Fireworks

[blindside]

Its was my first time going out and try to capture fireworks it thought i could work things out. But the firework show had ended and I dont even capture a single decent image. Some tutorials? exposure you use or just a trick or two so I would be ready for the next time. Thanks

[jrobertson]

A good tripod is mandatory. A remote shutter release helps a lot. I usually make sure I get set up well before the fireworks are to start and make sure everything is good to go. The thing to remember is that fireworks are very bright but move fairly quickly so I usually start at f16 or f22 for aperature, exposure is as much by eye as anything. I try to get a feel for the tempo of the display and begin the exposure at launch and end the exposure either at the end of the burst or when I begin to feel that I have too much light accumluting. After that it is mostly a matter of looking at your results and making adjustments.

[blindside]

You have great captures there. Thanks for the advice.

[racingmoose]

Here's an article I came across with some tips on shooting fireworks:

How to Photograph Fireworks Displays

[Chromenut]

Just beautiful, and I tried to capture like you did above, but was almost too far away... I practiced before going to the show, some simple backyard bottle rockets and black cats. Got the exposure down, figured out that the tripod was key to getting a good image, and wish I had a remote shutter release....lol... blindside, good luck with this, I found it much easier to capture than I ever expected it would be. Can't believe mine came out as good as they did, but I ended up with a lot of single's rather than a grouping like he did, think I was a bit speedier, but not sure... can't remember my settings, doh... I was a half mile away, was very surprised at how my zoom lens did on these. If you can believe it, these were shot with a Nikon Coolpix S550!

[400duser]

If your camera has a bulb settings on manual, set it there, but press the shutter for the max of 2 seconds

[Chromenut]

Originally Posted by 400duser

If your camera has a bulb settings on manual, set it there, but press the shutter for the max of 2 seconds

If I remember correctly, I was set up at F5.6 with a 1/2 second shutter, with about an 8x zoom to capture these. I think you could capture a lot of multiple displays like he did above with a longer shutter opening.

[jrobertson]

I always shoot fireworks using bulb mode and a remote shutter release. The length of the exposure will vary anywhere from 2 seconds to 6 or 7 seconds depending on a number of things such as, whether or not I want multiple bursts, how much other light is in the shot or how bright some of the bursts have been (Some bursts get really big and can over expose easily). I find that I get better color if I set my aperture around f16. It all depends the the result I want and what I am seeing on the LCD. Here are some examples:



8.8 sec at f16, ISO 200 70mm


9.7 sec at f16 ISO 200 70mm


5.5 sec at f16 ISO 200 70mm

Hope that helps
Jim

[member666]

Originally Posted by blindside

You have great captures there. Thanks for the advice.

Yeah great tips. And some nice pics posted in this thread.

[samcollins]

wow! Thank you for your tips. Also, I would like you to know that these firework photos are among the great photos I have ever seen. I am a just starting to learn photography and I know I need a lot of patience to master it.

[jrobertson]

these firework photos are among the great photos I have ever seen.

Thank you, that's very nice to hear.

Jim