local fireworks from 03July2010

[johngpt]

Rio Rancho, a suburb of Albuquerque, had it's Independence Day celebration on the 3rd.

I parked nearby, but there were power lines in view, so walked up toward a better vantage point. I didn't really know from where they would launch, and police on 4-wheelers were keeping an area clear. I managed to avoid being chased away. Suddenly from less than a hundred yards away, over my left shoulder, the pyrotechnics began. The action was quick, so I just kept shooting. Manual focus, manual exposure, f/6.3, shutter speed about 3 seconds or 4 seconds, ISO 200, Canon 40D with the EF-S 17-55mm IS USM lens. I was almost too close for the lens!

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So, I had a great time for my first foray into shooting pyrotechnics. I almost wish I hadn't gotten quite so close. And I'm glad that the breeze was from my back, carrying the smoke and embers away from me. I wish there had been something that I could have used for some silhouette foreground interest. Too bad we don't have a lake and the fireworks launching from an island!