4 of JULY TIPS AND TECHNIQUES

[HeY iTs ScOTtY]

thought id make a post since the 4th is coming up and a lot of us are going to be taking fireworks photos it might be cool to post some techniques and tips. i havent shot fireworks with my DSLR yet so im looking foward to doing it. i thought some of firework pros could shed some ideas for us first timers.

 

[icassell]

You really should do a TPF search on this one (put 'fireworks' as your search term). Every year at this time, there are bunches of fireworks links. There is alot of valuable information on here with tons of images. Have fun. This is a fun and frustrating game.

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...d-search-really-honestly-i-did-fireworks.html

Here is just an example from last year, but there are many.

 

[dxqcanada]

Tripod ... very important ... if not, a beanbag.

Bulb shutter ... medium aperture ... lowest ISO.

 

[HeY iTs ScOTtY]

thanks for the link i also found this site.

Shooting Fireworks Tutorial Photo Gallery by Mike Alexander at pbase.com​

 

[PhotoXopher]

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...0-july-4th-approaching-share-your-tricks.html

Great minds think alike

 

[Josh66]

OK, it's actually pretty easy.

The hardest part is to try to find an interesting foreground.
(Which as you can see in my example photo, would have made it a lot more interesting - this was a lake though, there was no 'foreground'.)

f/8, ISO 100, Bulb, focus at infinity.

Use the remote (on bulb). Open the shutter when you see one launch. Close it when the explosion is done.

Of course, you'll want your camera to be on a tripod...

It's really that simple.

The above method will get you photos like this:

You can also leave the shutter open longer to capture multiple explosions (up to 15 seconds shouldn't be a problem).

 

[Garbz]

If I could offer a tip to make your photo "not just another" firework photo. Consider that fireworks of every shape and colour have already been photographed. The shot of the firework is cliché. Try to add some meaning to the fireworks by including something unique to where you were, something that says not "here's a firework" but "here's the firework that I shot on the 4th of July at ...."

Use your shutter speed to decide the length of the trails, and then use Aperture / ISO (don't lock at ISO100, sometimes it's just not practical, and a little noise is worth having a much more interesting shot) to control the exposure of the background and fireworks.

 

[HeY iTs ScOTtY]

thanks