Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Fireworks....

Warning, this post has several photos.


Fireworks are legal in our city.  We are the only city in our region of the bay where fireworks are legal.  These become HUGE fundraisers for nonprofit groups and the city really brings in a lot of money.  People come from all over the region to set off fireworks.  And the residents have a blast.  So instead of going to a professional fireworks show, which I thoroughly enjoy, we (along with our neighbors) hang out at home and watch the at-home displays.  I don't care for setting them off myself, so I just watch.  Our neighbors put on quite the display.  (in past years, cops have been stationed just outside our neighborhood waiting for the illegal fireworks to come out; this year our neighbors toned it down some).


The girls were both asleep, so I took the opportunity to sit outside and take some photos of the fun.  It was a great experience to shoot in low light and need a fast shutter speed.  And to really figure out the proper exposure for something so obnoxiously bright with a black background.  Because the fireworks happen so fast, there isn't much time to figure out the proper exposure.  This is one area where I'm very thankful for a digital camera, because I can see if my exposure is accurate before I shoot 50 pictures over or under exposed.


Some of my neighbors really know how to do it right.  They set up two tall ladders and placed a plank across them and used it as a stand for the fireworks.  It made for some neat angles for shooting pictures.


The following are some of my favorites:











I love how you can see his smile, which expresses the pure joy these kids get out of doing fireworks.  He's getting some great summer memories. 





the street on the following morning

the street on the following morning
As an aside, I'm amused how some of these photos look like space photos when viewed out of context.

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