I am very excited to share these images :) I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to shoot the Canada Day event at Celebration Square for the city of Mississauga. I wasn't sure what to expect but was hoping to have some great access to off limits areas to capture some great shots. When I arrived I was told that I should be amongst the crowd shooting the main stage or off to the side. At little disappointing but I had my 70-200 with me so I could make the best of it. I was also excited to put to use a lot of things I have learned in my photojournalism course. Interacting with people, giving them a way to get their photos from me, looking for great compositions, and adapting myself and camera to quickly changing situations. As a bonus experience, I also had to get people to fill out photo release forms.
Obligatory Canadian flag to kick things off
First up was Kid Koala
Kid Koala killing it on the turntables
Smiling at the crowd, he loves what he does
By the time Kid Koala had finished his set, the crowds were starting to fill in and get ready for the rest of the festivities.
Sangita Patel and Antony Robart
House DJ's #FirstBestFriends kept the crowd going all day long
A new installation for Celebration Square. Each photo tells a personal story of a Mississauga resident.
Delicious food trucks...
...and lots of Canadian spirit
Next up, Allie X. By this point, i put to use another lesson from class... push until you are told not to. I made friends with one of the security guards and then just walked right up to the front of the stage like I was supposed to be there. No one stopped me and now I had that stage access I was looking for. It worked for the rest of the day and I could come and go as I pleased :)
A young fan taking in the performance
I loved the crowd and the atmosphere at this event. So many different cultures and age groups coming out to show their pride and love for this great country. The energy was great, the people were great, and so was the light ;)
The headliner for the night was Magic! and lead singer Nasri was sporting the Canadian Flag.
The drummer was definitely feelin' it
After Magic! had finished their set, it was time for what I was really waiting for, the fireworks. Having never shot fireworks before, I did some research before hand, brought my travel tripod, a remote timer and scoped out a good spot to set up early in the day. My security guard friend, let me setup beside the stage away from the crowd which was awesome.
After a few test shots I settled on using my 24-70 at f8, 2 seconds, and ISO 100 and then just played with various focal lengths and compositions.
at first there was dark...
...then there was light
The 2 second shutter speed allowed the smoke to illuminate the scene and capture the path of the fireworks in dramatic fashion
Easily my favourite shot from a great experience and an awesome way to end the day.