Greater City Providence

Bright Night WaterFire

I have to figure out how to actually take good night shots with my camera, but anyway, here are a couple snaps from Bright Night WaterFire.

Waterplace Bright Night '10

Waterplace Bight Night '10

What did everyone think of Bright Night and WaterFire this year? What could make it better (aside from an economy that allowed them to collect a healthier amount of donations)?

Photos by Jef Nickerson

Jef Nickerson

Jef is Greater City Providence's co-founder, editor, and publisher. He grew up on Cape Cod and lived in Boston; Portland, Maine; and New York before settling in Providence. In addition to urbanism, Jef is interested in art, design, and ice cream. Please feel free to contact Jef if you have any question or comments about Greater City Providence.

8 comments

  • My family attended five events and enjoyed all of them. Only improvement needed: more Rhode Islanders willing to brave the “cold” and come out to Bright Night.

  • Notice the graininess of the photos? It’s because night modes sacrifice resolution for light gathering. Your best bet is to use lamp mode.

    And most of all a tripod is a must. When the shutter is held open for 1 or more seconds it’s hard to keep the camera absolutely steady. I use a $20 Sears tripod.

  • I agree with Jesse. The content was great, but the number of people out was small. Marketing? Transport? Something was missing. Also, I think water fire leaves its impression only with a full lighting.

  • I agree, there should have been a full waterfire lighting. I actually skipped over it because I didn’t know it was going on while I was walking downtown.

    I would invest in a tripod. The night mode on digital cameras pushes the ISO speed way up, which is why the over all appearance is grainy and the shadows look washed out. Using a tripod lets you use a normal ISO speed and a long shutter speed. It’s a royal pain to carry around and set up, but your shots will look much better.

  • I actually need to sit down and figure out how to do night photography. These were actually on auto with the camera balanced on something stationary like a railing. The “Night” mode makes the photos WAY too dark. I have a really heavy tri-pod, but I need one that I can realistically carry around casually.

  • I have been to multiple waterfire lightings since 2008. It would have been the perfect beginning of the nY for me if I had known. I would have braved the 350 mile trip gladly,despite the cold.

Providence, RI
48°
Rain
6:33 am7:07 pm EDT
Feels like: 48°F
Wind: 2mph NW
Humidity: 97%
Pressure: 30"Hg
UV index: 0
FriSatSun
48°F / 36°F
55°F / 37°F
57°F / 34°F