people: July 2008 Archives

For a few years now, I've been shooting a Family Night slide show for The Arc of York County's Camp Pennwood. It takes some time, a few mornings for a couple weeks during camp. Then I run to work to shoot for the YDR. During camp, organizations like the York County Sheriff's Department and McGruff the Crime Dog (above) present programs. The York Alliance Church youth group brought a carnival to camp last week.

One of my favorite quotes says "It's only work if you'd rather be doing something else." So, shooting photos for The Arc isn't work. It's a pleasure seeing young people-- generally high school and college age-- spending the summer as camp counselors. And of course, it's a pleasure photographing some of my favorite people-- the campers.

In fact, there is only one photograph of mine hanging in my house. And it's a photo of a Camp Pennwood camper named Timmy from many years ago. It's a very special photo.

If you have some spare time or spare change, The Arc is a great place for both. For its website, click here

Photographing fireworks is incredibly easy, and it impresses the daylights out of your friends when it works. If they only knew how easy it was. You point the camera, and open the shutter. Fireworks (the explosion) is easy. But strong composition and showing the crowd which is there is another problem entirely.

Of course, the people in the foreground will all be facing away from you. And they'll be backlit, just a fraction of the light in the sky reaching the crowd on the ground.

Photographers get plenty of silhouettes, a few people lit by a fill flash, or buildings lit up with enough existing light to show up in the frame.

The above exposure was about 30 seconds-- for the bottom of the frame. And maybe five or six seconds for the top. I used a black card to block out the top (fireworks) while keeping the shutter open for the bottom. No double exposures or computer manipulation is allowed.

I'm all for trying something new to get better photos. If your fireworks photos look terrific, and you'd like to share your expertise, let me (us!) know how you did it.