This year's July 4th Fireworks

This is my third time shooting 4th of July fireworks in Washington DC. I reached there well ahead of time (4 hours earlier to be exact). Being very early at the location, I setup myself closer to where they were supposed to shoot the fireworks so that I could get a good vantage point and a open space in front of me. I setup the camera on the tripod, checked all the settings and took couple of test shots to get the composition right. This year my goal was to capture the fireworks on top of the Lincoln Memorial building but later realized that my calculation went wrong about the focal length to cover the wider area. Last month I wrote a blog post on how to shoot fireworks where I mentioned that shooting fireworks is a new experience every time and sometimes things won't turn out the way we want them to and that is exactly what happened to me this year. In the past, I had made some mistakes while shooting fireworks and learned from them but this time, the issue was something else. As George Bernard Shaw said it beautifully, "Success does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time". This year the issue was my distance to the fireworks and the choice of the lens I made. It would have been a perfect decision to bring 70-200 mm only if I were little farther from where I setup my gears but it was already too late to move when I realized it. And the lesson I learned is - I should have brought 16-35 mm with me as well to get the view I wanted. Even though I was not able to get the shot I envisioned I would get this time, I was able to get few shots that are crisp and clear and do justice with the camera settings at least. Being very close to the fireworks, most of the shots were taken using 70mm focal length (widest view I could possibly get unfortunately) at f/8-f/11 aperture with the shutter speed of 3 seconds. In my first shot when they just started firing, I was able to get the Lincoln Memorial and part of the fireworks but later when they started firing all over the places, I lost the composition. Here are some of the photographs from this year's July 4th fireworks.

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Please let me know what do you think about these shots. I am always open to any critics or comments you may have.

Night Photography Around The National Mall

One of the best things Washington DC Metro area residents could do is go out at night and shoot around the National Mall area. I have probably done it more than ten times in seven years but it gets better and more exciting every time. It will be difficult to go out and shoot during the winter season but it gets better starting April-May and until October. Since it is the capital of the free world, you can never count on the day traffic even on normal working days and, it will be almost impossible to park anywhere or get there on time if it is a special events day like Cherry Blossoms festival or Memorial Day weekend etc. If the weather is nice, you will see many local residents and tourists visiting around the national mall area and spend beautiful evening with their friends and family. The national mall, monuments and the museums are probably one of the most popular destinations for the tourists and the photographers from all around the world. I have met many professional and amateur photographers who come to DC to capture historic landmarks and also learned a lot from them during those random meet-ups. If you are planning to shoot there at night, you might want to carry a tripod with you. To avoid any blurriness in low light condition and specially if you are trying to shoot with more than couple of seconds of exposure, tripod is a must have tool. It is also a good idea to carry shutter release cable or wireless shutter release device to avoid any camera shake while using camera on tripod. It will be no problem using tripod around the National Mall but you will have to be careful using it inside Memorial buildings. I was trying to use it inside Lincoln memorial to get a closer shot of Lincoln but guarding officer didn't allow me to use it. I saw people using the monopod but the tripod was not allowed for some reason.

Along with these photographs, I have included the brief location, name of the memorial and the camera settings for the individual shot. If you have any questions or comments about these images, please mention them in the comment section and I will try my best to answer them.

This shot is taken from the World War II memorial looking towards the Washington monument. I think it was undergoing some inspection or damage repair caused by the earthquake in 2011. You can see the scaffolding on the side of the monument. The monument came little overexposed than I would prefer but since there was nothing of interest in detail, I left as it is.

Washington Monument at Night

Focal Length - 32mm     Aperture - f/8     Exposure - 10 sec     ISO - 400

This one is the World War II memorial which is dedicated to those Americans who served in the armed forces and as civilians during the World War II. It was past midnight and the fountains were already turned off. You will see the fountains with the lights in my other shot below.

World War II Memorial at Night

Focal Length - 16mm     Aperture - f/22     Exposure - 30 sec     ISO - 1600

The Martin Luther King Jr. memorial is the latest addition to the historic landmarks around the National mall. I think I was there at around 2 am in the morning and I noticed a group of international college students and their professor were visiting the memorial while their guide was explaining them about the monument and the Dr. King's role in the civil rights movement.

Martin Luther King Memorial

Focal Length - 35mm     Aperture - f/16     Exposure - 8 sec     ISO - 400

This is the picture of the World War II memorial while the fountain lights were still on. In this shot, I tried symmetry composition.

Word War II Memorial Fountain

Focal Length - 24mm     Aperture - f/16     Exposure - 10 sec     ISO - 200

This shot is taken from the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial looking towards the Washington monument. You can also see the World War II memorial in between and the Capital Hill behind the Washington monument.

Washinton Monument from the Lincoln Memorial

Focal Length - 75mm     Aperture - f/14     Exposure - 8 sec     ISO - 200

I hope you like these photographs and also hope that it will encourage you to get out from your comfort zone and do some experiments with your camera.

What I Saw In Skyline Drive, Virginia

I always wanted to capture the colors of autumn. I am fascinated by the pictures of beautiful trees with combination of green, yellow and red leaves. Every fall season, the colorful display of leaves gives me the energy to get out of my comfort zone and capture those natural moments. But, because of work schedule, my fall trip was on hold for a long time. Finally, I couldn't wait any longer and decided to make a short trip to park nearby and capture the beauty of the season. This is probably one of my best shot in Skyline Drive. I really like how trees from both side coming close towards each other and the road is leading us from the center.

Skyline Drive, VA

Focal Length : 65mm     Exposure : f/5.6     Shutter : 1/40 sec     ISO : 200

On a sunny Tuesday afternoon, I took leave from work and headed to Skyline Drive in Virginia. The Drive is a 105-mile road that runs the entire length of the Shenandoah National Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, generally along the ridges of the mountains. The scenic drive is particularly popular in the fall when the leaves are changing colors. According to Wikipedia, each year, over two million people visit the Skyline Drive, which has been designated a National Scenic Byway.

Skyline Drive Fall Colors

Focal Length : 18mm     Exposure : f/3.5     Shutter : 1/40 sec     ISO : 200

The weather was so perfect that I didn't notice almost 90 miles of driving from my home. As soon as I reached the park, I saw an amazingly harmonious blend of nature and human development. Inside the park, you can't drive faster than 35 miles per hour due to curves on the road, wildlife crossings, and walking or cycling tourists. While driving, you can see stopped vehicles whose occupants are either enjoying the wildlife or viewing the valley from overlooks. As a driving precaution, you have to be extra careful about roads which take winding paths along the mountaintops where deer, bear and other wildlife crossing the road may appear without warning. If you go there during the peak of the season, you will be amazed by the colors.

Skyline Drive Scenic Drive

Focal Length : 40mm     Exposure : f/5     Shutter : 1/160 sec     ISO : 200

When you get the $15 dollar visitor ticket (it can be used an unlimited number of times throughout one week) at the entrance,  you will also get maps and information about the National Park. There are nearly seventy-five overlooks throughout the drive, which offers some of the most spectacular views of the surrounding valleys. I didn't have much time to drive through all the overlooks but each one I visited was fantastic. The park is also famous for hiking and camping on its many trails and biking and horseback riding, on the roads.

Please feel free to share your moments if you have been there and tell us what did you feel about the park.