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July 16, 2008
Photographing Fireworks, Yet Again
Last weekend there was a fireworks show not far from the town where I grew up. Having made the attempt to photograph it last year, I thought I'd try again and this time around, hopefully being better prepared.
I knew I'd be able to see the fireworks from the backyard at my mom's house. The trick would be finding the best location in the yard and anticipating where the multi-colored bursts would appear. My plan was to set everything up ahead of time and then park my butt in front of the camera five minutes before the fireworks began.
Having read through The Digital Photography School's How to Photograph Fireworks post (again!) I jotted down some notes about camera settings and what-have-you. At the last minute I decided to use my Tamron 200-500mm lens (the one I use for photographing birds) as I felt it would bring me in much closer to the action since I was at a distance. For the purpose of comparison, last year I used a Nikon 18-55mm lens. I also used my tripod this time around, wanting to keep the camera steady and stabilized and avoid camera shake, especially with such a hefty lens.
I set the camera on manual with a setting of f16. I made sure the camera itself was firmly locked into the tripod, and I had a piece of black foam to cover the viewfinder to block out any light when pressing down the shutter. (My photography continues to be a "learn as I go" process.) With all systems go, I sat and waited for the show to start.
Here's what happened the minute the show began:
Houston, We Have a Problem
I knew the first shot would be tricky since the exact location of the fireworks in the distance could not be pre-determined. Here you see the smoke and barely visible lines of the fireworks themselves. When I realized I was too far to the right of where I thought the fireworks would be, the scramble to move my position was comical.
I didn't review any of the photos I'd taken -- there was no time since the show was only 20 minutes long. I'd check everything out after the fact. When I did, I couldn't really tell what I got, and had to wait until I returned home and ported the photos to the laptop. Upon examination, it was evident I did something wrong. Either the f16 setting wasn't optimal or the camera somehow shook when I pressed down on the shutter or... whatever. Even so, some of these photos are kinda cool. :-)
Psychedelic
ShakeShakeShake
Like the Rays of the Sun
Shake2
I forgot to mention the tree in the way. Can you see it?
Groovy
See the tree?
There's that tree again.
Smoke Gets in Your Shot
Next time I'll move my location to a better vantage point sans trees. If at first you don't succeed, try try again. :-)
Cindy
Comments
These are awesome! Slow shutter speed? They're so different than the usual, and the first two are my favorites!
Brain matter deposited by: susan on July 16, 2008 8:23 AM
fireworks and cameras don't seem to be like a horse and carriage. At least I've never seen that many photos of fireworks that turned out as well as sports photos.
Brain matter deposited by: RONW on July 17, 2008 9:18 AM
I like the different effects achieved.
Having never read any tutorial on photographing fireworks, this year I did pretty much what I normally do in shooting -- I winged it. (Or would that be wanged it?) I took two test shots and made one adjustment. Final settings on the camera were: ISO 400, auto white balance, and around 1/8 sec. shutter. I went the handheld route only because the monopod would have restricted my ability to follow the rise of the shell.
For you, the long lens was a good choice but unless you were using a remote, the slight movement from pressing the shutter would have been enough to cause the wobble at such a great distance. The further away you are from your subject, the more you zoom in, the more obvious any movement is. Of course, this provides for some interesting images, too! Box of chocolates and all that.
Brain matter deposited by: Da Goddess on July 17, 2008 6:16 PM