Fireworks

Subjects to seek out this month:
Remember Remember the 5th of November, some tips on how to photograph Fireworks:
​Fireworks are best shot from a tripod. Despite it being dark out, keep your iso low at perhaps 100/200 and the F stop modest at around 8 because we are going to open the shutter for a while and let enough light in that way (& besides- the background is supposed to remain dark). This is the perfect time for a remote control /or app and using the B mode- this means you manually control the shutter release- opening and closing it yourself. You can open the shutter as you see the firework rise in the sky and wait for it to explode and spread before closing the shutter once more. Failing being able to do that experiment with a range of speeds, starting at 1 second. The slower the speed, the longer the streaks and often the richer the colours. If all you get is a white fuzzy ball- your shutter is open too long, speed it back up!
My final bit of advice is to remember amongst it all to stop for a moment, step out from the camera and marvel at the lights and the colours before they’re gone.

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A group of intrepid photographers faced the half term crowds when we visited the Gibside area together last week. After some hiccups finding one another and all getting parked, the autumn colours and an unexpected pair of tame little owls out for their walk(?!) made for some lovely subjects.

Did you know:
There is a traditional Japanese calendar which splits the year into 24 seasons, and then splits each season into 3 creating 72 Ko, each lasting about 5 days. As I write this we are in the last day of Frost Falls: Light rains sometimes fall, changing tomorrow to Frost Falls: Maple leaves and ivy turn yellow. While the next season sounds ominous, the Ko reminds of the nice changes that come with cooler weather (although apparently much sooner in Japan than here); from the 7th of the month we move into Beginning of winter: Camellias bloom. I think a lot of photographers are observers of the natural world and gratefully welcome fresh subjects throughout the year; what a lovely calendar system to remind one of the things to look forward to.

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