Lichfield Festival (UK) last day fireworks

[DwainDibley]

Had my first real experiment and opportunity for some long exposure pictures, and to take some firework photos! Looking for any C&C, including any negative as that will help me take better pictures in the future (hopefully!) These were taken at the fireworks display last night at the end of the Lichfield Arts Festival in Beacon Park. Excellent firework display! :mrgreen:

I mounted my camera onto a tripod, set the exposure typically at 6 or 8 seconds (ISO 100 mostly at F8) and here are the results:

This picture was a 1/6 sec. exposure at F4 - must have had steady hands as there's little to no camera shake though! But it was just enough to get some movement blur on people passing by.

Crowd shot at the festival whilst I was waiting for a pork burger (yum!). I especially like the lady in the blue top holding this light-toy up in the air like an Olympic flame!
Another handheld picture, 1/13th sec. exposure, with the ISO ramped right up to 1600!

Me and the wife had found ourselves a spot ready for the fireworks. The following pic is a 30 sec exposure, those various blue/red blurs are more of those light-toys, and if you look carefully in the foreground you'll see some red, seemingly floating red lights - this is from a girl who ran in front of the camera during the exposure with one of those toys!

Hopefully decent shot of some of the fireworks - shame I couldn't get the top of the upper firework in!
8 second exposure at F5, ISO 100.

Another fireworks picture, including the smoke from the launch of the fireworks.
6 second exposure at F3.5, ISO 100.

Just before I packed the camera away I turned the camera round and made a 30 second exposure of people leaving - that long colourful light trail I think was from another of those light-toys! I think I might have to crop the bottom part off, there seems to me like there's too much of the dark grass in the foreground.

 

[DwainDibley]

Any comments? If they're pretty unremarkable or average looking let me know the reasons why so I can improve next time!

 

[Kyuss]

I don't want to sound rude but, all of the pictures that don't have fireworks in them are boring. There aren't any subjects in them at all, they just look like snapshots of people getting ready for a fireworks show.

The pictures that do have fireworks.....are boring as well. Maybe because fireworks pictures to me are kind of boring without any real subjects in them. If there was some kind of central focal point other than just the fireworks, they'd work better. IMO.

I don't want to sound rude, but just trying to get to the point.
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[DwainDibley]

@Kyuss - No problem, I don't mind, it's helping me with deciding on what to photograph, composition, etc.

What kinds of things should I have concentrated on in this situation for more interesting pictures?

I thought they were quite good - but then again I'm a bit biased as I took them - and this is the first time I've attempted this kind of photography and am quite pleased with the results!

 

[Kyuss]

I think what I was trying to say was to have a subject or some sort of focus to the pictures other than just the fireworks.

Heres one I shot this 4th of July.... I don't really like it but I included the people in the foreground, they all had glow-in-the-dark necklaces and bracelets on. I think they add to the photos....

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[DwainDibley]

Nice picture there Kyuss. Looks very good to me - think next time I'll concentrate on getting something more in the foreground. Btw, don't think I mentioned these pictures haven't had any post-processing, they're as they came out of the camera.

I'll have to do a bit more experimentation next time I shoot fireworks. I'm off to a speedway meet tonight, more opportunity for some long(ish) exposure shots so I can have another experiment there, along with trying to take sports photographs in fairly low light (Not easy when most of the lenses I have are fairly 'slow', apart from my Nifty Fifty!)