Fireworks! I have always enjoyed watching fireworks growing up. There is something about the surprise of colors exploding in the dark sky that is mesmerizing and beautiful.  Although I've watched fireworks with my family in a local neighborhood the past several years, I hadn't spent much time photographing them. This year I really wanted to try and capture these explosions of color with my camera. 

I had two opportunities to practice this year as we were able to see the family fireworks on Sunday and then the downtown Baton Rouge fireworks on Monday, July 4th. It was a lot of fun experimenting, and I hope to try my hand at it again next year. 

My settings: I set my camera to Bulb mode and had a remote cable release to control the timing of each shot taken, my ISO was set to 100, my Aperture was set to f8, and sometimes f11. (I will change this next time to a smaller Aperture so I can extend the length of time my shutter is open and try to capture longer trails.) I also pre-focused my subject and then set my focus to Manual.  I used a Canon 5D Mark III and a 24-70mm lens. 

This first image is a composite. This was my first time at this location and I wasn't sure where the fireworks were going to be located. I had envisioned having the bridge in the background as the fireworks exploded. From my location, that wasn't going to happen. I took several photos of the bridge and night sky before the show began and then had to change the direction of my camera to capture the fireworks. I'll be better prepared next year. 

These are some of the photos I captured from downtown Baton Rouge and the ones with the family.

Baton Rouge 4th of July