Chicago Fireworks 2012 – 09 July 2012

Okay, so it appears my plan to post more frequently has gotten slightly derailed. Again. Sorry, folks…unfortunately, the two paying jobs I have are not photography-related, and well. They pay the bills, so I suppose I should focus my efforts there…which leaves my poor blog languishing without my loving attention. If it makes y’all feel any better, I’m not particularly happy about this, but hey…gotta do what ya gotta do, right? Anyways, to make up for it, here are some festive images for your viewing pleasure. That’ll make up for my lack of attention here, right?

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Photo Information:

Location: Chicago, Illinois; Navy Pier
Camera: Nikon D80
Lens: Nikon Nikkor 300mm f/4

And yes, for those of y’all who were following the news of the heat wave that hit the Midwest and other areas right around the time, it was a balmy 95 degrees when I shot these photos (around 9pm, mind you). I made sure to bring my 2L Camelbak bladder with me, so I was well hydrated for the show (hey, I’m crazy…not stupid).

As for the photos themselves, I shot these from the northern end of Belmont Harbor (check it out on Google Earth…you’ll be able to figure out where I was sitting). For those of y’all who are familiar with Chicago geography (and those of y’all who, y’know…can check out a map), you’ll note that Belmont Harbor is a few miles north of Navy Pier – hence my decision to lug my 300mm telephoto lens. And my heavy, but dependable, Manfrotto tripod. The result? While I couldn’t hear the fireworks, I sure could see ’em pretty well…much better than the folks who were sitting behind me and spent half the show trying to figure out how to make their (presumably) point-and-shoot camera 1) autofocus on the fireworks (yes, I know how silly that sounds…but that’s what they were trying to do), and 2) turn off the flash (or turn it on…I’m not sure if I heard that part correctly, since I was paying more attention to what I was shooting).

In case you’re wondering about the proper technique for shooting fireworks, I’ll mention that in a later post (don’t worry…it’ll follow relatively soon…ish – I’ve already edited a number of shots from the show, so I have some to share for the next couple days).

Enjoy!