Every Friday night after sunset, Hilton puts on a short fireworks show next to their Hawaiian Village. I’ve shot it from time to time, but often forget and get a too-late reminder with the echoing booms. I’ve shot it using a tripod in the past like this picture from 2016 and even older one from 2010. Both of those pictures were taken from a distance.

With the fisheye lens, I figured I could capture the fireworks and the surrounding scenery and architecture up close. It worked out as well as I had hoped.

Out of laziness and better image-stabilized technology, I went tripod-less, handholding this picture for 1/5 of a second. Decidedly not ideal for fireworks, which work better with a longer shutter. However, the image came out surprisingly well. I like how the firework is nestled within the curve of the fisheye distortion while we get the sweep of palm trees, people, and the Hilton Hawaiian Village architecture. It nicely captured the mood of the event.

Blog readers, you’ll love my free monthly photography magazine. Signup for the free magazine to get articles and topics not discussed on the blog.