Fireworks Tips

Hi Seb,

Your instructions were so simple I did it with a Holga. :p Actually, that's because it was raining and I didn't want to pull out my D70. My vantage point sucked, so these are cropped...a lot. :D

Paul

Not bad for a Holga Paul. :)

Looks like you could have used this:

http://forums.photographyreview.com/...ight=lightware

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sebastian

BLS439,

That is an AWESOME shot.

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Sebastian,

Thanks so much. That means something coming from the author of the fireworks tutorial!

--Dave (Striving to be a pro)

Well, since Seb was so damn nice :blush2: here are a few more that I like :D .

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j9...9/_MG_6959.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j9...9/_MG_6955.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j9...9/_MG_6951.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j9...9/_MG_6950.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j9...9/_MG_6947.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j9...9/_MG_6945.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j9...9/_MG_6944.jpg

--Dave

This is such an awesome thread!
As you probably already know, we have our fireworks in November over here in the UK and I went to a small display tonight.

Slap my wrist if you like, but, like always with me, I think these things are beyond my capabilities because they are out of my comfort zone, so I only do things half heartedly. Y'know, "they probably won't turn out anyway, so I won't bother taking my tripod. I may even find a post or a tree to steady my hand."

Unfortunately there was no tree to rest on and the fence was being shaken by a bunch of excited kids.

Anyway, here are my very first attempts at fireworks, thanks to sebastian's and everyone else's tips, I thought they turned out pretty well for being handheld. I can imagine how they would have turned out had I used my tripod.

And yes, you guessed it...I used my 50mm 1.8mm MKII lens on these.

Now I am on the look out for some more displays. I'm sure there will be some more :D

I read this last year and thought it was an awesome tutorial then and thought I remembered what was in it...
Until tonight when the track that I shoot for had their fireworks night and I realized that I didn't remember nearly as much as I thought... :-(

Anyway, I thought this might be a helpful time to bump this back to the forefront. I know I am pointing several shooters to this thread as many tracks in our area are having "fireworks nights" over the course of the next 2 weeks. This is still one of the best resources I have ever read on shooting fireworks!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by steelerdirtfreak

Anyway, I thought this might be a helpful time to bump this back to the forefront.

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Yes, great idea! It's that time of year again. How about posting your shots too - should we keep it all together or start a new thread with this year's shots?

nice job dirtfreak.......I was hoping someone would bump this.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sebastian

Good point about the focus. The fireworks themselves won't really ever be sharp, they're just blurs of light. If you have something in the frame, a building or some trees, you want those to be sharp if they're static. And with the distances we're dealing with here, you're more than likely at infinity no matter what.

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I use a 28mm lens set on f8/f11, focus on infinity, point the lens about where the burst will emerge and shoot. I use mirror lock-up to eliminate the slam of the mirror. Using a remote I can set the shutter to B and lock it open, then use a lens cap or similar to block till the next one goes up. This allows multiple shots on one frame and gives a good effect. after2 or 3 bursts unlock the shutter and mirror and do it all over again.

I had a job once shooting foreworks for an open house of a lodge on the beach. It was fantastic as I got reflections as well as the real burst. It was harder to shoot as where I had to shoot was lit and hard to get correct exposure. With digital it is easier as you can see what you get after the exposure and adjust.

Last year I went to the military base here and had to shoot over a stadium wall. I carried a step stool and used a right angle attachment. That way I could raise the camera very high and use the viewer to see from below. Felt kinda weird for a while. Once I got it all set up, I used the stool for a seat.

Good luck on the 4th!
Michael :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Alison

This is such an awesome thread!
As you probably already know, we have our fireworks in November over here in the UK and I went to a small display tonight.

Slap my wrist if you like, but, like always with me, I think these things are beyond my capabilities because they are out of my comfort zone, so I only do things half heartedly. Y'know, "they probably won't turn out anyway, so I won't bother taking my tripod. I may even find a post or a tree to steady my hand."

Unfortunately there was no tree to rest on and the fence was being shaken by a bunch of excited kids.

Anyway, here are my very first attempts at fireworks, thanks to sebastian's and everyone else's tips, I thought they turned out pretty well for being handheld. I can imagine how they would have turned out had I used my tripod.

And yes, you guessed it...I used my 50mm 1.8mm MKII lens on these.

Now I am on the look out for some more displays. I'm sure there will be some more :D

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Alison, you have to push your comfort zone in order to improve/learn. Take everything you might need so you have no excuse to fail. Just remember that you can do whatever you put your mind to. Be positive and determined. I was 13 when I started photography and no web sites or any schools. I taught me from magazines and books. I don't think I am a genius or anything like that, I was just determined to learn and I learned alot.

Anyone else need help, call Dr. Mike shrink extraordinaire :cool:
Michael :)

Glad this was brought back up. Just a reminder, this has a permanent home in the "Ho<font color=red>w<font color=black>-to's" section of this site. If you ever need to find it, just head there.

Looking forward to seeing what you guys do this year.

oh this is sweet.... thanx for this post, i always wondered what would be the best way to take pics this july 4th.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sebastian

this has a permanent home in the "Ho-to's" section

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I've been trying to figure out how to make a joke out of that, but so far I got nuthin. Where's Asylum Steve when you need him.

Ahem.

If someone could edit that for me, it'd be MUCH appreciated...

BTW Rick, I hate you.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sebastian

If someone could edit that for me, it'd be MUCH appreciated...

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No, I think I'll leave it there for a while :)

That's OK too.

Who needs a tripod:rolleyes:

This was taken hand held because there was no room on the beach to set up the tripod :D 1/8th at F2.8 using a Canon Powershot Pro 1

It was taken at the Battle of Trafalgar celebrations on a beach in Portsmouth back in 28/06/2005 or 06/28/2005.

Roger

Thanks for the tips! I got some decent shots this time around you can check 'em out here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/axle814...7600611203066/

Great thread, Thanks for the tips Seb
I love that shot Michael.
I'm going to try my luck at Stanford tomorrow. Tues. night show.

Rick

Here's some form yesterday.

Chicago Fireworks - 7/3/2007