Fireworks photography.

[ShadowFlyP]

A family member of mine is interested in doing some decent fireworks photography and video. He's got a Sony video camera of some sort, so he's not going to get near the quality of a SLR or anything, but it should be sufficient for some website material. At any rate, he asked a person at Best Buy (who aren't known for that great of advice in my opinion) and she quickly replied to use a polarizing filter for fireworks pictures. Any ideas why she would be so confident on this and what a polarizing filter would do for fireworks? She claimed it would intensify the colors, but I can't figure out why.

I can only think of two things that a polarizing filter might help with in fireworks. First, a polarizing filter would act similar to a neutral density filter and give 3 stops lower exposure. This might be useful on an SLR where you want to expose for 30 seconds or so without over exposure, but on a video camera this doesn't seem to buy you much. Second, and I'm much less confident on this, is that a polarizing filter might cut down some of the reflected light from the fireworks smoke and give you a crisper picture.

Any comments or ideas where she was coming up with this? Nearly every article I could find in my quick google recommended to be certain polarizing filters were removed.

[gasrocks]

Poliz filter has nothing to do with fireworks.

[tim]

For fireworks I use ISO100, F8, and 2-4second exposures, no filters needed.

Examples (http://www.mrwild.co.nz/PhotoGallery/2005/GuyFawkes/index.html).

[ShadowFlyP]

I guess I was hoping for a little technical discussion on the effects of using a polarizing filter. You know, a little thought into what, if any, effect a filter would have. We all probably know that you can take a 2-15 second exposure with a tripod and get pretty decent shots, but could a polarizing filter have some advantage that most of us beginners are unaware of? I guess with the New Year's coming up maybe some of us will get a chance to try it out...

[Radtech1]

I guess I was hoping for a little technical discussion on the effects of using a polarizing filter.
See Below.


You know, a little thought into what, if any, effect a filter would have.
It doesn't even take "a little thought"


...but could a polarizing filter have some advantage that most of us beginners are unaware of?
No


As Gasrocks already stated:

Poliz filter has nothing to do with fireworks. because a polarizing filter blocks ONLY REFLECTED and polarized light. Fireworks are a source of direct, not reflected, light. Light reflected off of the smoke would not polarize as the smoke would be both too diffuse and too close to the light source (light polarizes when reflected at a glancing angle).

See, that was easy.

[ShadowFlyP]

Thanks Radtech, that comment was on topic and answered my question with more intelligence than "um, poliz bad" which is essentially what gasrock's comment equated to in my mind. I guess I was a little annoyed with his response (and somewhat with Tim's which in my opinion was off topic) when I wrote earlier. I apologize if I was out of line. Thanks again for re-affirming what I thought: Best Buy sales people are idiots. :-D

[joayne]

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=341145

Another link with useful information