4th Of July Fireworks Photos

These shots were taken from an athletic field at the Foote School in New Haven.

I enjoy seeing fireworks and, since I now seem to be totally obsessed as a photographer, I also enjoy shooting fireworks.

“It’s not the same,” said Helaine when I came back from shooting the New Haven fireworks. “It doesn’t have the same excitement.”

She’s right (as usual). A still photo will never bring the oohs and ahs you hear from the live crowd.

On my drive home I was thinking this is a technical exercise more than anything. You never really know what’s going to be in the frame during the 5, 10 or even 20 seconds you’ve got the shutter open! The only thing a photographer must/can scope out is the shutter speed, aperture, ISO, lens focal length.

These shots were taken from an athletic field at the Foote School in New Haven. I used a Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 lens and varied my shots from 70mm all the way to 200mm. I was far enough from the fireworks that this was a near perfect lens choice lens.

The view was good but there were some trees that blocked a little of the action.

Click any photo for a larger view.

Flowering Trees Are Beautiful And Painful!

I’m tearing, but these are not tears of joy! It’s tough to get angry at the trees when their blooms are so beautiful.

The past few days have been brutal on my eyes. They are raw and sore. By the end of the day all I want to do is close them.

On yesterday’s noon news Dr. Mel said the tree pollen count, which can go to 12, was at 11.5. Historic level!

I’m tearing, but these are not tears of joy!

It’s tough to get angry at the trees when their blooms are so beautiful. Pictured below is a macro shot which means the image produced is larger than the original.

Spring blooms like these don’t last long–thankfully.

Props to my friend Steve who suggested a smaller aperture for macro shots for a larger depth-of-field. There’s still a lot out-of-focus but a lot more that’s sharp.

This shot is at f/13, 1/500 second, ISO 800 using a Tamron 70-200mm lens at 151mm with a cheapie screw-on close-up adapter.