first attempt at fireworks...

[frog4gators]

This was my first attempt at fireworks. They were taken last Independence Day. I ready alot about using a LONG shutter speed (8 seconds). During so putting a dark object (cloth, paper, etc.) in front of lens in between the peak explosions. Here is what I got...

[daq7]

Looks like it came out pretty good for a first attempt.

[frog4gators]

Thanks! I put a ton of time reading How-To articles. I'm pretty pleased with the results... of course there were several bad ones. I'm partial to the first pic.

[armando_m]

awesome results !

did you used manual focus ?

[frog4gators]

I did. Once I determined where they would be going off I kept it on manual..

[BlueRob]

Those are not easy to shoot at...well done!

[Jay C]

These look great. I've always wanted to shoot fireworks. So your technique was an 8 second exposure, once one fire work went off you put a piece of black cloth in front of the lens, then removed it when the second firework went off?

[frog4gators]

JayC... that is right. f/8 @ 8 sec, 100 ISO. Once I got the hang of it I did that routine about three to four times per shot. Be sure to allow the "trailers" to fall to get that drooping effect. The first couple of pics were about 4 bursts at different times. You can change the length of the shot depending on the frequency of the bursts. I wouldn't recommend it on the Grand Finale... WAY OVER EXPOSED!

[daq7]

Yeah I like them a lot. My only observation is that they are all very tight crops (or shots). I think fireworks work quite well with longer shots. These are pretty much perfect. Pull out next time and just get some variety.

...like I ever took a firework shot. ha.

[Shebang]

No beginner's luck here -- your preparatory reading paid off. Nice!