If at first...

[deltamiss]

I love fireworks, but I'd like to have some warning before they begin. Since the unfortunate school shooting in 1997, unexpected loud noises throw me for a loop. My first instinct is to dive for cover...until my brain recognizes the source of the sound.

My apartment is two short blocks from the stadium where the Kinston Indians baseball team plays. Before and/or after most home games, one can expect a fireworks display. That means it sounds as if it is right over my house...LOUD!

The K-Tribe was home tonight, and right on schedule at 11:00 P.M., BOOM! I waited until my heart stopped racing, grabbed my camera and ran outside. Thirty-four snaps later, I had seven pictures that actually had a bright dot or two in them. LOL!



On the eleventh try, I managed to capter three 'Pale Blue Lights'...



Encouraged, I pressed on...and on...and on...to get 'A Streak!'...



Keep in mind, my camera is set on infinity and zoomed, I'm holding my arms above my head to get the focus over the apartment roof...for twenty-three tries...when I get 'Four Streaks!'...



By this time, my arms are getting tired and the camera is starting to shake a little. I keep trying because the HUGE finale is coming up soon!

Dang! A 'UFO'...



I refuse to give up! How long can I hold the pose?

'Oh, so close'...



Try again! This is the finale! 'Not Bad'...



Oh, just 'Forget About It'...



Someday I'll have a camera with a super fast shutter speed. Someday...

Comments

[jeney.livejournal.com]

the apple falls far, far from the tree. :D

[deltamiss.livejournal.com]

Um...yeah...thanks for that. Hahahahahaha!

[unblinkable.livejournal.com]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[deltamiss.livejournal.com]

Yeah, yeah, yeah... :D

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

Good heavens, I'd be in heaven to have my own personal fireworks every home game. Fun!

[deltamiss.livejournal.com]

It IS fun...except on a school night when the first BOOM scares me out of a dead sleep! ;)

[mummm.livejournal.com]

*laughing a lot*

(but hoping you get that camera)

[deltamiss.livejournal.com]

It's pitiful, isn't it? Hahahahahaha!

[mummm.livejournal.com]

Eh! It's very hard to capture them on film.

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

You gave it your best shot...

*groan*

Fireworks are hard to photograph! My newest camera has two fireworks settings on it! (But I haven't had a chance to try them out just yet).

[deltamiss.livejournal.com]

Hahahahahahaha!

There's a button on my camera called 'program' that I think might help, but I have no idea what the symbols mean. I forgot to look for the manual last week at school. :/

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

Yes! You may well have a fireworks program on your camera.
You could look up the manual online, too.

[deltamiss.livejournal.com]

I don't know what all the symbols mean. There's a half moon, a half moon with a + sign, mountains (I know that's landscape), a single mountain with something to the left (too small to tell, but it looks like a circle over a horizontal line) and an open box with a circle inside. I'll keep trying. ;)

[pjkerr128.livejournal.com]

It's a ..... S L O W ..... shutter speed you need .... almost like a time exposure .... just saying .... and a tripod

[deltamiss.livejournal.com]

Of course...DUH! A tripod - YES! :D

[pjkerr128.livejournal.com]

Well ... I din't mean real real slow ....
but ... this might help ...

http://www.shortcourses.com/use/using4-7.html

[deltamiss.livejournal.com]

Wait a minute...I think we've got that backwards. Wouldn't a slow shutter speed cause blurring of the explosions? Like tail lights of cars on a freeway...one continuous streak?

ACK! Off to do some research! :D

[torainfor.livejournal.com]

That's ok. You're never going to get a real picture of fireworks from a PHD camera. Go for the blurry, colorful, light-filled artsy shot. The sky will probably be lighter than you wish, but the fireworks would be prettier.

[deltamiss.livejournal.com]

You're probably right. Maybe I'll just stick to flower macros. LOL!

[torainfor.livejournal.com]

Flowers! Yes! Flowers good.

Bugs, not so good.

[ldygwynedd.livejournal.com]

Even though you are doubtful, I still think they are good!

[deltamiss.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Jean. What a cheerleader you are. You should have won that Golden Apple! :D

[curly-purls.livejournal.com]

They could make great icons, especially if you add cute little words or phrases to some them.

Hey, I'm trying to be positive here. ;-)

[deltamiss.livejournal.com]

Hahahahahahaha! You and Jean! It's the photographic journey that counts anyway. :D

[denimblues.livejournal.com]

Hahaha, you are so funny. I tried to do the same thing with my cell phone on July 4th, and the pics were more like your first pics here. You did very well for being a distance from the fireworks display.

I live about more than 1/2 mile from the stadium at the University here, and whenever there are fireworks I can hear them, although I can't see them from my house. The fireworks are still loud and always scare the stew out of my dog, so I'm usually comforting her.