Fireworks w/PowerShot SX 20 IS

I see threads and hints for taking pix of fireworks with more complicated cameras, but, how about some hints for this type of camera or P&S's.

I see I have a fireworks mode, but, any other hints would be appreciated!

Donna

The most difficult part is finding a good shooting location. Ideally you want a clear view of the launch site with no obstacles (people, trees, buildings) in front and a clear view of the sky where they explode. Also good clear weather with no clouds. Last year I tried to get some shots but it was rainy and foggy just when they set them off and I couldn’t see the explosions in the sky other than a big puff of light.

A tripod is a must since you want a slow shutter of about a second or more and a fairly tight aperture. I used shutter priority last year and controlled a G9 remotely using a laptop. That allowed me to keep firing the shutter without touching the camera. Some sort of remote would help

Timing and anticipation is everything. I got an idea where in the sky they would explode and kept adjusting my framing and then waited for the grand finale and started firing away. I believe I’d have some decent shots if it weren’t for the clouds. Other than all of that it just takes trial and error

Thanks for the advice. We're heading out tonight to a show and plan to get there 4 hours before the show so we can get a good spot. We've been to this show before and know where they shoot from - an island in the middle of a river - great viewing from many spots

I have the SX20 and I'm excited about trying out the Fireworks mode too. But I may have to set the camera down on something sturdy since I won't have a tripod with me. Can't wait to see the results from everyone who will be trying to shoot them tomorrow!

Don't forget th'at you'll likely need to pump up the ISO to pick up the fireworks.

If you dont have a remote, I'd time it using the 2 second timed exposure. I usually use aperture priority, and I set mine to manual focus at infinity to avoid foucs hunting. And I adjust aperture and iso to get a 1-2s exposure. However, if you use firework mode, I think most of the setting I mentioned above are already covered.

wcameron wrote in post #10473056
Don't forget th'at you'll likely need to pump up the ISO to pick up the fireworks.

I have an SX10, which I'd guess works the same way as an SX20 - I looked at the scene settings (never used them) - seems you can't change ISO from "auto" when in "fireworks" mode.

I've shot fireworks a bunch of times with other cameras. I'd try the "fireworks" mode and see how that works, but if it doesn't give you satisfactory results (give it a chance...fireworks result in a low percentage of "keepers" no matter what).,,then switch to manual and use trial and error to get the right ISO, aperture and even shutter speed. But different colors rockets will expose differently, so there's no way to get a setting that will work well on every shot or even most shots.

ISO would depend on how distant and the colors of the bursts are. White sparkles will be over exposed and red streaks under exposed if shot using the same settings.

...try 2 or 3 second exposures. If they are too bright or dim, then play with the ISO. Or the aperture.

Use manual focus to be sure you are at infinity...you won't be close enough to not be at infinity no matter where you shoot from even if you think you are close.

A smaller aperture will help in most cases, but the SX doesn't have much of a range so there' s not a lot you can do about that. Still, since you should be shooting wide, f2.8 wll probably be too wide even though it's available. Long exposures with a wide aperture is asking for trouble you can do something to avoid.

The one thing you HAVE to do is use a tripod as mentioned. And little to no zoom depending on how close you are. You can always crop but having half the show cut off by zooming too much will look terrible ,,and at most displays they usually aim at several different spots and you can't move the camera because it's too late by then. And you can't anticipate, so shoot wide and crop later

A remote is very helpful, but I don't know of any way to use one with the SX10 - maybe the SX20 has a compatible remote?

Don't try to follow a rocket by vertical panning...sure way to get wiggly lines unless you have a pan head that's made specifically to go in a perfectly straight vertical rise...but even if you have such a pan head, it's more likely to ruin than to help - just let the open lens do it's thing. Even if you can track a rocket perfectly, it will likely be overexposed as it's going up and under-exposed when it explodes...especially if it has a white rocket trail and red display on the explosion at the apogee.

I'd be VERY gentle when pressing the shutter button assuming there's no way to use a remote. Even on a tripod you can shake the camera if you don't have a very solid tripod (if you do, then you probably have a heavier camera...which would probably be a better choice than the SX20).

