Copyright © 2013 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.
It was Independence Day in the United States yesterday a National Holiday for most. All over the country people were barbecuing, spending time with family and friends, or just enjoying a day off. After dinner the family and I found some high-ground to view, and photograph the fireworks.
I set up my tripod and waited for the first firework closest to me to be sent up then triggered my shutter release. I focused there then set my camera/lens to manual focus.
I set up the settings this way f/10, ISO 200, and 5 second exposure, but found that too short so lengthened it to 10 seconds and the next burst took a photo. That seemed about right, at least I wasn’t blowing out the burst beyond recovery, so I went with those settings. From my vantage point I was able to see as far south as Morgan Hill and North to Fremont and perhaps a bit further.
If you want to photograph fireworks use a tripod, and a remote cable release. Use the first couple of burst as test shots to get your settings set up. I wait for the boom then depress my shutter, some people use the trails of the ascending firework as their cue. You just need an exposure long enough to capture the explosion. Give it a go. It’s a lot of fun, but I keep in my soul the knowledge that the freedom I have today to celebrate, worship, and work without the fear of persecution or tyranny wasn’t given it was earned.
I’ll end this post with the words of Lee Greenwood who says it better than I.
“And I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I won’t forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.”
~Lee Greenwood
more to come…
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