So I got word that the traditional Manhattan Beach,CA, fireworks show was a GO. This is a fireworks show that each year takes place about 2 weekends before Christmas. The show is built by Francis "Raven" Marquez and her Flying Monkeys Pyro Crew. The design of the show was done by John Noonan (who also works for Disney), the fireworks company is Fireworks America. This is a show that is *very* popular with the entire L.A. South Bay area. There's music, food, and lots of people. There are a LOT of houses built right on the beach front so this is a major party night.
Where I work, we participate in a local community "Holiday" (aka Christmas) Parade that takes place on the same day so I walk the parade route taking lots of pictures, then head down to the Manhattan Beach Pier for more walking -- all the time carrying camera gear. At the beach, I also take along my tripod.
I really like taking my fireworks pictures with some kind of reflection. Last year, I shot the show right at the edge of the waves from the Pacific Ocean. It was low tide and I was able to stand on the wet sand and get remarkable images. This year it was high tide so I decided to shoot from the Strand showing a spectator viewpoint. I try to capture more than just the fireworks. I walked down to the pier, then backtracked (north) watching the show site until I found a good spot. One of the problems with fireworks is the crowds, so you have to get there early to make sure you won't be shooting the back of any heads. I found a spot next to some nice folks on one of the benches that you can find along the way. It also stuck away from the walkway so I was guaranteed that nobody would be standing in front of me. As usual, the wind was coming onshore and it was rather cold. The nice part about the show is that because it's the winter time, they take advantage of the earlier onset of nighttime and they shoot it at 6:30 p.m. Nice! I get to get home before any other show would normally start!
I sat on the bench with a great couple who come down to watch the show from the northern L.A. area. About 45 minutes before show time, the Strand was standing room only. Because I was wearing my "Western Pyrotechnic Association" staff jacket, I started getting a lot of questions about fireworks. I love doing this, and it helped to pass the time. I also saw that vendors were selling those LED wands and necklaces. You know the kind - epilepsy on a stick. And yup, you'll see them in the pictures. (I *hate* those things!)
The spot I chose had a good blend of water reflection as well as showing the crowd that saw the show from the beach. It's a very Southern California thing to do anything on the beach all year round, and fireworks just seems to be on top of the list!
The pictures turned out VERY nicely. I also did some adjustments in Adobe Lightroom and put it up on my zenfolio page. Good stuff.
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