How to take photos during a laser light show with the use of water?

I am not sure if I am posting this question in the correct place ... I hope this is ok? I am not sure what Cat. this

question fits in?

Here is my question: "How to take photos during a laser light show with the use of water and Pyro? I went to

Singapore in July (great fun) and on Sentso island they have this wonderful show called "Song of the Sea".

The website : http://www.sentosa.com.sg/explore_sentosa/attractions/songs_of_the_sea.html

Check the photos out on the website and you will see what I am getting at. How did they get thoses photos to look

like that?Out of all the photos I took I might have gotten a hand full of decent ones.

The more I travel, I am finding laser light shows with pyro and the use of water is becoming more popular. How can I

captured it?

Thank you Mel

Simple: put camera on tripod, open shutter till fully exposed, advance film or check histogram whether the exposure was

sufficient. Adjust exposure as needed.

The photo below was taken a couple of weeks back in Santa Monica. They had a large fountain, blowing about thirty or so feet in the air from the ocean just off the beach with what looked like a laser show projected onto it. Not as spectacular is the show on the link, but similar light, I'm sure.<br><br>

Here's the exposure info from my notes (aka EXIF data)<br>

<br>

Exposure: 0.033 sec (1/30)<br>

Aperture: f/1.8<br>

Focal Length 50 mm<br>

ISO Speed: 640<br>

<br><br>

It was shot in aperture priority, which is what I almost always shoot with, unless I'm going for an effect.

<br>The people in the foreground are lit by ambient light from the Santa Monica Pier street lighting.

<br><br>Looking at it just now, it looks like they were pasted in with Photoshop, but they're real.

<br><br>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nohodamon/2706545133/" title="Greetings from Santa Monica 07-19-08-30 by NoHoDamon, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3140/2706545133_ebd519e28b.jpg" width="500" height="400" alt="Greetings from Santa Monica 07-19-08-30" /></a>

your exposure will be longer than handheld time, so use a tripod, set it to mirror lockup and use a remote shutter/ 2-second delay for better effects. preset your focus (ideally with f/8 or f/11 and go hyperfocal)

it is difficult to test your exposure as the light's continually being varied (but you could first use the camera to meter while no lights are blasting to get your initial reading, i'll explain in a bit)

pardon me for those that know this is a guide for dummies like myself, as i'm trying to write it in the 'anyone can do it' style...

1) determine the ideal shutter speed FIRST because the speed of the movment of the lights is the biggest varible, and you use shutter speed to control how much each moving light beam 'paints' your exposure to give your desired effects.

2) put camera in TV mode, get a reading from your camera meter for the desired exposure (remember to try to use ISO 100) and note the F-stop it records

3) turn the camera into M mode and put it into the same setting as it did in TV mode, then stop down the aperture by 2 stops e.g. if it showed f/5.6 in TV mode, turn it to f/11.

4) turn the camera into manual focus, focus to hyperfocal

5) chimp your exposure (i.e. take one, look at histogram and adjust) from there

6) if you want more consistent results, once you've set up the composition on the tripod, use the tab on your neck strap to cover up the viewfinder to cut down excess light entry from there

Thank you for taking the time. Sorry it took so long to respond. I know what you mean when you say photoshoped, because thats what my friends say about some of the photos I took at the "song of the sea".. I feel If I had taken better photos and I had had more knowledge I would have done a much better job ...duh.

Thank you for your time and I am now looking for another show I can shoot.