The Mission Inn Festival of Lights
At sunset on November 23rd, a mere flip of the switch transformed the Historic Mission Inn Hotel and Spa into the most dazzling holiday spectacle south of the North Pole! The crowd was swept away by more than 3.6 million lights and spectacular fireworks. The lights and fireworks transformed the Mission Inn into pure magic! The holiday season has officially begun!
For more information about the Mission Inn Hotel and Spa or the Festival of Lights, please check out: http://festivaloflightsca.com
Click "Read More" below to see some beautiful photos from the Mission Inn Festival of Lights Spectacular!
Pyro Spectaculars by Souza — Industry Leaders
The Pyro Spectaculars by Souza family is proud of their professional accomplishments, and their significant role in the active citizenry and leadership of the fireworks industry.
The fireworks industry’s presence in the United States and in the world is known as the American Pyrotechnic Association. From its very inception until today the Souza Family and Pyro Spectaculars have played an integral role.
Through the years the organization has called on a Souza to be their President for three separate terms. Even as Jim Souza completed his second Presidential term he continues to serve on the Governance Committee. Other Pyro Spectaculars by Souza family members have continued to play key roles in the organization, including Ian Gilifillan who sits on the Board of Directors and committee members Gary Brown (Code), Nancy Gilfillan (Convention, Women in Professional Pyrotechnics), Aaron Beargeon (Transportation), and Jon Berson (Vice-Chair, Proximate Pyrotechnics). Kevin Gilfillan also serves as a key member of the NGAP (Next Generation of American Pyotechnics).
Jim Souza Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
You have to work hard to keep anything in the fireworks industry a secret from Jim Souza, but the staff and membership of The American Pyrotechnic Association did just that when they agreed that Jim should be chosen to receive the highest award given by that prestigious organization. Recognized for his leadership, innovation, and service to the industry. Jim received the “Milton Dropo Award,” named after a fireworks pioneer, and coveted by pyrotechnic professionals throughout the world.
Having served two terms as President of the APA, Jim joined his father, Bob Souza, in the ranks of the APA’s hall of fame.
Video of the 2012 KGB Skyshow
Did you miss the KGB skyshow? Check out this AWESOME video of the show! Check out the link below. Thank you to Patrick Espinosa of Cypress Productions for putting this together!
The KGB Sky Show™ in San Diego
Another touchstone event for Pyro Spectaculars by Souza!
October 6, 2012 might just as well be the Fourth of July in San Diego this year! That’s when KGB Radio (101.5 FM) will celebrate their 40th Anniversary with the 37th Annual KGB Sky Show.™ The multi-thousand aerial bursts will take to the skies with “the fireworks bar set even higher,” according to Show Producer Ron Dixon. Dixon, who is recognized as “our fireworks guy” by most all of the major San Diego events and venues, has “KGB Sky Show™ in his blood,” and is known in the world of pyrotechnics as a top designer, produce and truly master pyrotechnician.
History of The Show
Probably the most frequent question we’re asked at Pyro Spectaculars is, “What do you do the rest of the year?” The answer, of course, is: we do about 50% of our annual shows. Though the (4th of July) Independence Day Celebrations take months of planning and preparation, our thousands of “non-seasonal” shows keep us busy indeed.
KGB Sky Show™ began in 1976 through the creativity of three individuals, Rick Leibert, Ron Jacobs and Jim Price as an experiment matching the ancient art of fireworks with Rock and Roll music.
Naturally, the biggest Fourth of July season ever was in 1976 when America celebrated the Bicentennial. And it was in that year that Rick Leibert, promotions director at KGB Radio (101.5 FM), and station executives Jim Price and Ron Jacobs, envisioned a new level of pyrotechnic pageantry. Liebert called his friend (now President and CEO of Pyro Spectaculars) Jim Souza, to see if what they had in mind was even possible. Broadcasting a music track to a massive audience as fireworks burst in precise synchronization from multiple geographic locations had never been done before. Sousa and Liebert crafted the first “Sky Show™,” and history was made.
The show was fired from two locations in San Diego: Chollas Park and Fiesta Island, synchronized via an RF Transmitter and they set a new standard for large-scale fireworks productions.
Following Sky Show 1, the City of San Diego Police and Fire Departments called a meeting and told KGB that because of the massive traffic jams created by the event, any future events would need to be held at a location designed to handle incredibly large crowds such as San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, now Qualcomm Stadium.
Through the years, many different elements have been ‘experimented’ with in Sky Shows including live talent, lasers, intelligent stage lighting, props, movie special effects, propane flame effects, famous sports celebrities, the Rocket Man, sky divers, marching bands etc. but the key elements that started the concept are still the key players, namely fireworks and rock and roll.
What began in San Diego, in the words of co-creator Rick Leibert as ‘a continuing experiment of the matching of state-of-the-art fireworks with world class rock and roll’, is now practiced world wide in such places as the Hong Kong Chinese New Year, the Australian Bicentenary, the Olympics, the world’s major theme parks, baseball and football clubs, Las Vegas New Years, Korean Independence Day, Jerusalem 3,000 Anniversary, music tours and music videos, concerts, and thousands of other venues world wide where ever fireworks are synchronized and choreographed to live broadcast music.
Sound of Light Fireworks Competition
Hey Pyro Fans! Click here to check out some amazing photos of from out recent competition at the 2012 Sound of Light Firework Competition in Ottawa, Canada. Enjoy!
