Being that we are in the middle of summer fun, I wanted to look back to a pre – quarantine event with Freedom Boat Club. On this occasion, George from my business networking group invited us on an evening cruise on the Occoquan River. I was very familiar with these waters since my mom has a house right on these shores.
Since George works for Freedom Boat Club, we were taken for an evening cruise just out of their marina. Having a membership in his company gives you access to their fleet of boats. What a great way to entertain clients, or treat friends to a unique experience!
If George wanted to pick a perfect day for a demonstration, this was it. Not only did the summer heat go away as we were speeding out on the waters, but the sunset was amazing. I took some time from networking to get lots of photos of the sunset. It doesn’t look like Woodbridge from out here!
If you follow any photography blogs, they probably have a post of ‘Fireworks Photo Tips’ this week. Obviously, this site is focused on photos, so here is my take! Firstly, I enjoy watching fireworks shows. Since it is both an audio, and visual experience, I do not want to spend the entire night concentrating on photos. Thus, I make my setup flexible for me to both capture images while enjoying the show live. As can be seen in the following photo, this is my setup:
At this time, I mounted the camera on a tripod with a 24mm wide-angle lens. Additionally, I installed a remote release so that I could open the shutter without having my hand on the camera. This is the small cord coming out of the left of the camera body. For camera settings, I have the shutter speed set on ‘bulb’. When you have the camera in this mode, you can control when the shutter opens and closes by pressing on the remote release.
With this in mind, I point the camera in the direction of where I think the fireworks will be exploding overhead. With the wide angle lens, there is a good chance that I will get the fireworks in the frame. Moreover, in your post-processing application, you can crop to a nice composition later. Since the backgrounds are dark and the subjects are just streaks of light, these files can handle a lot of cropping.
When I see the firework shot into the sky, I press the remote to open the shutter. Soon after the brightest flash, I close the shutter again to capture the full explosion. You will likely have to spot check during the show to see a result. However, don’t take too long! Adjust your timing quickly so you can go back to watching the show at the same time. Happy 4th!
Late in 2019, I photographed the opening of car chargers from EVgo – Pike 7 Plaza. In another step in the continuing development of Tysons, these electric car chargers added power options for the growing electric car market. At this time, VIPs from EVgo, Federal Realty, and the Commonwealth of Virginia attended the ribbon cutting ceremony. Stacy from TEDxTysons referred me to cover this event. As can be seen, this station is in the heart of the newest developments in Tysons.
Being a technology geek, this opening overall sparked my interest. Although they are becoming more popular, I am not that familiar with electric cars. While covering this event, I learned more about the partnerships between EVgo and Virginia to create more charging places throughout the state. In short, they have made it possible to travel throughout Virginia in an electric vehicle with the range of the cars, and the distance between stations. Even if gasoline powered vehicles are still the majority, this feels like the future!
