Happy 4th!

Hubby was asking me when do the fireworks start?  I told him around 9:15 or so.  I was busy knitting and pretty much content to stay inside.  Hubby disappeared and came back, dressed to go outside.  Are you going somewhere I asked?  Let's go see the fireworks!  I dropped what I was doing and quickly gathered my camera and tripod.

Hubby drove (5 minutes away) to nearest parking lot which was packed with locals and everyone had the same idea.  I was the only with a DSLR and tripod and I quickly setup my equipment.  Crack!  Boom!  The fireworks started:

 I set my camera to Shutter mode and 3 seconds.  I set my 24-120mm f/4 lens to manual and infinity.  I watched for the bursts to see where I needed to zoom in and just snapped away.

There is a trick to capturing fireworks shots.  I've learned to listen for the launch.  Since I had my lens open for 3 seconds I knew I would be capturing the bursts at different stages

Fireworks

98mm, f5.0, 4 sec, ISO 100

98mm, f10, 5 sec, ISO 100

98mm, f16, 4 sec, ISO 100

98mm, f4.5, 4 sec, ISO 110

90mm, f9, 6 sec, ISO 100

Happy July 4th!

Today doesn't feel like a Sunday to me, but a true holiday. I spent most of today running errands and well, just having a fun day. You can tell it's a holiday...there just doesn't seem to be that much traffic. Folks are either visiting friends and relatives or venturing downtown (Washington, DC) to take part of the festivities there. I prefer to have a nice, long, quiet weekend. Doing my own thing.

By mid morning, I ended up in Old Town Manassas. Armed with my Canon S90, I went on my picture-taking adventure before the crowds arrived. At first I felt really restricted only having a small P&S camera with me. It felt good not to be bogged down in hot weather carrying heavy equipment. So, I put my camera to the test to see how well it does in bright sunlight and in low light situations. Here are the results:

In the middle of Old Town


One of the decorations around the train station


Okra's got a new facelift...bright yellow!


The gazebo at the Pavilion


At the Pavilion


Tractor ride


In the middle of the train tracks


Signage at the train station


Train on display


A close up


Enjoyed chatting with these two ladies waiting for the train to arrive


School Must Be Out - Taken at stop light while in the car



Early afternoon, I was thinking of my DH, and decided to pick up some lunch and some Mango Smoothies and headed over to the garden center. Hmmmm, another picture-taking adventure. The indoor shots were taken without flash. Amazing.


The patio - indoor display


The blue room - indoor display


The orange room - indoor display

Gardening Wear


A False Window Display


A Fish Wine Rack


Orchids in the greenhouse


Merrifield's own


Need pots?


Outdoor patio display


Spectacular color arrangements


Couldn't pass up taking pictures of these colorful chairs


Another outdoor patio display


Hibiscus in bloom


A Lonely Wagon


Nap Time!


The temperature gauge in my vehicle registered 101. It really felt like it. The humidity wasn't too bad, though tolerable.

This turned out to be a fantastic no flash day for me. I left the camera on "P" mode and just snapped away. The S90 did a fabulous job with the indoor and low light situations. The battery lasted for 255 pictures. I kept snapping away even when the red battery light kept blinking. Eventually, the lens retracted and the camera turned itself off. And yes, I did have a spare battery with me.

Overall, I think my camera did a great job. It took me awhile to get used to holding a small camera. Then I had to get used to looking at the LCD versus a viewfinder to take a picture. To keep the camera hanging from my wrist, I used an adjustable heavy wrist strap that worked better than the flimsy Canon strap that came with the camera. I've ordered a Canon leather case for my camera that should arrive in a few days. In the meantime, I picked up a Lowepro Ridge 30 padded case to use while on travel.

A wonderful small camera that's almost as good as a DSLR. Almost.

Fireworks - Scene mode


Camera: Canon S90
Lens: 28-105mm
Mode: P-mode
Flash: none