Anchorage at night and some fireworks

[Blue_In_AK]

Tonight was the beginning of "Fur Rendezvous," Anchorage's big winter party, which runs from the fireworks display tonight until the start of the Iditarod sled dog race on March 5. http://www.furrondy.net/rondyhome.html

There's all kinds of stuff that goes on - exhibits, parties, carnival rides, dog pulls, etc. etc. etc. We went out tonight to my favorite Anchorage overlook spot and I took about a hundred fireworks shots, some of which turned out and some of which were pretty crappy, but here are a couple (and a shot of the Anchorage skyline at night).

[CC]

1. All three are just

beautiful. Sound like it is going to be a fun few weeks up there. What are the lights way up in the mountain on the right over Anchorage?

[Blue_In_AK]

2. It's a star.

It stays lit all winter.

[CC]

4. Now that you tell me it is

a star I can tell, though it must be huge. I love that photo. The fireworks came out great and I know how hard it is to get them but that skyline has the nicest colors and elements.

[GOPFighter]

3. Beautiful!

I know how hard it is to get good fireworks shots. Did you use a cable release to open and close the shutter? What was your ISO setting? They really came out good!

[Blue_In_AK]

5. Thank you.

Yes, I did use a cable release, and I had the ISO at 200, white balance set on tungsten. I was using the 70-300 lens, with the exposure set at 1.6 seconds, F/4.5 for the top picture (110 mm); 2.5 sec., F/7.1 for the second; and 2.5 sec., F/13 for the last one (both at 225 mm).

[F.Gordon]

6. Amazing

That last fireworks shot is awesome. As good as it gets.
:applause:

Please don't tell me you handheld these. Even if you did.... LIE ....
Edit: Never mind... I just read your post above. You're using a cable release? Have you played with the mirror lock yet?

[Blue_In_AK]

9. No, I haven't done anything with the mirror lock...

I wasn't even aware of that until I read about it in a photo magazine last week. There's just so much to learn...

[Mutley]

7. This one is beautiful!

I love skyline shots. :D

[Blue_In_AK]

8. Thank you, Mutley.

I was very pleased that the camera was able to pick up the mountains in the background, too. I really didn't have to do too much post-processing of this picture except to back off the blue just a little bit (I shot it with tungsten white balance). Usually I have trouble with kind of an orange glow on the night shots, but I guess with the white balance setting and keeping a relatively low ISO, it balanced out the light just right. I'm learning.....

[Mutley]

10. Yes, the mountains are fantastic.

The settings info you posted means very little to me... :D. I'm really very much an amateur at this photography stuff.

As for skyline shots... this is one of my favorites of Baltimore, and is also the only one I have sized at this time for proper internet consumption...



It's an early morning shot. I cropped the hell out of it because I had it in my sigline for awhile.

Actually, I have this one, too, which I like:

[Blue_In_AK]

11. That's great.

I really like the smoothness of it. As for all the techno-babble, I stay up late at night memorizing my manual. I still don't know what people here are talking about half the time. :)

[Mutley]

12. Heehee, I don't even know where my manual is.

:P

[Touchdown]

13. Good shots, but you're from Baltimore.

To truly give us the right feeling of Baltimore, you need to show us Washington's Statue...from the proper angle...like say facing his left side.:evilgrin:

[Touchdown]

14. Blue, you just get better every day.

I prefer the second shot. I know you can't get around the smoke, but not for that, I'd like the 3rd best.

[Blue_In_AK]

15. Thank you very much, TD...

The last shot was very near the end of the display, and the smoke was getting really, really thick. In fact, the very last shot of my series that night was just of the smoke hanging over the city. I do wish there was some way to filter it out, but I'm not that good yet. :)



PS - By the way, are you affiliated with NASA some way (your avatar)? My dad was a contract negotiator with the Apollo program in Houston from 1962 until the end of 1969 - after the moon landing.

[Touchdown]

16. I took a tour at Edward's AFB when I was 13.

...and got to walk inside the Enterprise (mock up shuttle)...but no, I just like them, so I took the avatar.

[alkaline9]

17. you captured the fireworks very nicely!

I absolutely love that first photo though! It is very warm and inviting, yet the mountains give great spooky perspective.

The 2nd photo is an awesome fireworks shot, not too much smoke, just enough color!

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

18. what is that star way up in the mountain in

the skyline shot?

[Blue_In_AK]

19. It's just a big star that gets lit up every winter

and has for as long as I can remember. I'm not sure if it's supposed to be a Christmas reference or the North Star, which is on our state flag with the Big Dipper.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

20. is it really way up there on the mountain as it appears?

or on top of a tower of some kind?

[Blue_In_AK]

21. No, it's on the mountain.

And it must be huge because you can see it from the whole city.