Fireworks
- Thread starter Samsonite
- Start date
I spent Chinese New Years shooting Fireworks for for many nights. Definitely start with a good tripod and wireless remote. Manually focus the lens and leave autofocus off. I also use LV. I set ISO to 100 and used Manual Mode to adjust A / E up and down to get the best results. I preferred to to get a few blasts in each exposure (went between 3s and 8s experimenting). You can also use Bulb mode and just hold the remote during a few blasts.
Rexer John
Senior Member
You're dealing with very bright against very dark so a filter is not good unless it has anti-reflective coatings.
i.e. you might get ghost firework trails as well as real ones.
Your background and sky should be ok for a long shutter speed in the dark with low ISO.
The ground will be lit mainly by the firework (acting as a flash) so having the shutter open for an extended period, i.e. more than the firework burst that you want to capture, wont be a problem.
Your camera should have a firework mode too.
Avoid wide open as it wont be the sharpest image, avoid too small an aperture because you will probably get diffraction stars.
i.e. you might get ghost firework trails as well as real ones.
Your background and sky should be ok for a long shutter speed in the dark with low ISO.
The ground will be lit mainly by the firework (acting as a flash) so having the shutter open for an extended period, i.e. more than the firework burst that you want to capture, wont be a problem.
Your camera should have a firework mode too.
Avoid wide open as it wont be the sharpest image, avoid too small an aperture because you will probably get diffraction stars.
The settings are the easy part, it's timing the explosions that you need to really look out for. First the basics. As others have said, you need a very study tripod and remote trigger (preferably a wired remote). Set your ISO to the lowest clean setting, usually 100 to 200.
The tricky part is framing the scene. You need to be at your location way before the fireworks start, heck even go a couple of day early if you want. You need to know where they'll be coming from and how stuff in the foreground will look (and yes, you most definitely should include the landscape). Take some test shots and use buildings, trees, whatever.....to give you an idea of where to focus for the fireworks later. Take note and remember for later. It's doesn't have to be perfect since you'll probably be shooting at a wide angle and small aperture.
The settings are pretty basic and the camera should be in manual mode. Set your aperture between f/8 to f/16. The only thing you adjust at this point is shutter speed. The easy answer is 'bulb'. Take test shots when its dark, before the fireworks, to see where ambient light becomes a problem. With a small aperture and low ISO, exposure time is going to depend a lot on the intensity and proximity to the explosions. There really is no correct, exact shutter speed. You're trying to capture light trails, which means seconds, not fractions of a second. I prefer to use "bulb" and use a black piece of foamcore. The black foam core is going to act like a shutter. You place it in front of the lens, without touching, to block out the light or to let light in. Trigger the shutter with the remote in bulb and lock it there. This is where timing is everything. Move the foam core away from the lens before the explosion and move it back after the explosion. Let go of the shutter once you're done with the frame. Fireworks don't usually fill up the sky until the finale, so it makes for a more interesting shot with multiple fireworks instead of just one. The rest is chance and experimenting. ND filter will lengthen the exposure time necessary and could underexpose the light trails....or get rid of them entirely. That's not something you want.
The tricky part is framing the scene. You need to be at your location way before the fireworks start, heck even go a couple of day early if you want. You need to know where they'll be coming from and how stuff in the foreground will look (and yes, you most definitely should include the landscape). Take some test shots and use buildings, trees, whatever.....to give you an idea of where to focus for the fireworks later. Take note and remember for later. It's doesn't have to be perfect since you'll probably be shooting at a wide angle and small aperture.
The settings are pretty basic and the camera should be in manual mode. Set your aperture between f/8 to f/16. The only thing you adjust at this point is shutter speed. The easy answer is 'bulb'. Take test shots when its dark, before the fireworks, to see where ambient light becomes a problem. With a small aperture and low ISO, exposure time is going to depend a lot on the intensity and proximity to the explosions. There really is no correct, exact shutter speed. You're trying to capture light trails, which means seconds, not fractions of a second. I prefer to use "bulb" and use a black piece of foamcore. The black foam core is going to act like a shutter. You place it in front of the lens, without touching, to block out the light or to let light in. Trigger the shutter with the remote in bulb and lock it there. This is where timing is everything. Move the foam core away from the lens before the explosion and move it back after the explosion. Let go of the shutter once you're done with the frame. Fireworks don't usually fill up the sky until the finale, so it makes for a more interesting shot with multiple fireworks instead of just one. The rest is chance and experimenting. ND filter will lengthen the exposure time necessary and could underexpose the light trails....or get rid of them entirely. That's not something you want.
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BackdoorArts
Senior Member
You want your aperture to be such that your DoF covers the entire span of your light trail, so somewhere between f8 to f16 depending on your focal length should work, you may need to adjust ISO appropriately the smaller you go so you get enough light. But remember, a lot of this is about the contrast of the light to the dark sky, so unless you're looking to include other things (buildings, city scapes, etc.) in the photo then it's just about capturing the light for the duration of the explosion.
There are several decent tutorials out there if you search for "Shooting Fireworks with a DSLR", and while there are minor discrepancies between them, read a couple and you'll see where the advice is consistent and where there's room left for interpretation.
There are several decent tutorials out there if you search for "Shooting Fireworks with a DSLR", and while there are minor discrepancies between them, read a couple and you'll see where the advice is consistent and where there's room left for interpretation.
Just been out shooting the Fireworks Festival... First attempt at shooting fireworks, here are some of my shots....
DSC_4648 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!DSC_4624 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!DSC_4604 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!DSC_4600 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!DSC_4592 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!DSC_4591 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!DSC_4570 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Opinions?
DSC_4648 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!DSC_4624 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!DSC_4604 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!DSC_4600 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!DSC_4592 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!DSC_4591 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!DSC_4570 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Opinions?
Just-Clayton
Senior Member
Very nice. I did pretty good on my first attempt 2 years ago. But, I didn't have the best foreground like you do.
Nice work. If you notice, the longer exposures (30 seconds) create that creamy feel that's much more pleasing. Light trails also look more interesting than freezing the explosion which tend to look noisy. Aside from the meathod I described earlier, you can also stack photos in photoshop if you want it to fill the sky. Great work overall 