Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Fireworks: Hanabi


In this second part of my fireworks series things start to get interesting. Experimenting with leaving the shutter open for longer periods, the fireworks seem to bloom in the photographs. The explosions spread like the opening of a flower and stretch like flame colored grass.


In Japan they have a fireworks season called "hanabi" which translates as fire flower. And fireflowers they are!

While our displays may not be as well crafted as some of the amazing work in the Orient - the very inventors of fireworks after all - they are certainly not worth missing.

Fireworks photos always look better larger so don't be shy and click on the photos for a larger view.







Fire-Flowers
By Emily Pauline Johnson

And only where the forest fires have sped,
 

Scorching relentlessly the cool north lands,
 

A sweet wild flower lifts its purple head,
 

And, like some gentle spirit sorrow-fed,
 

It hides the scars with almost human hands.





 
And only to the heart that knows of grief,
 

Of desolating fire, of human pain,
 

There comes some purifying sweet belief,
 

Some fellow-feeling beautiful, if brief.
 

And life revives, and blossoms once again.





Monday, July 7, 2014

Fireworks: Classic 4th

Did you have a good Independence Day? 

This past weekend everyone took advantage of the 4th being on a Friday to go overboard with the firing of explosions late into the night. The usual suspects in Huntsville were also lined up to deliver large-scale displays, such as the Space and Rocket Center.

One of the good things about living so close to the Space and Rocket Center is that you don't have far to go on Independence Day. Actually, you can watch the fireworks from my yard. However, my family generally walks down to Madison Pike so we can see the lower fireworks as well as feel the vibrations (which is half the fun). 

 
Remember, firework pictures look best at full size, so be sure to click the photos for a larger view.




Looking back, I haven't photographed fireworks since I lived in Birmingham so I took the camera this year.

There's always a sort of carnival atmosphere along Old Madison Pike during the 4th of July. Cars fill every available parking area, including gas station parking lots, open areas of grass, and even in the middle of the road. While amusement is to be had, moving vehicles with distracted drivers is always a bad idea so I was happy to finally see a cop patrolling the area this year. Sorry, you'll have to safely park to see the fireworks.




Arriving early to get a good standing spot, I was happy the fireworks weren't as delayed as last year, when we stood out in the rain.



After a few minutes of being amused by drunken revelers, I saw that the rocket had gone dark, and I knew the show was about to begin.
 

I experimented with leaving the shutter open long periods and zooming in while the shutter was open. This - combined with this year's popular color combo of pink, blue, and green - made for the feeling of being on a neon lighted strip, while other photos made the fireworks seem positively organic.



I've always considered this media to be a sort of online exhibit, so I'll be posting a series of blog posts of fireworks photos with different themes.


As always, thanks for looking!