fireworks photos tips

[tim]

We have a 25 minute long display for the chinese new year here tomorrow night, and i'm hoping to get some good pix. My general idea is to use the 100mm F2.8 Macro set at F2.8 and focused at infinity (maybe slightly less) with the shutter release cable, on a tripod of course. I figure i'll use exposures of around 1-5 seconds, depending on what goes on, but I don't know what ISO to use. Thoughts?

Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated :)

[kawter2]

2.8.. Im not a super crazy pro at this but I would think a bit lower than that

[tim]

Why? The DOF calculator says that a 100mm lens at F2.8 has will get things between 65 and 215 meters away. Stopping down to F4 makes it 56m to 400m. I figure i'll need all the light I can get for this, but i'm happy to be corrected if someone knows better.

You done much fireworks photography kawter?

[Don Ellis]

Why? The DOF calculator says that a 100mm lens at F2.8 has will get things between 65 and 215 meters away. Stopping down to F4 makes it 56m to 400m. I figure i'll need all the light I can get for this, but i'm happy to be corrected if someone knows better.

You done much fireworks photography kawter?
I wouldn't worry about light -- you're not taking a photo of the night, you're photographing fire. You're going to get plenty of light when the fireworks explode -- often too much.

I would shoot at the lowest ISO to reduce grainy night skies. I tend to use shutter priority at about 2 seconds and click the shutter right after the bright burst, so you catch the firework design and the beginning of its trails. Obviously, this can be adjusted for longer or shorter trails. You're going to get 20 minutes of test time and then you can do it all over next year. :lol:

I took 72 shots on my first outing and got two that I liked. I haven't taken any since, only because I haven't had a decent vantage point. Another thing I recommend is to have something besides fireworks in the photo -- crowd, person, building, whatever. It gives the photo added interest and perspective.

http://www.kleptography.com/places-fireworks9815.htm

Good luck.

Don

[tim]

Thanks Don, i'll give that a go. Looking at your pics (nice pics!) I see what you mean about getting something else in the frame, even if it's only the outline of trees.

[Don Ellis]

Thanks Don, i'll give that a go. Looking at your pics (nice pics!) I see what you mean about getting something else in the frame, even if it's only the outline of trees.
Thank you...

You probably already saw the second one -- Heart, which illustrates the brightness I mentioned...
http://www.kleptography.com/places-fireworksheart9859.htm

And I'm sure it's personal preference, but something land-based in the photo makes all the difference. I tend to nod off when I see fireworks against black sky, no matter how attractive (although I'm sure there are exceptions to the yawn rule).

As I said... good luck. Keep your sense of humor because you'll need it as you watch yourself trying to get every possible shot before the clock ticks down.

Cheers,

Don

[tim]

Yep, I had a pit of a poke around your site, nice pics man :)

For some reason this photo I took comes to mind

http://www.mrwild.co.nz/PhotoGallery/2004/SolNetCruise/slides/IMG_1478.html

I'll try not to get stressed trying to get every shot - i'll try not to have too much to drink before either, that can't help. I'm still not sure taking US$3500 worth of photography gear to a party's a great idea either! There are trees around, so I should be able to get something nice in it, though they're quite close to the house and the fireworks will be further away. I'm sure i'll work something out :)

[maderito]

Tim -

There are plenty of threads on the forum to guide you, e.g.,
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=55355

Suggestions:
- Bring a zoom lens; you'll want to adjust your focal length.
- You don't need the sharpest lens in your bag; almost any lens will do; there's not a lot of fine detail in a fireworks shot.
- Use f/8, f/11 and focus at infinity (manual focus). This gives you the correct exposure (with ISO 100,200) and eliminates any issues with focus.
- The histogram is almost useless in this setting; so you really have to follow exposure recommendations.
- As mentioned, don't just focus on the exploding fireworks; compose some of your shots with other elements of the scene in place (e.g. skyscapes, horizons, etc.)
- Travel light and do watch your equipment!

I've done this once. Didn't bring a tripod but learned a lot for my next time out (7/4/05).

[tim]

Thanks Maderito. That thread linked to another which linked to a very helpful article :)

http://www.ritzcamera.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StaticView?tmreturn=true&processRequest=10002&cmd=StaticView&catalogId=10001&staticPage=%2Fetc%2Fcontent%2Frcarticles%2Ffirewor ks_tips.html&langId=-1&location=NLR06C&capture=TRUE&storeId=10001

[C.S.I.]

http://www.kleptography.com/places-fireworksheart9859.htm

If kelpto is your site and photos, Im totally in awe.....great job!

[Hellashot]

Isn't the rule for shooting fireworks: f4 at 4 seconds from the moment you hear the "thud" of the launch focused at infinity?

[Don Ellis]

If kelpto is your site and photos, Im totally in awe.....great job!
Thanks... that's very nice of you to comment. That's what you get from wandering around with a camera in your bag for three years and shooting anything that moves and many things that don't. :)

Cheers,

Don

[JakeC]

If you're in a position where light pollution isn't a huge problem I would recommend an experiment with a technique I've used for lightning. As mentioned earlier focus on infinity or use hyperfocal, especially if you are including foreground elements and don't want a soft foreground. Stop down to something like F8-F11, keeping iso low, switch to bulb mode and use a piece of black card to 'compose' each burst of light, covering the lens when you don't want to include a certain burst, or when there is a gap and you don't want to overexposure other elements.

Hopefully that's not as clear as mud...

G'luck and look forward to the results.

[robertwgross]

It is important to have a weather forecast, at least for the wind direction and speed.

You do not want to be downwind from the aerial bursts. If you are, the smoke will be between you and the pretty stuff.

---Bob Gross---