Hello everyone!

So another year is screaming by and we are unable to slow the passage of time. Of course we do have ways of manipulating time such as photos which can be a great window into the past. They allow us to look back and trigger memories that we might not otherwise pay credence. One of the things that I enjoy shooting every year and allows me to look back through time is fireworks. Which as we all know the major fireworks holiday (here in the US) has just past with the 4th of July (Independence Day.) I have been shooting photos of fireworks for over 15 years so as a result my images are quite consistent in tone. They might change a little in subject but the tone and image style is mine. 

Most of the time I am able to attend shows and setup with maybe a stray passerby saying something about my shooting setup. Once in a rare while someone might stop and ask me about my photos. For the first time this season though I had someone come up with the intention of asking how to actually shoot them. I kindly offered suggestions and hints that have taken me years to develop through trial and error. I don't mind offering the information either as that person very well will either see something different or take shots that are different than what I am shooting. Simply based on style, everyone is unique in that aspect of photography. We might want to emulate someone for their particular style but no matter what we will add in our own personal brand of flair. Which is why I so very much enjoy photography, even if you trapped 25 photographers in one room (good luck) and had something as simple as a pencil sitting on a table and asked them all to take a picture of it. You are going to wind up with 25 different looks from that pencil. Which is what astonishes me personally, how can 25 people all see the same thing in the same spot and still have a different view of it? So that is why I really don't mind when someone asks how I shoot something. I can give them all the settings in the world, but the eye and brain behind the viewfinder thus giving a totally different look. I saw this happen years ago, a very good friend saw my photos of fireworks and wanted to shoot photos like them. So he went and got a decent SLR, lens and remote. I taught him what to do and showed him exactly all the settings I was using. So essentially it was another camera setup exactly like mine, only with my friend on the trigger and composition. What followed were totally different shots and very good shots! Of course he wondered why his didn't look exactly like mine. The simple reason is he isn't me. So how he sees something will always be different from how I view it, was it wrong...NOPE! I like some of his shots better than my own so then I am trying to find the parts of those shots I like and adapt that more into my shooting. Now also I have experience actually firing large diameter fireworks and being in the firing area while a show is going on. Which helps me in the long run to get a better idea of initial composition when I setup somewhere. This year was fun as I attended 2 new shows over the weekend of the 4th, new shows can always be tricky as you never have an exact idea of where they are going to launch from unless you happen to get lucky and spot the launch area. Then identifying what size aerials are going to happen is a good idea to give you some idea of the right focal length to be at for the show. Of course sometimes you don't always get that luxury, as happened at one show this year. Thus adapting on the fly and framing during the show is more like a fun time demand challenge. Does it always work out, NO but you still try and get the shots that are going to be something you enjoy and will make other people smile. 

I still have my biggest show to go at the end of this month. It is a show that astounds me on a yearly basis and always humbles me with the images that I can take away from it. The images from the fireworks displays this year so far are in my Featured Galleries section and are available for sale. 

Stay calm and keep shooting!