guess! BTW, I was really shooting blind. I could not look through the viewfinder on my camera because of the way it was positioned, so I just aimed in the general direction of the fireworks and shot! I'm amazed I got so many good ones. My favorites seem to mostly have been shot with a shutter speed of 1 sec. I've given names to these. Enjoy!

Palm Trees
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Spinning Flower
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Red, White & Blue
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Purple Fantasy
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Fire
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Finale
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That's it, for now! I gotta do something besides play with pictures!! :basic05

[Lindsey Grant]

Here's a video of my pictures:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qdxc9y0llHM

[Dana Grant]

Here's a video of my pictures:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qdxc9y0llHM


Wow -- fancy-dancy video, Lindsey!

(note to viewers: The music is from Lorie Line, and the vocalist is Robert Robinson)

Good job, Lindsey!



Sincerely,
Unbiased observer.

[Hans Deventer]

Sincerely,
Unbiased observer.

Hmmmmmmmm................

[Dana Grant]

Hmmmmmmmm................


:basic03

[Terri Knoll]

kudos Lindsey! great pics, great video!

[Marilyn Lawson]

I love the shots!!!

Especially the ones that are far out looking, they are amazing!!

Here are a couple of the sparklers and one going off!!