It Just Takes One...

As Im sat on top of the hill after just watching an amazing fireworks display I can't help feeling a little annoyed as i flick through the images on the back of my cameras LCD screen...

I had an idea in mind that i wanted to capture the fireworks from above, normally everyone is on the ground when looking up at a firework display, I wanted to try get above the fireworks and look down at them, A shot i've never taken before. And lucky for me the Elan Valley aptly named for being a valley has a good number of hills to choose from. As i scaled up the nearest hill to where the fireworks display was going to be I perched myself on a lovely bit of wall and snapped this shot...

thought this looked perfect!!! the oranges in the background of autumn just looked stunning, you can just about make out the bonfire to the right in the field and I kind of pictured where the fireworks would be exploding in the top right of the image. Sorted! Now all I needed was for it to go dark...

3 hours later, Im sat in the exact same spot, lights out, cars are turning up in massive droves and they are about to light the bonfire...

Cars still arriving and the Bonfire has been lit...

And up it went!!! I felt like I could feel the heat from the fire from where I was, just look at it!!!

Snapped a couple of photos of the fire and then sat down to take it all in, Fire was going, most of the cars had arrived now and the man on the mic was talking up the crowd. Then it was all systems go, the countdown begun;

10 - I get up

9 - move to the camera

8 - turn it on

7 - check the focus is still correct

6 - check my settings again

5 - take another quick shot

4 - check the LCD screen

3 - confirm im happy with the photo

2 - finger on the shutter

1 - Start firing away

I honestly couldn't tell you how long the display lasted because to me it felt like seconds!!! the first set of fireworks all shot of so fast and together that all i was capturing was white lights and smoke. A couple of big bangs went off and they seemed to disappear just as fast and then before I know it the last of the big bangs had gone off and everybody is clapping and cheering and I feel like I've missed the lot.

Its one of those things where you can be as prepared as possible but when the action starts its all go go go, the settings I had originally worked for a base, but i knew once the fireworks had started that I would need to be tweaking as they went on, quicker shutter speed, higher ISO, Check the photo, not happy too dark, Longer shutter speeds lower ISO, check the photo, not happy to much light and smoke... I find its very much trial and error with fireworks and besides buying my own and setting them off in my back garden its a once a year type of test...

So as I sat there as the cars were driving away I looked through the back of the camera, I could see sooo many unusable photos but a couple did stand out that I Thought "yeah, maybe I can make that work in the edit If i bring the shadows up a bit and lower the highlights" Have to get down from this mountain first to see...

Safe to say I'm actually really pleased with this image. I really did only have a couple from all that I shot that were usable and this one is by far my favourite.

Take away message: "Take as many photos as possible, don't judge them too hard until you get them back to the laptop and all you really need is one."

Anyway thats bonfire night done and done till 2026!