Not many foreigners know this, but the city of Durban (South Africa) has the highest concentration of Indians outside of India. So when the annual Diwali celebrations roll around, you can be assured that there will be ample opportunities to experience the festival of lights - whether it be visiting one of the many markets, eating sweet meats, or watching a fireworks display.

It’s become a yearly tradition of mine to go out and shoot fireworks displays that residents do from their own houses. While there are plenty of aforementioned events that also feature firework displays, it’s much more of a thrill to go out and shoot displays “in the wild”…so to say. As you’ve gathered by now, 2018 was no different.

Time to start the adventure.

I headed out just after 7pm, with many loud bangs already echoing in the distance. I live within a mile of a very wealthy predominantly Indian area, where the residents aren’t afraid to splash huge amounts of money on making sure that there fireworks will be the biggest and best. In particular, I’ve pinpointed an exact road over the years in this suburb, where two houses usually have an unintentional “who can do it bigger” firework competition.

I started off shooting outside a house that hadn’t featured in any previous years displays. I promptly selected a lens and positioned my camera in what I thought would be a suitable spot. However, only three photos in, a sudden rain shower decided that now would be a good time to make an appearance. There’s actually a running joke in Durban - every time there’s a big event happening (especially Diwali), it will rain, regardless of what the weather forecast says. You'll notice multiple water drops in these photos sadly.

My car provided a dry shelter for the next half an hour, while I sat around fruitlessly waiting for the rain to subside. While the 6D is weatherproof to a certain extent, it’s pointless shooting a long exposure in the rain - the lens glass collects far too many water droplets. Coupled with the residue from the gunpowder smoke, you’re left with a strange oily coating on your glass that is an absolute pain to clean off. Trust me…I know.

Approaching 8pm, the rain started to back off a bit. I decided to move down the road and investigate the source of some sporadic displays. Bravely, someone at this house was also flying a drone up and down with the various rockets shooting towards the skies. I hadn’t thought the weather conditions would be suitable for such an effort, but it’s actually quite a good idea to keep in mind for next year. So, thanks for that. Anyway, I fired off a couple more photos here, before the rain started hailing down again.

Getting frustrated with the lack of photo progress, I headed a few roads over to the source of the various spectacular displays over the previous years. There was no action here yet, but a crowd of intrepid onlookers had gathered about 100 metres down the road in a public park, also seemingly waiting for the “main event” to start. Surprisingly, the rain didn’t deter anyone, with families of all sizes deciding to spend their evening getting drenched while hoping for a fireworks display.

And now for that main event

Almost like magic, a gap in the rain finally appeared, and the gate to the over-the-top display house opened. Out came a huge box, which was promptly lit, and the sky was soon bursting with colours and displays from some huge (and loud) rockets. What impressed me the most was the turnaround time that these people took with their fireworks - they were almost like a Formula 1 pit crew. One box down, another was immediately dragged out and lit to explode. Ample photo opportunities then.

I positioned myself a bit closer to the action and set about shooting the rapidly unfolding spectacle in front of me. While the residents and onlookers took the far more sensible option and kept their distance, I generally always tread a little closer to the action when it comes to fireworks. Probably not the smartest, but it makes for some great photos.

Around this time, the second house that usually puts on a great show started up again - clearly they didn’t want to be overshadowed. The next 15 minutes was reminiscent of a warzone, with continuous explosions and streaks of light erupting between the two houses, making a great show for everyone else. Sadly, mother nature didn’t seem all that excited by the face-off, and sent another huge rain shower our way, ending the photographic opportunities for the night. As much as I wish I could have stayed longer, it just wasn’t worth risking my equipment to water damage. Time to leave then I guess…

You see the fireworks appearing on the top right of the frame? That's the competition house.

However, I did manage to get one more photo in upon arriving home. You see, I have a balcony outside my front door that grants a spectacular view over the suburb I was just in - and it was sheltered. Why didn’t I think to shoot from here earlier? Hindsight. Anyway, I’m not quite done with that photo, so stay tuned for that result soon!

Bonus photo!

Pity about the water droplets...

Thanks for looking - let me know which photo you liked the most!

Equipment Setup

Camera	Canon 6D
Settings	30 second exposure / f16 / ISO 100
Lens	Tokina 10-17mm fisheye
Additional	Manfrotto tripod
Processing	Lightroom CC
Location	Durban, South Africa