I have been to Walt Disney World many times. In fact, I can literally say "countless times," as I have actually lost track of how many times I have gone. It is, without exaggeration, my favorite place to be. I have also taken thousands upon thousands of photos of everything ranging from characters to landscapes to buildings to cast members to hidden Mickeys to little lizards running around. The one photo that I had not taken, however, was the "perfect" fireworks picture.
I always wanted to get that quintessential shot - Cinderella's Castle, with a burst of fireworks right behind it. I would choose a spot, and I would set up my tripod, and I would wait hours in order to get that shot. However, it just never happened. I would be slightly to the side, and the fireworks would appear to be beside the castle instead of behind it. When I set up at the Main Street train station, everything was so far away that the effect was ruined.
This trip, I grabbed a spot right next to the hub. I wanted to share the spot with my friends, who were running late. The spot filled up, so I moved to another spot. My friends arrived, but THAT spot was filling up, so I knew I had to abandon the tripod. On one side of me was a crying baby, and on the other was a small child who either didn't notice or didn't care that he was repeatedly striking me with his plastic lightsaber. I ended up leaving my friends in that spot, and made my way to the hub right in front of Cinderella's Castle.
The tripod was out of the question. This new spot was packed, people jammed in shoulder to shoulder. I would have to hope that my hands would prove steady enough to get the shot.
And there it is.
I don't know if this one is EXACTLY the shot I've dreamed of; the one that precedes this one in my photostream is a much more traditional shot - two fireworks, fully developed, right behind the castle. But this one? This has the remnants of those two fireworks, and the beginning of two more, looking like the amalgamation of a sea urchin and a dandelion.
While this one is different from the postcard shot I always wanted (and I'm pretty sure I have that postcard shot in my photostream), I still think this is a striking shot.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
At Last...
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4 comments:
I think it's a terrific shot Brian. But I will say that those littel point and shoots do a really good job, without a tripod, just standing there. We'll have to compare shots sometime. Carry on!
I agree; the technology has evolved so that the point and shoots can provide excellent images.
However, I wouldn't trade my DSLR for a point and shoot when it comes to the fireworks, simply because of my shooting style. I had the camera set on the sports photography mode, so it would shoot as rapidly as possible, and I was getting multiple shots per second. For "safety," I love this, as it gives me more opportunities to get the shot I want. It's a fail safe. Even when photographing people, I can fire off a few quick shots, and usually one of them is the best one. When I use the point and shoot, it's generally one and done.
I tried to leave a comment before, but I am a novice comment-leaver, with no google account!
Anyway...I would love to have a mosaic of this...one great wall...
Wow, Brian, this is an amazingly beautiful shot. I have shared it, and your blog here with my cousins in California, who are all photo-nuts!
Honestly, what would you charge for permission to make a large print of this photo???
John, I have thus far never charged anyone for the use of my photography; if you would like to make a print of this picture (or any of my other photos), feel free. I just enjoy knowing that people are enjoying my work.
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