Photo of fireworks on Guy Fawkes – Popular on 500px.com
This photo of fireworks was taken in November 2010 from St. Catherine’s Hill, to the south-east of Winchester and captures the colour of the annual firework display staged near the city.
Like others organised in towns and villages around the country, this ostensibly commemorates the foiling of the 1605 ‘Gunpowder Plot’, in which a group of Catholics conspired to blow up the Houses of Parliament in Westminster during the State Opening of that year’s session by King James VI. Guy Fawkes was tried and executed for the crime but he was only a co-conspirator rather than the ring-leader. At least that’s how the tradition started; nowadays, in reality, it’s mainly because most people enjoy a good bonfire and firework display.
Lighting up the night sky
This photo was captured as a 30-second exposure at ISO 100, enabling me to capture multiple fireworks in one shot. Out of the camera, the light detail looked blown but backing highlights down to zero in Lightroom enabled me to recapture detail and a lot of colour. Other than cropping to remove distracting street lights, the image didn’t need a huge amound more work. It trended Popular soon after upload to 500px.com.