Shooting Fireworks is HARD!

[christopheroquist]

So last night I went out to the Charles River here in Boston to snap some shots of the fireworks display. After

navigating the massive crowds and stopping to shoot some ducks along the way I finally found a suitable spot

right before they started. I have to say, I should have, but didn't anticipate that fireworks were so challenging

to shoot.

 

I found that it was tough to expose for the light and find good combinations of shutter speed/aperture/ISO, etc.,

but that it was also really challenging to compose the shots because you never know what is going to explode

where. So out of 400+ shots I ended up with maybe 15-20 that weren't largely indistinct frames filled with white

sparkles and no redeeming value. Also, since there was no wind, the huge cloud of gunpowder smoke gave most of my

shots a very bright hazy background.

 

Anyway, I think I got some pretty good ones, especially given that I've only been taking pictures seriously for a

year or so, but I would love to hear your thoughts (or especially, criticisms or things I could have done

better). Here is a Facebook link with the best 15 or so shots I got (you can view it without having an account):

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2033444&l=473d3&id=20803585

 

Anybody else take pictures of the fireworks displays last night or have any tips?

 

Chris

 

PS: This isn't really a formal request for photo.net critiques or anything, just looking for some tips, so I

thought this was OK here. If I should move it to another forum please let me know.

[milton-chris]

Chris - just some comments in general . . .

 

First off, I don't think your shots are bad - it really depends on what you are looking for in fireworks shots. My Picassa account has some shots from the fireworks at Niagara Falls this year http://picasaweb.google.com/chrisnewell4444/CanadaDay2008 and also a whack from last year in my town http://picasaweb.google.com/chrisnewell4444/CanadaDayFireworksInMilton2007

 

The 2 batches are a totally different style of shooting, and I actualy prefer the 2007 results.

 

My first comments would be to determine what kind of fireworks shots do you want? The stereotypical stuff, or something different?

 

Then, something I thought was real cool was a tip in POP Photography this month about how to make fireworks shots look amazing - shoot a background scene first and then use it for your shots in PP, so you get a consistent background look, if that's what yer looking for.

 

2007, I shot XTi with 70-200 / this year, I was much further away from fireworks and much closer to them vertically than last year. This year, I shot 40D with 17-70 on it.

 

Don't worry about where some of the fireworks are going to pop - the majority of them seem to pop in the same place, so once that becomes apparent, just stick to that.

 

Cable release is important. I wouldn't worry too much about the various settings - you should be able to chose a fairly generic set and not have to frantically try and change it for every shot or two.

 

I'm a newb, but these have been my experiences so far.

 

BTW - usually when I want to find out stuff like this, I not only post here, but also look to http://BobAtkins.com as he has some great plain-language stuff there that has helped me a lot.

 

HTH

[dennisgg]

I used a method that was listed in Popular Photography.

 

I mounted to a tripod, used bulb, lens stopped all the way down and held it open for 30-50 seconds. I would then put a black item in front of the lens in between (I used a small black camera bag I had since I didn't have a flat black card to use, bring it away for about a second at a time when I want). In this case, I had a nice tallship in the view to use as the backdrop. I guessed on it and here is one of them, first time I tried this as I had difficulty with fireworks before.

 

Dennis<div></div>

[jzq]

Chris -- I thought some of your photographs were absolutely lovely. I have a soft spot for Boston since I went to college there, and I think some of your night shots of folks along the Charles are truly magical.<br>

<br>

I had never shot fireworks before last night, and I definitely think there's room for improvement; but here are two images I was able to capture. Both were done freehand, as I failed to take a tripod with me. (Definitely room for improvement!)<br>

<br>

The details for the first shot were: Canon 20D, 70-200mm lens at 130mm, ISO 400, 6.0 sec shutter at f/25.<br>

<br>

<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3102/2640395799_c412e659ac.jpg?v=0"/><br>

<br>

The second was: Canon 20D, 70-200mm lens at 80mm, ISO 400, 6.0 sec shutter at f/25.<br>

<br>

<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3072/2640397181_90a1e1317b.jpg?v=0"/><br>

[chris_waller]

Tripod, locking cable release, 100 ASA, f/16, 2 - 4 minutes on 'B'.<div></div>

[ward]

I messed around with shooting fireworks last year. I let go of the idea of trying to get things that looked like fireworks (already done so beautifully by folks like you all) and just played with the light. It was fun to imagine new ways to twist and contort the camera as the sparks were showering down.

 

http://www.photo.net/photo/7510749<div></div>

[ward]

Another, after the drugs kicked in.<div></div>

[ward]

A third...<div></div>

[lmcginnis]

Okay. So I cheated. I am a beginner, so I used the preset fireworks settings. This was my first time doing

fireworks. I forgot my tripod but I used a bipod. Olympus E-510. Check them out at

http://www.photo.net/photodb/slideshow?folder_id=847822

[Tim_Lookingbill]

Just one question. Why is everyone stopping down their lenses for night shots? It seems you'ld want to be wide open and focus

for infinity. I realize you won't get the best depth of field but everything ends up silhouetted in the foreground anyway in the

majority of these shots.

 

Is this stopping down the aperture a technique picked up somewhere?

[rene_felix]

This was also my first attempt, and I spent all day reading online how-to articles. Manual focus... check. Infinity... check. ISO 100... check. What I did not come across anywhere was any mention of the progressing amount of smoke during a show. Anyone with suggestions on how to handle this? I found myself using shorter exposures as the show went on -- the smoke was causing white out conditions from the middle until the finale. After all was said and done I thought, maybe it would have helped to adjust from ISO 100 at the beginning, up to 400/800 during the middle and finale of the show. Any opinions on that strategy?

 

So here are my shots, which look a lot like Chris Newell's from 2007. My abstract compositions are completely unintentional. I had to work Friday night, so I was limited in my vantage point. All I could see coming from the Mall were the highest reaching fireworks. Most of the show was hidden to me behind a building on K Street blocking my view.

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/Rene.Antonio/Fireworks4July200802