Fireworks

Greetings fellow Canoners,

With November 5th just around the corner I want to take some fireworks images, rather than just experimenting on the night with ISO and f numbers, can someone give me a reasonable starting point ...

I'm assuming a tripod and a shutter speed of approx 2 seconds, so ISO and f numbers .... ?

Many thanks in advance.

I took some fireworks photos on Indepence Day and had some luck. You will need a tripod and cable release. I set my camera to ISO100, f8~f11, and use Bulb mode to control my shutter speed. Normally between 5 to 8 seconds, depending on what type of streaking i wanted from the fireworks. Good luck.

I see your in the UK so forgive my ignorance I am not sure what November 5th is (I am guessing like Independence Day (July 4) in the US.

I had pretty good success with a tripod and remote this past year.

Set your camera to manual (say somewhere between f/8 and f/16), manual focus to infinite, set shutter speed to bulb.

When the cannon shoots open the shutter, then after the explosion close it.

Experiment. Have plenty of battery and plenty of memory.

Search the web and this forum for tips on photographing fireworks.

F/8-f/11...ISO100... The time the shutter needs to be open depends on the brightness of the fireworks and the effect you want...
Some like to open the shutter for about 4 seconds to get the full burst of one explosion giving a dreamy effect, but this can easily cause over exposure...
Some like to put the camera on Bulb and keep covering the lens between the height of the bursts to capture multiple images on one frame... A tripod and cable release are essential...

I hope this helps...

Thanks for the responses.

November 5th in UK is Guy Fawkes night and marks the anniversary of the Gunpowder plot (an attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament) http://en.wikipedia.or​g/wiki/Guy_Fawkes

that was the basis of V for Vendetta....ha!

I never actually researched it and didn't realize that was a real event. Nice.

Good luck with the fireworks shots. Be sure to post some!

I love to shoot fireworks and found great advice here on how to approach them. Do a search you will find some great advice.

I generally shoot with the below.

ISO: 100
Speed: 2 or 3 seconds
Apeture: f/9
Focus: Manual to infinity

Equipment: Tirpod with remote shutter release.

Enjoy and have fun, remember positioning is everything. Below is a shot I got at Disney World this past August.

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO

Another fun thing to try is starting from out of focus as the firework goes off, and then gradually focusing as it moves. This produces really pretty effects, and I'll be trying it myself on Nov 5th.

Camera on tripod, ISO 100, f11, remote release. Cut a piece of black card to cover your lens. Set the shutter to Bulb. Hold the shutter open, with each burst remove the black card from in front of the lens and then replace it. Bursts of three-maybe four work best. Set your field of view before hand and then cover the viewfinder with the cover supplied with the Canon strap or use tape. This will block extraneous light causing your background to look foggy. Another idea is to zoom during the burst. Good luck

Everyone else has been 100% correct. Manual mode, tripod is a must, bulb exposure (2-5 seconds), remote if you have one although not necessary, aperture 8-11 to start then play around depending on the timing of the fireworks.

If it's possible where you're shooting, try getting something else in the frame besides the fireworks. This can really set it apart from other fireworks shots. My example in the attached thread is from Mount Rushmore during the 4th of July. I think having the president sculptures in the frame really made an interesting picture out of an otherwise ordinary firework.

Good luck!

https://photography-on-the.net …ht=rushmore+%2B​+fireworks

Jared