The burst of the fireworks

January 27, 2013

Australia day is such a wonderful day, when people all over the world recognise their connection with Australia, whether it be their homeland, or whether to recognise their new-found citizenship to Australia. This is a very special thing, and should be celebrated likewise. Hence, this means fireworks will be let off all over the nation, and another excuse for me to get out my camera and practice my skills in firework photography.

Check out some pictures from the night on The Courier’s page here: http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/1260607/photos-australia-day-fireworks/?cs=61 … and some from Aldona Kmiec … http://www.aldonakmiec.com/2013/01/australia-day-ballarat/ … All these links open in a new tab/window.

The first one below is my favourite, simply because it has so much drama. It looks like a two-tiered waterfall, but a fluke one at that, because you hardly know what you will actually get with firework photography.

I am attaching a few photographs below of last night’s firework display around Lake Wendouree, Ballarat (I always find I enjoy smaller-scale fireworks more because you feel close and more connected with them, and you get to see and hear from people you know). They were all long exposures, taken on a tripod in bulb mode. I learnt that I got the best results around the 4+ second exposure mark (I pressed when the fireworks began and released when they stopped, for instance), and with the aperture stopped down to f/16. Also, it would be best to be using a shutter release cable for firework photography, but since mine gave up on me, I had to just use the shutter button so the photos are not free from a little shake (it was rather cold, too, around the lake, so my hands were trembling!).

P.S: If you like these shots, please let me know through liking this post, commenting or even liking my Facebook Page (link on the right side, or in the menu bar) as it is difficult to judge if you actually like my work without any confirmation. Also, it encourages me to put more work up