Gettin' Artsy

Rockets' Red Glare : F

I fiddled with this photo from the . It wasn't one of my better photos, but by playing with it and adjusting various settings, it became a little more interesting.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 8/10

Fêtes de Genève, Part IX - Finale

The Finale featuring the Jet d'Eau : Fêtes de Genève : Geneva, CH

The Fêtes de Genève's finale featured Geneva's iconic Jet d'Eau. It was quite a spectacular way to end the night. If you want to see video of this extraordinary event that makes Geneva worth visiting in August, see the videos shot by Maya of Maya Photography. (Note: The videos take a minute or two to download, but they're worth the wait, especially the finale in the first link. Maya also took some great shots of the fireworks and you can seen them on her blog in the third link.)

THE END!

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 8/10
Video copyright: Maya Lucchitta, 8/10

Fêtes de Genève, Part VIII

Fêtes de Genève : Geneva, CH

There were some good rounds in the second half of the show, but my pictures from this half aren't as good as the first. That's because I switched from using a tripod and a long shutter speed (1.5 seconds) to hand-held and a short speed (1/6). I thought the photos would turn out well, but they're only okay and rather wobbly. Lesson learned? Stick with the tripod.



Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 8/10

Fêtes de Genève, Part VII

Fêtes de Genève : Geneva, CH

In looking back through my photos, I have to say, the first half of the show was better than the second. That said, though, what I found interesting in the second half were the dark fireworks. Some of the pyrotechnics had a monochromatic effect and were quite dramatic, as compared to the brighter reds, greens, and oranges of the earlier show.



Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 8/10

Fêtes de Genève, Part VI

The beginning of the second half of the Fêtes de Genève : Geneva, CH

The Fêtes de Genève is a two-part performance featuring pyrotechnic displays by two companies who compete to put on the best show. Frankly, both of them were pretty darn good, if you ask those of us who were seeing them.



Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 8/10

Fêtes de Genève, Part V

 Pretty purple pyrotechnics! : Fêtes de Genève : Geneva, CH

But wait! There's more!! (If you must know, I took 447 photos during this pyrotechnic display. I've got to do something with all these photos...)



Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 8/10

Fêtes de Genève, Part IV

Fêtes de Genève continued... : Geneva, CH

And again, more fireworks. (They never get old, do they?)



Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 8/10

Fêtes de Genève, Part III

Act I of the Fêtes de Genève : Geneva, CH

More from the Fêtes de Genève...



Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 8/10

Fêtes de Genève, Part II

Let the show begin! : Fêtes de Genève : Geneva, CH

This is the 10th year of the Fêtes de Genève--Geneva's lakefront festival that includes the largest fireworks display in Switzerland and one of the largest in the world. The display has a theme--this year's was the circus--and is choreographed to music. The fireworks are set up on 14--count 'em: FOURTEEN--barges in the harbor! The results are nothing less than absolutely spectacular!

I've seen a lot of fireworks displays in Washington, D.C., which are pretty amazing, but this event beat the annual 4th of July events hands down. While Geneva isn't all that pleasant in August, this is a festival worth coming to Europe, and especially to Geneva, to see. The display went on for over an hour, so I'm going feature groupings of fireworks for the next couple of days.



Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 8/10

Bastille Day

Bastille Day Fireworks : Prevessin, FR

On July 13th, the village of Prevessin held its annual Bastille Day festivities. The next night, the neighboring village of Ferney-Voltaire held its annual celebration. Here are a couple of photos from each villages' fireworks' display. The photos aren't the best and lack a good backdrop, but I did the best I could without a tripod attachment (Prevessin) or knowing the exact location of the display (Ferney). That said, these are definitely a far cry better than last year. Next year, I think a trip to Paris to see the fireworks at the Eiffel Tower will be in order.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 7/10

Viva la France!

Perfect Timing : Bastille Day Fireworks : Prevessin-Moens, FR

Today is Bastille Day in France. The holiday is to France what Independence Day is to the United States. Yesterday evening, the Village of Prevessin-Moëns held its Bastille Day fete which included fireworks around 10:00 at night on the grounds of a chateau in a park just across the street from my apartment complex.

Finale : Bastille Day Fireworks : Prevessin-Moens, FR

These aren't the fireworks in Paris,* by any means, nor are they as good as the ones I took last year on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., but they were fun nonetheless.** I'm told that in a few weeks, the Swiss will celebrate the creation of the Swiss Confederation and will put on a fireworks exhibit on the lake unlike any I've ever seen. I can't wait!

Photo copyright: Janet Kincaid, 07/09

* Taken by my friend, Virginia Jones, who is in Paris this summer. Be sure to check out her Paris blog. It's fabulous!
** I am sans tripod and was trying to shoot timed exposures while holding the camera. Eventually, I remembered I have a "fireworks" setting on my camera and used that. The quality improved a bit once I switched over. Still, not my best work.