Fireworks?

[Ravinder]

Has anyone shot fireworks? I will attempt this for the first time on the 29th August at the Edinburgh Fireworks show. I will start watching YouTube videos for advise. Hope I can get a decent shot or two.

[Rocket]

Never done it but they can look great in an image.

I use YouTube all the time to improve my knowledge. I had not though it of it until now but it is so easy to gain knowledge these days using the web. So much better than when I was younger. Of course books were available but now information on almost any subject is just a click away.

I also prefer a video to reading but that is just personal preference.

[Number 6]

Originally Posted by Ravinder

Has anyone shot fireworks? I will attempt this for the first time on the 29th August at the Edinburgh Fireworks show. I will start watching YouTube videos for advise. Hope I can get a decent shot or two.

Best to use a 12 Bore,I tried once with a 22. But did not do very well

[lady zed]

Looking forward to the photos Rav

[clf]

Originally Posted by Ravinder

Has anyone shot fireworks? I will attempt this for the first time on the 29th August at the Edinburgh Fireworks show. I will start watching YouTube videos for advise. Hope I can get a decent shot or two.

Yes, but I dont have the patience or the interest to shoot many I am afraid. A sturdy, as in rock solid tripod is a must, (I prefer not to extend the legs, as these can quiver and will show as squiggles in your fireworks) as is multiple batteries and a remote release.

If your camera has mirror lock up, practice using it between now and then with your remote release.

Plan as much as you can. How long is the show going to be, and how many fireworks will be let off and approximately where. This will give you a bit of time to set up. Remove any filters you have, and make your lenses meticulously clean.

Depending on the time of night, the light will drop quickly, and remember artificial light may creep into the shot in the form of light pollution.

A wider angle lens will be better than a telephoto. Be aware of surrounding buildings that will add or detract from the shot. Try to scout out positions before hand. Preferably with as few people as possible (because of the long shutter speeds they will show as a blur).

Dont use an ISO above 400 if you can avoid it, because of the dark skies, any noise will become immediately visible. I would suggest staring with an aperture of f14 and working to 32. Shutter speeds of between 5 and 10 seconds. Remember too, when using the lock up, press the shutter release first, then wait for at least 1 second, before pressing again to trip the shutter.

I prefer to switch off any noise reduction in camera, as this will slow down your camera, by 100%. Take a 10 second shot, it will take another 10 second dark shot to blend it, then it can affect the fireworks. Shoot in RAW and do any noise reduction in Lightroom/Photoshop/DXO or whatever software you use.

Timing is very difficult, sometimes you will trip the shutter when you see a firework going off, but it will be uninspiring, and just as the shutter is closing a second more impressive one shoots up lol. A way around this is, a dark card method. Lock your shutter open using the remote release, and B (bulb) mode. This method will also allow you to get multiple fireworks into the shot. Get a plastic tub something light, with a larger diameter to the lens, painted matt black. After each firework, cover the lens with the tub, gently, keeping it in B, when the next firework fires, remove the tub again. A dark thick cloth will work also, but be careful not to get it caught when removing it, and topple the camera!

Experiment if you can the night before, at the same time, to give you an idea of how the sky will look.

I will post a few of my only 'considered' attempt at fireworks, once I find them, along with reasons why I thought they were not good enough to even edit.

[clf]

too much dead space (the original was even worse!) cropped to give a slight panoramic effect.

Cut out the middle, and shifted to the left. Still doesnt rescue it.



The colours are just too orange, because of the street lighting. But you get the idea. My problem is impatience, and I didnt research this at all.

The whole display lasted maybe 15 minutes, and I was confident that I could rescue most of the images, but wasnt to be, which is why I mention the research and experiment.

There are others, attached.

[clf]

Make sure too the legs on your tripod are tight, very tight! I didnt notice one of mine started to slip (Calumet one is now replaced with a Giottos, with a Manfrotto head). If your tripod is not very stable, or quite light, try a camera bag, or something else hung onto the hook in the centre pole.



to this



I played around with these images, trying to do something with them, but if I have to do more than three or four editing moves, then it is not good enough.

There simply isnt enough of the fireworks to make it worthwhile. If you can contact the organisers, they may have a timetable and guide of what to expect, to help in your preparation.

[clf]

from 40 shots, I got three or four images, which are OK-ish when cropped (and leveled) - not a good enough hit rate for my liking lol.

I hope my mistakes, help you see what to look out for - good luck!

The one that I liked most from that evening is not even a firework shot!

[Ravinder]

Cheers. I'll try and get some practise I'm beforehand and have already started to scout out some locations. I think I may go up Calton Hill, Edinburgh. I will google some shots of precious displays to see where is best.

[sworks]

A few of mine from a long time ago. There should be some exif data but I found the weather played a massive part. The chances of no wind is slim. The photos on Flickr are quite small so when viewed large the quality isn't as good as the 'sharp' full size versions
https://flickr.com/photos/[email protected]