What are the best photos from the Fire in the Sky contest?

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SUMMARY

The Fire in the Sky contest showcased a variety of impressive photographs, with notable entries from ZapperZ, Moonbear, Tsu, Janus, Gokul43201, bitjumper, hypnagogue, and detta. Participants highlighted the importance of technical aspects such as focus and stability, emphasizing that many photos suffered from autofocus issues and lack of tripod use during long exposures. Bitjumper's photo was praised for its excellent exposure and composition, while ZapperZ's entry was noted for its depth of field and focus. The discussion concluded with participants expressing the difficulty in choosing a favorite due to the overall quality of submissions.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of manual focus techniques for photography
  • Knowledge of long exposure photography and its requirements
  • Familiarity with composition principles in photography
  • Experience with evaluating photographic quality and technical aspects
NEXT STEPS
  • Research manual focus techniques for capturing fireworks
  • Learn about long exposure photography best practices
  • Explore composition techniques to enhance photographic storytelling
  • Study the impact of lighting and exposure settings on image quality
USEFUL FOR

Photographers, photography enthusiasts, and anyone interested in improving their skills in capturing fireworks and understanding photographic composition and technicalities.

VOTE - Fire in the Sky

  • ZapperZ

    Votes: 7 16.7%

  • Moonbear

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Tsu

    Votes: 1 2.4%

  • Janus

    Votes: 11 26.2%

  • Gokul43201

    Votes: 6 14.3%

  • bitjumper

    Votes: 11 26.2%

  • hypnagogue

    Votes: 4 9.5%

  • detta

    Votes: 2 4.8%
  • Total voters
    42
  • Poll closed .
ZapperZ
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It started out very slow, and then end in a fury of outstanding pictures. So again, congratulations to everyone who participated. This is going to turn out to be another difficult contest to pick.

1. ZapperZ
http://img351.imageshack.us/img351/7945/img38639zy.jpg

2. Moonbear
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/8483/fireworks5sb.jpg

3. Tsu
http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/6323/fireworks9kq.jpg

4. Janus
http://home.earthlink.net/~parvey/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/fire.jpg

5. Gokul43201
http://img426.imageshack.us/img426/2245/pfpic7fs.jpg

6. bitjumper
bitjumper061iu.jpg


7. hypnagogue
http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/6616/jelly8ds.jpg

8. detta
http://img328.imageshack.us/img328/2990/fire0tt.jpg

Zz.
 
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Bitjumper, perfect composition. Simple, no distractions. Professional work.
 
I went with Janus on this. I just love the moment captured, with all the colors and "confetti."
 
I had to go with Gokul on this one, I really liked how the fireworks looked over the water.
 
Janus got my vote. I like those cyan "stripes" (?) and the camera handling :smile:
 
You got my vote Bitjumper, nice colors.
 
I really like the top two formations in detta's, and all the pics are great in different ways, but I have to go along with bitjumper. It looks like a palm tree on acid.
 
I like hypnagogue's jellyfish fireworks!
 
Most of these pictures suffer from two very basic flaws: focus and stability. Several of these shots simply aren't focused, probably because the photographer tried to depend on the camera's autofocus. Autofocus usually doesn't really know what to make of fireworks. Set the focus to manual at infinity for things like this.

Several more pictures suffer from the camera being held by hand during a long exposure. All the wiggly lines are due to the photographer not using a tripod.

Normally, I'mm not really very picky on the technicalities, but I just can't vote for photos with major technical problems, even if the composition is good.

I'm going for bitjumper. The excellent exposure and white-balance (the sky looks black!) the perfect focus, and the excellent composition snag it for me. ZapperZ, your technique also looks very good; I wish the tops of the fireworks made it into your shot, though.

- Warren
 
  • #10
Hmm...I actually like the wiggles. :rolleyes: Who's to say it wasn't done on purpose? :devil:
 
  • #11
Math Is Hard said:
I like hypnagogue's jellyfish fireworks!
Me too. Bitjumper's was the first to catch my eye as a standout "fireworks" shot, but then Hypnagogue's shot attracted my preference for things that don't quite look like what they really are.
 
  • #12
Voting is TIGHT for this one. So if you haven't cast your vote yet, you have a day left before it closes.

Zz.
 
  • #13
I voted for ZapperZ. I really liked the Mickey Mouse hat put into it.

I found it to be one of the most focused ones too.
 
  • #14
I voted for ZapperZ.
I did too. It was clearly the best photo here.

In terms of picture quality, bitjumper's entry was high on my list as well, but a picture of this kind without a foreground/background is completely void of context and loses heavily on composition points.

Also, Zz's picture captured a much broader depth of field - which is way harder to do.
 
  • #15
lol i thought this poll was going to ask whether or not fire in the sky is the scariest movie ever made, or something like that! (which it definitely is btw lol)
 
  • #16
Thanks everyone :blushing:

This was my first try at fireworks pictures. And this was my first photo contest ! Thanks Evo :!) for discovering me!

My other favorites from that night are here:

http://www.kilk.com/erik/gallery/outdoors/fireworks/"

Erik
 
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  • #17
All of the photos you took turned out really great. Although Janus' picture was so pretty too! Every picture in the contest had something I liked. These contests are almost impossible to vote on.