1st Attempt

Critiques [Translate]

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• roges (5302)
• [2009-09-06 7:09]

Hi Trudy,
Exceptional catch you. An exceptional image.
Beautiful colors. Any beginning is hard, but you did it well.
Have a beautiful Sunday,
Adrian

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• psyce (1778)
• [2009-09-06 8:12]
• [+]

Good first time shot.... your cam is capable enough to handle the photo.... you did well even including the moon was okay... it added an effect to your photo... well done... TFS

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• Souvlakolikos (804)
• [2009-09-06 9:05]

Hi Trudy,

first attempt, and i think you pretty much nailed it. The flares on the moon fit in nicely with the burst of the fireworks.
Nice colours well done.

Kind regards
Colin

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• gneufeld (434)
• [2009-09-06 9:30]
• [+]

Hi Trudy,
Hey, how cool is that! Great shot and I'm really glad you left the full moon in - it really does add an unexpected bonus! Nice colors and a fine vertical composition. If you were into cloning on this one, you might have removed a slight hint of light lower right and also just below the white framing line lower left. Very well done indeed and TFS. Gerald

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• akg (1152)
• [2009-09-06 10:23]

Hello Trudy,
Perfect shot, perfect timing! Wonderful composition.
A great great presentation.
Best regards,
abhijit.

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• Sharpshooter (6922)
• [2009-09-06 12:16]

Hi Trudy,
WOW! Impressive shot matey! Especially for your first attempt at fireworks photography. You've done an excellent job to freeze the 'explosion' in mid-air, I love the effect from the moon too - Really glad that you didn't clone it out, it's like a mini explosion on its own, lol. Great job with the crop, it all looks clear and sharp. Another thing I like here is the slightly off-centered composition - It's a subtle observation but seems to have a lot of impact. Nice work.

TFS,
Scott.

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• werdir (3132)
• [2009-09-06 13:40]

Hi Trudy,

Excellent fireworks capture, even more impressive is that it's your first. As far as cloning out the moon, it's a matter of personal taste. It's one of the first things I noticed while looking at the photo, but that's not a bad thing. It has a nice starburst effect, so it fits right in. TFS

Regards,
Werner

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• messenger1 (4464)
• [2009-09-06 14:30]
• [+]

Hi, Trudy -
Really nice image - your camera's settings for this shot seem to have worked perfectly. Great pattern of sharp colorful lines from the topmost explosion. I think the moon looks great with the "starring" effect around it - blends right in with the other bursts in the image. Good choice to leave it in. Well done.

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• AndroK (11884)
• [2009-09-07 2:37]

Hi Trudy...
Beautiful fireworks...
Beautiful scene at the sky...
Regards...
Andro

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• Robert-E (1664)
• [2009-09-07 12:51]
• [+]

Don´t give me the old line of "my first attempt", that´s a great shot and you know it :o)
The moon really adds to the composition, the colors and sharpness are excellent. Did you tweak with the sky, making it darker? Despite 4s shutter time we don´t see any starts - I wonder if it is "woman-made" in this case of the brightness of the fireworks hide them.
Excellent shot.
Robert

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• djw (873)
• [2009-09-07 13:30]

Very cool. Glad you decided to bring your camera! I like the moon in this one too.
-D

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• chrisJ (42744)
• [2009-09-22 5:51]

Hi Trudy

Superb sharpness & lighting contrasts with good colour & saturation. A marvellous capture of the fireworks. Tfs!

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• papajoehermit (1549)
• [2009-09-24 18:10]
• [+]

Trudy, I just happened on your fireworks photo. I have photographed many fireworks celebrations from the largest 30 minute extravaganza in the world to a local 10 minute fete. My biggest successes were with film cameras where I could hold the shutter open for as long as 10 minutes at a time, and exposing the fireworks explosion for about 2-3 seconds at different intervals by holding a black piece of cardboard over the lens for each explosion until the next one. Of course the camera was on a tripod. That way I could capture three or four explosions on one frame of film. Any more exposures would over expose the entire frame. With a digital camera the technique has to be different. Your camera should still be placed on a tripod. Using the "Bulb" exposure setting on your camera you can utilize the same technique as with a film camera. Determine your f/stop setting by making several tests before shooting the actual photos you want to capture. Just for example: Set your f/stop on 5.6 on an infinity setting bearing in mind where the fireworks will explode throughout the frame. Normal ISO setting should be about anywhere from 100 to 400 ISO so that you do not get an extreme grainy or "noise" effect. As the explosions occur uncover the lens for about 2-3 seconds and for no more than 4-5 exposures. This should give you a very dynamic and exciting bursts of several explosions on the same frame. Experimentation will make you a professional with this technique. See my gallery of "Thunder Over Louisville" where I used the film camera and same technique I described to you. Using a digital camera is a little different but you can come up with some great effects after several try's. Good luck. Send me some photos that you shoot. Thanks.

JoeGoff, Louisville, KY