Save & earn with MPB; trade-in and buy pre-loved
Comments
A great effort Jeff, but as you will have learnt capturing fireworks is a tricky job, and all too often many people are quick to offer you advice on how to master this particular genre. Below is some tips which I found very useful after a rather unsuccessful first attempt at capturing these wonderful pyrotechnics.
Fireworks are fairly unpredictable. You know they're going to explode but you can never quite tell exactly where... or when.
Your camera also has no idea where the fireworks are to focus or what the brightness is going to be like to ensure the correct exposure. So the trick is to follow our few guidelines.
Whatever camera you are using you need to have it set to infinity because the fireworks will be further than the maximum focus setting of the camera. With manual focus cameras this is easy. With cameras that have an infinity setting (mountain symbol on the menu) it's also easy, and even with fully autofocus models you may be able to get round the problem. You could try to focus on a distant subject first and lock the focus by half pressing down on the shutter button. Then reposition ready to take the photo.
Set the camera's white balance to daylight if you shoot JPEGs. With RAW you can tweak colours later.
Next is the exposure. Fireworks are bright and metering from the dark sky would cause vast overexposure. They are also not around long enough for the camera to get a correct reading when the burst occurs, so the best thing to do is select your exposure beforehand. Again cameras with manual mode help here. With an auto only camera you will struggle to get a good photo. Make sure for starters that the flash is turned off (lightning symbol inside no entry sign).
Then if you have a camera with exposure control select f/8 or f/11 (it's worth experimenting at both apertures) The shutter speed needs to be long enough to capture the whole explosion and light trails. Somewhere between one and four seconds is often enough but some fireworks need a little longer, some slightly less.
It pays to watch the first few bursts to gauge what sort of display is being given, where the fireworks are being launched in the sky and how long they stay open. With all this knowledge it's easier to frame, focus and expose.
A shutter speed of around a second means you cannot hold the camera steady so the first thing to do is rest the camera on a solid surface to prevent camera shake during the exposure. A tripod is the best platform, but you could use the trunk of a tree, a fence or a wall. If you use a tripod attach a cable-release to the camera to avoid any movement caused by pressure on the shutter release.
Now the framing. You've already worked out where the burst are going to be. You now have to open the shutter at the right moment and which lens? If you use a telephoto you will struggle to pick the point where the firework bursts open, so a wider angle of around 35mm will be better. In most cases it's best to turn the camera on its side too so the photo is in portrait format. Then you can record the single bright ignited firework as it flies up into the sky and then as it breaks out.
Also try the multi-burst technique. Cover the lens after one burst and then uncover it for a several more bursts as they happen so you fill you photo with multiple explosions. This is tricky but the pictures can be brilliant if you get it right. Use a sheet of black card that you can place in front of the lens without touching it to prevent camera shake.
Regards Nathan
Fireworks are fairly unpredictable. You know they're going to explode but you can never quite tell exactly where... or when.
Your camera also has no idea where the fireworks are to focus or what the brightness is going to be like to ensure the correct exposure. So the trick is to follow our few guidelines.
Whatever camera you are using you need to have it set to infinity because the fireworks will be further than the maximum focus setting of the camera. With manual focus cameras this is easy. With cameras that have an infinity setting (mountain symbol on the menu) it's also easy, and even with fully autofocus models you may be able to get round the problem. You could try to focus on a distant subject first and lock the focus by half pressing down on the shutter button. Then reposition ready to take the photo.
Set the camera's white balance to daylight if you shoot JPEGs. With RAW you can tweak colours later.
Next is the exposure. Fireworks are bright and metering from the dark sky would cause vast overexposure. They are also not around long enough for the camera to get a correct reading when the burst occurs, so the best thing to do is select your exposure beforehand. Again cameras with manual mode help here. With an auto only camera you will struggle to get a good photo. Make sure for starters that the flash is turned off (lightning symbol inside no entry sign).
Then if you have a camera with exposure control select f/8 or f/11 (it's worth experimenting at both apertures) The shutter speed needs to be long enough to capture the whole explosion and light trails. Somewhere between one and four seconds is often enough but some fireworks need a little longer, some slightly less.
It pays to watch the first few bursts to gauge what sort of display is being given, where the fireworks are being launched in the sky and how long they stay open. With all this knowledge it's easier to frame, focus and expose.
