SETTING: Finding the best place to setup camp was
done earlier in the day. Deciding on what to capture was important.
I had decided to capture the photo above because it shows the ground
around the fireworks, Pilot Knob mountain (in the background), and the
battlefield at Fort Davidson. The actual fort is to the left out of
the picture.
COMPOSITION: One composition option could have been
the people shooting off the fireworks since I could have setup within 50
feet of them. This would have allowed a fisheye lens to capture the
fireworks being lit and exploding in the air. Maybe next year.
Another composition could have been captured from atop
Pilot Knob mountain. This would provide a photo of the
fireworks exploding with the city in the background including viewers.
But I decided that carrying my equipment down the mountain without good
lights would be unsafe. Then there is the problem of unknown snakes,
etc. Might have been a great photo, but I prefer to "live to tell
the story".
You
might wonder why there are so few people on the ground watching the
fireworks. This is probably because not all the fireworks go up high
enough to fizzle out before hitting the ground. Residents have
decided that the display is better viewed from a distance.
Kind of like watching a wide screen movie at the theatre. It is
possible, and quite different, but the movie is better viewed from a
distance.
EXPOSURE: 1. Camera mounted on a sturdy tripod.
2. Mirror locked up. 3. Remote triggering of the shutter.
