Fourth of July

The Fourth of July in Morgan Hill is an all-community affair. Festivities include a golf tournament, a street dance, a children's patriotic sing, a 5K race/walk, a parade, an all day picnic, and a finale of fireworks. This is the first year I have watched the parade from downtown. I chose this photo because it captured the energy along the main downtown street.

I missed the first two flyovers because I just wasn't quick enough with my camera. On the third pass, I saw the planes coming, looked up, and thought, "Damn! I'm standing under a tree." Fortunately, the planes flew right over the opening and I grabbed this shot. Sometimes you're in the right place at the right time.

Part of the charm of the parade is its essence of small town. Lots of kids and dogs, and the floats are decorated, flatbed trucks. I chose these next two photographs because as I took both, I thought, "Only in Morgan Hill."

Last year the fireworks were canceled due to high winds blowing over the crowd. I almost didn't go this year, but I wanted to try out a technique to get multiple exposures that I had read about last year. I put the shutter speed on 'bulb' and just before the burst, (using a cable release) held the shutter open. After about two seconds, I covered the lens with a piece of black foam and held it there (with the shutter still open) until the next burst, removed it for 2 seconds, and then covered it again. Lots of trial and error, but the technique worked and the photos with multiple bursts were way more interesting than the single ones.

The grand finale was a spectacular cascade of gold. Quite literally, the sky was filled with glittering gold sparks. My only regret was that it was all over so quickly.