Bottom line is no matter what you do you will have a low percentage of "keepers" compared to shooting just about any other kind of subject. The good news is you will have a lot of opportunities. So even if you only have a 10% 'keeper" rate, you should have at least 100 chances if it's a big fireworks show...maybe more. And with "grand finales"..it's going to be just luck on exposure when 5, 10 or more burst happen simultaneously.

IMHO, just ONE or TWO really good shots is enough. Watching a fireworks show is an event. But having a large stack of still photos is not something you're likely to look at often. But get ONE great shot..have it printed in a large size, frame it, stick it on the wall..that's really ideal. Or maybe two prints and hang them next to each other...more than that will be too much.

You might want to try video...with the HD of the SX20, maybe that will give you some nice results. But like a stack of stills, I can't imagine actually looking at a video after the event. I'd rather have one great print.

But that's me...everyone is different. And if you have children the right age,...(very young) they seem to never tire of watching the same videos over and over. When my kids were young I didn't have a video camera, but they must have watched the same kid's movies hundreds of times..maybe they'd enjoy watching a fireworks show over and over on TV ??

Best of luck and enjoy the show. And don't be disappointed if you only get a very few good or acceptable shots. I can't think of anything that requires more luck to capture with a camera..not even lighting.

Great informative post Delija.

I shot this one on Thursday at our Canada festivities here with my SX10

I was pretty happy with the pictures I got using the Fireworks mode on my SX20

hawaiiboy wrote in post #10474330
Great informative post Delija.

I shot this one on Thursday at our Canada festivities here with my SX10


I used the TV mode (shutter priority) manual focus set to infinity on a sturdy tripod.
For this one, it was an 8 sec exposure, iso 200, 1 sec self timer to get away from
camera shake when pressing the shutter.
When I hear the rockets fire I trigger the shutter and hold a black cloth
in front of the lens until I think that they shells will explode...pull the
cloth out of the way and here is the result.

This one is a 13 sec exposure with the iso at 100

More shots can be viewed here
http://s30.photobucket​.com …iibg/Canada%20D​ay%202010/

I would recommend keeping the iso at 200 or less to keep the noise down.

Great shots...using a black cloth is a great idea!!

LissalovesCanon wrote in post #10475335
I was pretty happy with the pictures I got using the Fireworks mode on my SX20

I'm impressed that the "fireworks mode" seems to have worked quite well...good exposures, and interesting shots.

But it's apparent that you were moving the camera, so you got the "wiggly lines" I had mentioned in my previous post.

Still..nothing wrong with the pictures...the "wiggles" are kind of interesting in that they seem pretty smooth and it's all subjective anyway..... Your shots are "different" but so what? The only thing that matters if is you like them.

I intended to experiment tonight using both my SX and and seeing how the "fireworks mode" would work, and take shots at the same time with my dSLR in manual mode to compare (I only have one really solid tripod, but I think the SX is light enough to use on a lightweight travel tripod I got a long time ago for my Elf camera)..... but we got rained out. Maybe they'll try again tomorrow night since it's a legal holiday ??


Peace,
D.

Very nice shots Lisa.

Delija.......thanks for the comments....so sorry that you
got rained out.

hawaiiboy wrote in post #10478334
Delija.......thanks for the comments....so sorry that you
got rained out.

Yeah, disappointing...and it's raining worse today (at least it is now...the weather can change quickly here).

I didn't know Canada had 4th of July festivities...what's the occasion up there? LOL


Does the Commonwealth get annoyed?

Peace,
D.

Delija wrote in post #10478066
But it's apparent that you were moving the camera, so you got the "wiggly lines" I had mentioned in my previous post.

Still..nothing wrong with the pictures...the "wiggles" are kind of interesting in that they seem pretty smooth and it's all subjective anyway..... Your shots are "different" but so what? The only thing that matters if is you like them.

Peace,
D.

I was more worried about my kids blowing their fingers off than getting the "perfect" shot. I had never tried out the fireworks mode and that was all I was really doing. But I'm happy with what I did get, wiggles and all

Hawaiiboy- Fantastic shots!!