A shutter speed of around a second means you cannot hold the camera steady so the first thing to do is rest the camera on a solid surface to prevent camera shake during the exposure. A tripod is the best platform, but you could use the trunk of a tree, a fence or a wall. If you use a tripod attach a cable-release to the camera to avoid any movement caused by pressure on the shutter release.
Now the framing. You've already worked out where the burst are going to be. You now have to open the shutter at the right moment and which lens? If you use a telephoto you will struggle to pick the point where the firework bursts open, so a wider angle of around 35mm will be better. In most cases it's best to turn the camera on its side too so the photo is in portrait format. Then you can record the single bright ignited firework as it flies up into the sky and then as it breaks out.
Also try the multi-burst technique. Cover the lens after one burst and then uncover it for a several more bursts as they happen so you fill you photo with multiple explosions. This is tricky but the pictures can be brilliant if you get it right. Use a sheet of black card that you can place in front of the lens without touching it to prevent camera shake.
Regards Nathan
Quote:A great effort Jeff, but as you will have learnt capturing fireworks is a tricky job, and all too often many people are quick to offer you advice on how to master this particular genre. Below is some tips which I found very useful after a rather unsuccessful first attempt at capturing these wonderful pyrotechnics.
Fireworks are fairly unpredictable. You know they're going to explode but you can never quite tell exactly where... or when.
Your camera also has no idea where the fireworks are to focus or what the brightness is going to be like to ensure the correct exposure. So the trick is to follow our few guidelines.
Whatever camera you are using you need to have it set to infinity because the fireworks will be further than the ymaximum focus setting of the camera. With manual focus cameras this is easy. With cameras that have an infinity setting (mountain symbol on the menu) it's also easy, and even with fully autofocus models you may be able to get round the problem. You could try to focus on a distant subject first and lock the focus by half pressing down on the shutter button. Then reposition ready to take the photo.
Set the camera's white balance to daylight if you shoot JPEGs. With RAW you can tweak colours later.
Next is the exposure. Fireworks are bright and metering from the dark sky would cause vast overexposure. They are also not around long enough for the camera to get a correct reading when the burst occurs, so the best thing to do is select your exposure beforehand. Again cameras with manual mode help here. With an auto only camera you will struggle to get a good photo. Make sure for starters that the flash is turned off (lightning symbol inside no entry sign).
Then if you have a camera with exposure control select f/8 or f/11 (it's worth experimenting at both apertures) The shutter speed needs to be long enough to capture the whole explosion and light trails. Somewhere between one and four seconds is often enough but some fireworks need a little longer, some slightly less.
It pays to watch the first few bursts to gauge what sort of display is being given, where the fireworks are being launched in the sky and how long they stay open. With all this knowledge it's easier to frame, focus and expose.
A shutter speed of around a second means you cannot hold the camera steady so the first thing to do is rest the camera on a solid surface to prevent camera shake during the exposure. A tripod is the best platform, but you could use the trunk of a tree, a fence or a wall. If you use a tripod attach a cable-release to the camera to avoid any movement caused by pressure on the shutter release.
Now the framing. You've already worked out where the burst are going to be. You now have to open the shutter at the right moment and which lens? If you use a telephoto you will struggle to pick the point where the firework bursts open, so a wider angle of around 35mm will be better. In most cases it's best to turn the camera on its side too so the photo is in portrait format. Then you can record the single bright ignited firework as it flies up into the sky and then as it breaks out.
Also try the multi-burst technique. Cover the lens after one burst and then uncover it for a several more bursts as they happen so you fill you photo with multiple explosions. This is tricky but the pictures can be brilliant if you get it right. Use a sheet of black card that you can place in front of the lens without touching it to prevent camera shake.
Regards Nathan
Nathan.... thank you so much for taking the time to set this out....I'll try to take it all on board
Nathan's on fire today, pardon the pun................ great write up Jeff, I am still coming to your house, it is in a great location. I have to say I like your first attempt at fire works, I am far too much of a coward to attempt such, but now, you have lit the touch paper, I'm thinking, get in training for Bon Fire night and then New Years.
Tish
Tish
Quote:What a nice view you have from your home. And some good tips their from Nathan. I've learned something too.
(I had to laugh about you losing your bits. I didn't know tripods came in bits, mine don't.
)Probably more like losing my marbles...
but I'm short of the bit at the top that screws into the camera...gawd knows where it is, and my tripod is so antiquated that they stopped making them in 2002!!! Probably easier to but a new one 
A nice series Jeff, a great intro, some good tips from Nathan, will store away for later use.
Cliff
some good tips from Nathan, will store away for later use.Cliff
