For the first week, it was South Korea vs. Malta. I have always loved fireworks, but I admit taking pictures of fireworks was something I am not knowledgeable about. I really had a difficult time setting up my camera, and in the end, I just used the pre-set "fireworks" mode on my camera.
Each set lasted about 20 minutes. The skies lit up for that long, and I did take a lot of pictures, but because the shutter speed of my camera was at 2 seconds and that I didn't bring a tripod, most of the pictures were blurry and somewhat crappy. With that, lemme just share three images I took from each set.
SOUTH KOREA
Woori Fireworks, Inc.
I loved South Korea's presentation! The sync of the music and the fireworks was just superb, and I loved their choice of songs! First song they used was Abba's "Gimme Gimme a Man After Midnight," followed by Josh Groban's "You Raised Me Up." They also used Roxette's "Joyride" and a Korean song, possibly sang by 2NE1. I personally loved that they included a Korean song in their presentation - it showed their nationalistic side.
Their presentation was filled with lots of fireworks - from the big ones to the cutesy hearts one, which I failed to take pictures of. Their finale was awesome, that really made me go wow!
CLOSE-UP INTERMISSION
Close-Up Toothpaste co-presented the event, and after South Korea's presentation, Close-Up Toothpaste showcased a short - 5 minutes, I think - fireworks presentation. At this time, I set my camera to "Kids and Pets," as I don't have the sports mode, and just set my camera to multiple shots. Hitting the shutter and not letting go of it gave me much better images (it took an image 1 second apart), but the foreground was a little too bright - making some of the lights a little washed out.
MALTA
Malta Fireworks Inc.
Malta's presentation was simple, if I may say so. They didn't use well-known songs to go with their fireworks, but it was a pleasure to watch. If I had some comments about it - the lights were a little too low and they mainly used white-colored lights at the first half of their presentation. It may be simple... but their finale was truly amazing! Lots of heart-thumping fireworks that made my eyes go big.
Between the two countries, I'd go with South Korea, but people near me loved Malta's presentation more.
Just so you know... the 3rd Philippine Internation Pyromusical Competition will run for six weeks; next Saturday, it will be United Kingdom vs. Spain... and if given the chance, I'd go watch again. If you want to watch, please check the Official Pyromusical Competition Website or the Official Pyromusical Facebook Page.
I will be the first to say that I am not good in taking pictures of fireworks. If you have any tips to share, you're most welcome to do so. :) All pictures on this post was taken using a Canon Powershot SX130is.
