Fireworks Pictures from a Boat - No Tripod Possible

[stonyzmom]

What to do, what to do. I'm going to have to handhold my camera to take these pictures. Is it possible to get good pictures of fireworks without a tripod? Also, which lens would you use if you were me? I just received the Canon 10-22mm, so that's going in the bag for sure. What do you think?

[Angdvl089]

Which version of the 18-55 do you own? If it's the IS version bring that and the 10-22. If it's not the IS version I would bring the 28-135 and the 10-22.

[Bob_A]

No, it won't be possible to get good fireworks photos without a tripod ... not even close to acceptable.

As far as lenses goes it all depends how far away you are or how much of the surroundings you want in the image. For a crop camera I would think anything from 10mm to 70mm would be good. Your 10-22 and 18-55 would be my choices.

[HuskyKMA]

In order to get good fireworks pictures, you are going to have to keep the camera PERFECTLY still for at least 0.5 seconds and probably longer. Do you think you can do that handheld? Especially on a boat?

I know I couldn't.

[SkipD]

What you will wind up with is wiggly streaks in the various points of light from the fireworks. My suggestion is to scrap the project unless you are going to be on a BIG boat that won't be thrashing around itself and you can use a tripod or at least a bean bag to support the camera.

Like Kevin said, you'll want to hold the shutter open for fairly long periods of time while the fireworks do their thing. You need to hold the camera very steady during that period of time for the best results - unless having wiggly light paths is what you want, of course.

[PhotosGuy]

I wouldn't expect much, but I'd never say to forget it, either. "Film" is cheap, & it's easier to hand hold a wide angle, so it's kind of like a poor mans IS.
Frame wide to get the water, other boats, & the skyline in the shot. You can watch the shots go up & try 1/4-1/2 sec shots just before it bursts.
Use your imagination & try some with a burst of shots with a faster shutter speeds & a longer lens. You can blend some shots together for a nice effect. see the last two shots I posted in:

Firebirds! On shooting fireworks... (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=189490)

[constablebob]

Monopod, possibly?

[stonyzmom]

Yes.......monopod....I have it and will take it. However, I thought about this last night. Even if I could use a tripod the boat will be moving for sure. We may be anchored, but there is always the roll of the water. I will try some of photosguy's suggestions and see what happens. This is a huge event in San Francisco called Kaboom and the fireworks are spectacular. We've been invited out on the Bay by a friend who is chartering a boat. It will be a fairly good sized boat, but it will still be moving. I won't have any expectations, but maybe I'll get some decent shots. I can at least give it a try. We'll be with friends so I can have fun taking people shots, too.

Guess I'll have to wait until the 4th to take some fireworks pics from land.

[Croasdail]

ok.... really banging my head on the wall now. The issue is the tripod? Tripods work wonders on steady surfaces, but a boat? Really? Your tripod is only going to be as stable as the surface is it is attached to. That is your the issue I would be worried about.

But that being set aside, you have a couple of options here. A simple bean bag does wonders. You can set it on just about any surface and position it to the angle needed. An angle viewfinder comes in really handy too. Once positioned, a cable release is all you need. Another option is those bendable 4 leg things. I have one and have used it to attach to hand rails, polls, stanchions, or just about anything it can wrap itself around. These work really well too, and are very portable and easy to attach to just about anything. A remote release is still very handy.

Good luck with it, worst case is you have wasted a few electrons, and had some fun trying. Cheers

[ngineer]

I wouldn't completely concur with the naysayers on this one; you can get some nice shots, but it's definitely harder than on land.

I snapped these a few years ago on a 29' sailboat in San Francisco Bay.
(on July 4th; we were near Alcatraz on the east side)

Since I proposed during the fireworks that night, it wasn't about getting fantastic shots, but these should give you an idea of what's possible.
Not poster worthy, but captured the memories fairly well.

Straight out of camera
Handheld 30D, 17-85mm IS @~35mm, ISO1600, ~1/50s

[stonyzmom]

Thanks! I'm not looking for poster worthy and those are just fine. I really just want some to share with our friends for memory's sake, but I didn't know if it was possible without a tripod and on a moving platform so to speak.

Great place to propose by the way. Very romantic.;)

[birdfromboat]

try this trick. set up a long exposure with a fairly high iso and wide aperture in manual mode, and then shade the lens with a dark object- I use a black wool cowboy style hat. If you hold the camera as still as possible, then lift the hat at the height of the explosion ( actually fairly easy to time as you get used to the rhythm), you might be able to get some decent shots. maybe have an assistant help out with the hat.
Don't forget about the reflections- one of the best displays I have ever seen was on smooth water with a slight fog, It looked like we were floating in space with fireworks above and below and nebulous clouds floating by with colored highlights. Amazing to see, but I would have had a hard time capturing it, as i am sure you will too.