Fireworks - your hints, tips, tricks and pics

[andyquantum]

Hopefully this wont conflict with a future competition thread. It's coming up to that time of year again, and I'm eager to get some good shots of fireworks and bonfires.

I've scouted a good location for a bit of a panoramic - anyone have any tips on how to capture some great shots, perhaps with an example or two?

[Simpo Two]

First thoughts - manual focus, just back a bit from infinity, set shutter to B, fire at will, check as you go and season to taste. Oh yes, and a tripod.

[curtisl]

is there anyway of setting the shutter to B on a 400d?

[VxDuncan]

curtisl said:

is there anyway of setting the shutter to B on a 400d?

Set to manual mode, scroll through the shutter speeds until they keep getting longer and eventually you'll get to bulb.

To start off I'd try 100 ISO, F5.6, but you can vary these to adjust the amount of "burn" you get off the fireworks. Try and keep the ISO low though as you'll get alot of noise and burn out foregrounds otherwise.

Obviously use a remote release (you'll have to really with bulb), and use a bit of black card over the lens. Open shutter with lens covered, remove card, expose, put card back in front, close shutter. Stops shakes that way. You can also put the card over during quiet bits.

Try different length exposures to get everything from single shots to multi bursts, but don't go too over board as you can just end up with a load of mess.

For a short display turn off long exposure noise reduction - it will take a second exposure and subtract to reduce the fixed noise. In the cool temps and low isos you shouldn't need it. If you are really up with Photoshop you can take a set of similar length (to the light frames) with the lens cap on, stack them then subtract from your images to remove all the static noise. This is better than using the in-camera long exposure NR, but you need to know you way round PS.

Don't forget the foregrounds, biggest issue with most fireworks displays is lack of foreground interest, without something in the bottom of the frame they can look a bit lost.

Other things- take a torch (you will drop a lens cap in the long grass), and be wary of your stuff, there can be a lot of "undesirables" at the big displays. Lastly, When you get in let you stuff warm slowly in a cold utility room etc, otherwise it'll be dripping in condensation if taken straight into a warm room from outside.

[RobDickinson]

I use a (self made) remote release cable + solid tripod and fairly conservative settings (ISO 100, F8 or so), fireworks are pretty bright and your running the shutter for quite a while.

Frame and focus beforehand then just click away with the remote, hold the shutter open for as long as you like for each shot, try stay under the 30 second NR if you have it on if you dont want a corresponding 30+ second 2nd shot for noise removal.

Also use the widgit to blank off the eyepeice.

[curtisl]

VxDuncan said:

curtisl said:

is there anyway of setting the shutter to B on a 400d?

Set to manual mode, scroll through the shutter speeds until they keep getting longer and eventually you'll get to bulb.

thats what i thought but it maxes out at 30 secs. i thought that it looks like it goes no further unless you guys know a trick that i don't know of.

[andyquantum]

I think bulb is in Aperture priority in my Nikon. IT's been a while since I scrolled that far though

[curtisl]

found it. just for everyone elses knowledge. the camera has to be in fully manual, not just Tv.

thanks for your help

[Famous Graham]

If you're using an IS or VR lens, turn the stabilisation off - that goes for any tripod work tbh,

I took these on Arthur's Seat at the end of the Fringe in Edinburgh last year :





I'll dig out the settings once I get my main PC up and running in a day or two.

[Stigmundfreud]

lovely shots FG, what settings did you use (thinking more about the f stop)

[_dobbo_]

I'd echo the comments about foreground interest. This was taken a few years back before the pier became a big pile of charcoal - I had this exact shot in mind as I wanted the pier in foreground.


Camera Model: NIKON D70
Focal Length: 29.0mm (35mm equivalent: 43mm)
Exposure Time: 6.000 s
Aperture: f/10.0
ISO equiv: 200

The pier isn't actually sharp, because the tripod was slowly sinking in the wet sand on the beach!

Exposures that are too long don't work as well as you end up with a mess of fireworks in the photo, I think 5 seconds or so is best as you capture just one or two fireworks.

Edit to add - for another example of how foreground interest makes the phot, check out Ed Hasler's awesome post on this topic

Edited by _dobbo_ on Tuesday 14th October 10:59

[Whitefly Swatter]

out of focus works too



This was taken decades ago - hand held on bulb leaning against a wall on E6 and was the only useable shot on the roll !

[BenjC]

Hand held you can get some fun "arty shots" too....

[anonymous-user]

Here are some I took about 20 years ago at the Jarre concert in Docklands.

IIRC I stuck it on the slowest speed I could (think I may even have had it on Program).

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[bashful]

I've had success by setting the shutter to 2.5 - 3.5 seconds - the average length of each firework - then changing the aperture until I get 'enough' background. Here's Niagara Falls on the 4th of July:

[mgp1969]

VxDuncan said:

curtisl said:

is there anyway of setting the shutter to B on a 400d?

Set to manual mode, scroll through the shutter speeds until they keep getting longer and eventually you'll get to bulb.

To start off I'd try 100 ISO, F5.6, but you can vary these to adjust the amount of "burn" you get off the fireworks. Try and keep the ISO low though as you'll get alot of noise and burn out foregrounds otherwise.

Obviously use a remote release (you'll have to really with bulb), and use a bit of black card over the lens. Open shutter with lens covered, remove card, expose, put card back in front, close shutter. Stops shakes that way. You can also put the card over during quiet bits.

Try different length exposures to get everything from single shots to multi bursts, but don't go too over board as you can just end up with a load of mess.

For a short display turn off long exposure noise reduction - it will take a second exposure and subtract to reduce the fixed noise. In the cool temps and low isos you shouldn't need it. If you are really up with Photoshop you can take a set of similar length (to the light frames) with the lens cap on, stack them then subtract from your images to remove all the static noise. This is better than using the in-camera long exposure NR, but you need to know you way round PS.

Don't forget the foregrounds, biggest issue with most fireworks displays is lack of foreground interest, without something in the bottom of the frame they can look a bit lost.

Other things- take a torch (you will drop a lens cap in the long grass), and be wary of your stuff, there can be a lot of "undesirables" at the big displays. Lastly, When you get in let you stuff warm slowly in a cold utility room etc, otherwise it'll be dripping in condensation if taken straight into a warm room from outside.

ok, daft question - how does the whole bulb thing work? Does this mean (as I think it does) that the shutter stays open until you press the shutter again? If so, how do you know when to close it?

[RobDickinson]

mgp1969 said:

ok, daft question - how does the whole bulb thing work? Does this mean (as I think it does) that the shutter stays open until you press the shutter again? If so, how do you know when to close it?

yes, or with the remote I use a switch to hold the shutter open.


How long? Well its like lightning photo's , set it to expose something bright rather than the dark scene infront of you, the background/rest will befine for however long you hold the shutter open for, so you keep it going to capture how much of the fireworks you want, say from ones start to finish - or just a section.

Too much fireworks, or too long will result in over exposure but thats actualy quite hard to do.

[Famous Graham]

Stigmundfreud said:

lovely shots FG, what settings did you use (thinking more about the f stop)

Finally got my desktop set up.

Both were f/6.3 for 0.5 secs (ISO 200)

[AndyKH]

bashful said:

I've had success by setting the shutter to 2.5 - 3.5 seconds - the average length of each firework - then changing the aperture until I get 'enough' background. Here's Niagara Falls on the 4th of July:

Bashful i like trhat, alot, have you a link to anymore of these?

[fastfreddy]

Fun with sparklers!