For more information about the competition, check out: http://goo.gl/NlyIb
Photo by: Ian Macfarlane - http://imacphoto.com/
Pyro Spectaculars… San Diego’s Firework Company Since 1946
I wish I had a dollar for every time in the past month I was asked about the Big Bay Boom. You know, that giant fireworks mistake in San Diego on the 4th of July that fired all the fireworks on all the barges in a matter of seconds. THAT WAS NOT PYRO SPECTACULARS!!!!.
While Pyro Spectaculars was not responsible for that particular show we do have a deep history with San Diego. In fact, the roots of Pyro Spectaculars San Diego Fireworks go back 66 years to 1946!
Over twenty years ago Pyro Spectaculars acquired San Diego Fireworks. The father of our current San Diego Facility Manager, John Peluso, started San Diego Fireworks in 1946. John grew up in San Diego with fireworks in his blood and a passion for the excitement that fireworks brings to the millions that enjoy shows in San Diego every yea
r.
Show Producer, Sam Bruggema, also raised and living in the San Diego area, works with John and our other hardworking Pyro Spectaculars professionals to present dozens of displays around the City every year.
Want to see a fireworks display by Pyro Spectaculars? Just visit Sea World San Diego, San Diego Chargers, San Diego Padres, KGB Sky Show, Holiday Bowl, Coronado 4th of July, Ocean Beach 4th of July and countless others. Many events from the Midway and Hotel del Coronado also feature Pyro Spectaculars fireworks and pyrotechnics. We are proud to be a part of all of these fine displays and to have been chosen based on our long record of professionalism, dependability, and, well, Spectacular fireworks displays.
Pyro Spectacular’s next event is the annual KGB Sky Show at Qualcomm Stadium. The show features a magnificent display of fireworks synchronized with great music! The show will immediately follow the SDSU vs. Hawaii football game. Come for he game, but stay for the show! Please click here to get more information about the game and show.
If you want to see the best fireworks (and not all at once) make sure the event you attend will be a Pyro Spectaculars San Diego Fireworks event!
Highlights from the 2012 Operator Appreciation Night at Quakes Stadium
Thank you to our wonderful friends for attending another spectacular Operator Appreciation Night. We were able to celebrate the night with over 250 of you! Your attendance and participation made the night extra special! We look forward to seeing you all again soon!
Want to relive the fun from last night?? Check out the video of last night's show and click the Read More button below to see photos from the night.
Operator Appreciation Night at Quakes Stadium
As a THANK YOU to our amazing operators we would like to invite you to our annual appreciation night. This year's event will be hosted at Quakes Stadium in Rancho Cucamonga. Please join us for a night of fun, baseball, delicious feed, good drinks and GREAT friends. We very much hope you can join us!
Please RSVP by calling the office, (888) 477-PYRO.
Pyro Closes the NYSE Market
On July 3rd, 2012, Pyro Spectacular’s very own Gary Souza closed trading at the New York Stock Exchange. While sounding the closing […]
4th Of July Press Coverage
Check out the great 4th of July Press Coverage of Pyro Spectaculars. Check out all the late breaking news articles, interviews, and […]
Amazing Highlights of the Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary
Highlights of the epic fireworks spectacular fired on May 27, 2012 to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge. Music composition and editing by Roy Swedeen. Check out http://www.studioredproductions.com/ for more of his amazing work!
Your First Seven Fireworks Photo Tips
Getting great (or even good) photos of fireworks can be a challenge. Here are a few tips to help the amateur or semi-professional photographer get started with success. All photographers know that photography is an art. These should help you with the basics.
- Use a Tripod
Since you’ll be using longer shutter speeds it is crucial to have your camera secured. You want to capture the movement of the fireworks, not the camera. - Don’t Touch!
Again, keeping everything on the camera end steady is crucial, so invest in whatever remote release device is available for your camera. If you don’t touch it, you won’t cause the image to jiggle. - Simplify your Settings
As you experiment and develop expertise you may find tricks that work for you, but a good place to start is…- No “Auto” — shoot in manual mode
- Aperture — don’t make the “bigger is better” mistake; start somewhere around f/8 to f/16
- Shutter Speed — You want a good long exposure. Hold down the shutter from the “first of the burst” to the end of the effect. Typically, your shutter will be open for a few seconds. On the other hand, don’t assume that you can keep the shutter open indefinitely. Unless you’re shooting a single burst, you could easily get an over-exposure.
- Focal Length — better wider; that’s why God invented cropping
- ISO — 100 should work well.
- No Flash (don’t think you can light a fireworks burst – it is its own light against the black sky!
- Take a lot of shots
There are lots of variables, and it can seem like a game of chance. Improve your odds by “placing lots of bets.” - Have the wind at your Back
If the wind is blowing toward you, you’ll likely wind up with a lot of pictures of smoke, and a few pictures of smoky fireworks. - Setup your shots early
Get to the venue and pre-focus on the area of the sky where the fireworks will burst. You may have to make some adjustment once the show starts, but you don’t want to spend the first few minutes of the show trying to get your basic focus in place. - For a more memorable shot, include a frame of reference
Folks on vacation don’t take pictures of each other in the hotel room. Let your picture tell the story of not only how beautiful the fireworks are, but where the show is, and what it’s all about. Include a skyline, some people in the foreground, a recognizable building, etc.
With good planning, the right equipment, and some luck, your first fireworks photos will be beauties, and you’ll be on your way to great shots in the future.