Time with Tom

Week 2 Photo of the Week: Independence Day

Depending which album it’s in, this photo seems to go by two different names (I uploaded it on separate occasions, hence that discrepancy). And I know it showed up last week in my post, but let’s face it, out of my first 14 pictures, this one is the best.

Part of that reason is experimentation, obviously (I had never photographed fireworks before Sunday). Part of it is color (there is a lot). Part of it, I think, is the way fireworks invoke the inner ten year old in all of us. Even when I’m standing with my camera on the side of the Charles River, taking guesses at settings and hoping pictures I’m taking come out, there’s a part of me that’s Tommy, sitting on a blanket on the grass of the junior high school near my parents’ house, watching the town’s display, and knowing that when I get back after this, there are leftovers from the cookout to munch on, and sparklers to play with.

I love the Fourth of July, if only for those types of memories.

Of course, new ones are always being forged, aren’t they? This year I went go an awesome cookout full of awesome people (I’ll be talking a little more about that in a future post), and made my first professional(ish) feeling attempt at getting pictures, with all the right equipment. I wonder what next year’s will hold?

Tom

Independence Day 2010

Hi all!

I hope you had lovely weekends, no matter what country you live in. Here in the US, we celebrated our Independence Day. Any politics you might have aside, it is a perfect excuse to grill all sorts of animals and veggies, have friends over for beer/margaritas/lemonade/what have you, and then go watch fireworks displays.

Yes, nothing says America like grilled meat, alcohol, and explosions (wait…does that mean Michael Bay is distilled America?).

It almost goes without saying that it’s one of those perfect times for those of us who carry cameras everywhere. This is not my first time attempting to get decent pictures of fireworks, but it is my first time doing it with a tripod. For those playing at home: a steady camera = happy pictures. Last July, I had attempted to use the head of my then-girlfriend to steady my Cannon Powershot. That was obviously not an option this year, but no worries, for instead I had a tripod (given to me by the fantastic Travis, who I do not stop learning from) and my Nikon. I also had a remote! A remote is not necessary for this sort of thing, but it’s an advantage in the same vein that cleats are an advantage over sneakers in a game such as, say, soccer (see what I did there? I’m topical).

I won’t bore you with details of the shoot, but suffice to say I live under a banner of “What If?” when it comes to photography (which is a post all its own), so I tried a whole bunch of different stuff, and holy crap it worked. You may not be as pleasantly shocked as I am, but trust me when I say that it is an amazing feeling to have guesses and crossed fingers come out successfully. I was even surprised by some of what I got – the term “happy accidents” comes to mind.

In any case, have a few of my favorites of the set. If you want to see the rest, click one of the pictures, or just head straight on over to the set on my Flickr page. Enjoy!

Tom