Living and Learning Photography: 4th of July Fireworks!

     So, This 4th of July was probably one of my best fireworks photo shoots... although, I did make a few mistakes. Let's start with what i did right this year. All of my gear was in place. I had my remote trigger, I used bulb mode, Low ISO (100), Wide angle lens and a tripod to get all of my best shots.. 

      That was a short list. Here's what I think could have been better. The first two have a lot to do with each other. The location that I chose was not the main viewing area for fireworks. Most people go downtown and watch the fireworks. Or if they're going to take pictures there are a few places that really show off the Raleigh skyline. Well.... because i wanted to go for a 5 mile run just before the fireworks show. I really didn't arrive at my location -- Dorothea Dix Park-- until 5 minutes before the show was supposed to star. I can't even blame traffic for slowing me down, .. be cause there wasn't any. I actually set up my tripod, waited for the fireworks to start, then broke down my gear and set up in a different spots to get a better view of the fireworks.  Even with the new location, some of the fireworks were covered by  trees. 

     Anyway, non of that matters to kids and most people who take pictures of fireworks. My son took more than 80 pictures with my phone that night of the fireworks.... most of them blury or foggy. Oh well. 

      Next time,.. I want to pick a better location... maybe a bigger fireworks display in a bigger city.