Another photograph from last night's Celebration of Light fireworks competition in Vancouver.
This photo shows the number of boats watching the show, as well as the crowds of people on the shore.
Quite a lot of manipulation has been done to this -- this is two photographs blended together, one from just before the fireworks began to expose the background correctly, and another exposed for just the fireworks.
The two shots were actually taken with different framing and different lenses -- as long as your tripod doesn't move, you can align photos perfectly using Photoshop's Align Layers function. I then set the fireworks layer to use the 'lighten' blend mode, which will only let parts of the image that are brighter show through -- in this case, just the fireworks and the reflections.
A small amount of cloning was required to tidy up some trails from boats on the water.
There is actually a fairly major flaw in this, in that the boats where the fireworks are reflected are black, and the boats beyond that are white. Surprisingly, I don't actually find that too problematic or distracting in this shot -- what do you think?
I'm a British software developer and photographer living in Vancouver, BC. I mainly photograph landscapes, cityscapes, night scenes, and water.
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I have loved this series -- fantastic work. I wouldn't have noticed the "major flaw" if you hadn't pointed it out and, even after you point it out, it still doesn't bother me at all. Great photo!! I bet you're capturing it better than just about anyone else there.
Whoa Alexis!.....Thats some serious work you put into this shot!....It is just magnificent and i would never have noticed that flaw & even now i know it makes no difference to the quality of it!.....Brilliant job! : )
this is a really amazing image! it would never have occurred to me that it was a compositve - and even after you pointed it out, it looks pretty darned seamless... i wouldn't have noticed that "flaw" if you hadn't said anything, and really, i don't think it detracts from the image at all!
Another wonderful shot Alexis! I wouldn't have noticed the "flaw" if you hadn't pointed it out. I would tend to think the boats backlit by the glow of the fireworks would naturally appear darker to the naked eye (lens?) than would the boats in the dark areas.
The thing that I am getting a major kick out of is that you can see all the little tiny lights of the camera phones being held up by the people on the beach! :D
Fantastic shot. Don't know why I haven't been following you, but corrected now. I have seen your comments many times and just really appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge and to do so in a way that is understandable for those us with a desire to learn and understand photography. Thank you.
Wonderful shot(s)! :) I think only a serious photographer or photo manipulator would have noticed your 'major flaw'. They might scratch their heads for a moment, but no casual viewer would ever see a flaw. It's stunning!
What is the red line on the hill - car light trails?
I think the 'major flaw' is one of those things that only you will ever notice & that's because you know it's there...
The thing that I am getting a major kick out of is that you can see all the little tiny lights of the camera phones being held up by the people on the beach! :D
Hope you have a great time! :)