Trentham Fireworks Fantastic

It has been a few years now since I last attended the Trentham Fireworks Fantastic and I was somewhat disappointed in this time. There were no live performances like there used to be, just music videos on the big screen and Stu from The Breeze keeping us all entertained. It felt somewhat lacking in the entertainment side.

There were the usual showground rides for the kids and they seem to be very popular with queues to some of the rides being quite long, and of course the fast food caravans that always seem to be busy. The crowds were not there as early as I remember either, with most arriving within the last 40 mins or so before the big event.

This year one of our Camera Club members had arranged for us to be in a people free zone to photograph the fireworks, which was really cool. We had to sign in when we arrived and were issued with hi-vis jackets and pointed to the area where we could set up. There was even seating which was great for waiting for the fireworks. It was funny how members of the public assumed we were someone official wearing the jackets because we were asked all sorts of questions... "Where are the toilets?", "What time does it start?", "Is there an EFTpos machine anywhere?" We answered what we could and they seem to leave happy.

When the fireworks started I got a huge fright! They always start off with a huge explosion and flames and every time it gets me, even when I am expecting it to happen. This time it was worse because we were so close to it. The area we were in was INSIDE the safety barriers! It was probably a bit too close really, as every time they let one off the ground shook and with it the tripod and camera. Not a whole lot we could do about that. I am not terribly excited about my images this time round, I think I could have done better but with only 15 minutes of continuious fireworks there is not a whole lot of time to play around with settings.

There seemed to be a lot more white fireworks than in the past too, which makes it hard to expose correctly. The coloured displays are much easier to get right. Next year I think I might try from the back of the crowd and hopefully the bright whites won't be quite so bright as they were last night.

Regardless of how the images look, and what was lacking in the event I still had a good time. Meeting up with a bunch of other people from the club was fun and made it more of a social event too. I will most definitely be back next year for another shot at it.