Pyrotechnics in the Desert

 Star Spangled Fifth of July

On July 5th., the mountain enclosed sky at Hawthorne, Nevada comes alive with a star spangled celebration for Independence Day.  By holding the 4th. of July celebration a day late, the small desert town can catch the Fireworks Display Companies after the big city celebrations where they can use up left over pyrotechnics.  This year, the left over’s put on one very spectacular display. 

Anyone who has spent much time with me knows that of the two things I love to photo, fireworks is right up there with lightning.  Well, the word  photography is of Greek origin, meaning to write with light and with both lightning and fireworks, I am literally "writing with light"!

For this year's fireworks event, I set up in the desert approximately 400 meters from the display area, with the wind direction blowing cross wind from my left.

 This position turned out to be just perfect and the wind drift created some interesting effects with the bursts.  

With my Nikon D90 secured to my heavier Bogan tripod, I chose the Nikon 35-70mm 2.8 lens because a wide angle lens works better with fireworks to frame as much sky as possible.  The D90 was set on Manual Mode and by using a remote cable, I held the shutter open on Bulb setting.  

With Bulb, I have control over the shutter speed and can keep it open for long exposures where the fireworks become streaked.

Or time it just right to freeze the action on one burst. 

The pyrotechnics in this year's show were outstanding, making it very difficult for me to select just a few of the best 80 images.  To see more of the July 5, 2011 fireworks display, please visit my Bonnie Rannald's PhotoGraphic Expressions Facebook Artist Page.

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

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Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

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No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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