Printed from the Review
‘Wall of fire’ to light up falls Saturday
MELISSA CHURLY
Friday, July 20, 2007 – 07:00
Local News – A Canadian pizza chain is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a bang in Niagara Falls this weekend.
Thirty minutes of fireworks are scheduled to be set off at the falls Saturday at 10 p.m. to mark the day. David Whysall, of David Whysall International Fireworks Inc., says people will be amazed.
“People are going to be very excited and it’s probably something they have never seen before,” he says.
Whysall and his team will be setting up and setting off one of the largest fireworks displays in Niagara Falls. A one-kilometre-long ‘wall of fire’ stretching from the Maid of the Mist to Table Rock is set to illuminate the sky.
More than 4,300 individual fireworks shells will be launched anywhere from 120 metres to 180 metres into the sky, depending on the size of the fireworks.
Whysall says some of the fireworks will be more than 60 metres in diametre when they explode.
“It’s one of the more complicated and intricate displays we have done,” he says, especially compared to the regular fireworks displays that take place Sunday, Wednesday and Friday nights and last only six minutes.
It will take more than 16 kilometres of wiring, 2,000 igniters and nine car batteries to run this display. Ten firing locations will be set up along the parkway and in the gorge.
Whysall says they can set off the fireworks in any conditions so long as there isn’t a strong easterly wind.
The Niagara Parkway will be closed to cars from Clifton Hill to just before Table Rock at Fraser Hill, beginning at 8 p.m.
“You never know what the conditions are going to be, but we take all the precautions and cancel it if we see a potential safety problem,” says Whysall, who said he has done more than 400 fireworks shows in Niagara Falls.
The best places to view the fireworks are from the observation tower at the Maid of the Mist, the Horseshoe Landing Patio at Table Rock and from Murray Hill.
The Niagara Parks Commission and Pizza Pizza have partnered to present the fireworks and special pre-fireworks entertainment to take place at the Maid of the Mist Marketplace, Queen Victoria Place and Table Rock.
Try these ideas when shooting fireworks
MIKE DIBATTISTA
Fireworks displays are more popular than ever – and capturing images of those huge blasts of colour has never been easier.
Although the guesswork in taking a good fireworks photo is still a challenge, the digital camera now allows the photographer to view the results instantly and make adjustments to dial in that perfect photo.
Here are a few tips to get you off to a good start:
- Use a tripod to avoid camera shake and help eliminate blurry photos;
- As a starting point for exposure, set the ISO at 100, the shutter speed about two to four seconds (or on bulb) and an aperture setting of f8;
- Before pressing the shutter button, wait a few seconds for the fireworks to ‘open up’;
- Choose a good location. You don’t have to be on the grounds where the fireworks are taking place – a clear view of the sky away from streetlights and crowds will do;
- Decide if you want buildings or landmarks in your shot;
- Check your exposures, and make adjustments by increasing or decreasing your shutter speed, or move your aperture up or down a stop;
- Experiment and have fun.
Review Staff Photographer
ID- 619329
© 2007 , Osprey Media. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Niagara Falls Review acticles reprinted with permission by the authority of Joe Wallace, City Editor of the Niagara Falls Review.
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