July 4th Fireworks at Maunalua Bay - 7/4/2010

This is the third year I went to the July 4th fireworks show in Hawaii Kai. Erick, Celia, Jennifer and I managed again to find front row seat at the water's edge to see the great firework show that lasted for about 20 mins. It was a great show and seemed to be more elaborate this year than previous years. Since we got there around 6:45pm for the 8pm show, there was plenty time to try out different kinds of shots...like HDR of the sunset.
The firework show started fast and furious...with lots of blooms of fireworks..it was really hard to time when to press and release the shutter.
I read that you can capture multiple bursts w/o over exposure by putting something in front of the lens to block the light. I was trying to figure when to cover my lens and then open the lens..it was really hit and miss...
I could never figure out why the happy face is always upside down.. can't they just turn it right side up...
I caught 3 bursts..but when I leave the shutter open too long, I get the trails of the previous burst which makes it look kinda messy....
I finally got something that doesn't look too blown out and not too messy...I'll have to give it another try again next year!