Almost forgot, FIREWORKS!!!!

BlackRider · Post by **BlackRider** » Sun Jul 06, 2008 11:15 pm

I didn't really go to a fireworks display... but I saw 19+!

http://www.microsmithinc.com/BlackRider/July4th.jpg

Post what you got!

Post by **XMEN Gambit** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 6:37 pm

I got nuttin'.

Didn't go see the fireworks this year.

Neat shot you got there. Was it hazy/foggy/rainy?

Spinning Hat · Post by **Spinning Hat** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 1:47 pm

nice pano BR.

I went and saw all kinds of fireworks on the 4th, but didn't bring my camera... f/4 is too slow to get any good shots at night... At least without making it look like crap at iso 1600..

BlackRider · Post by **BlackRider** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 6:05 pm

Actually Hat, I've read that F/11 is best for fireworks. I think it might be 3s @ F/11.... Though mine are all 30s @ F/11, so the fireworks are slightly over exposed.

Gambit, it had been raining all day and the rain stopped just long enough for the fireworks displays. So, yes... it was quite hazy. Also, the closest display in the picture was probably 2 miles away and some of the faded ones on the horizon are close to 10 miles away.

Post by **XMEN Gambit** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 7:38 pm

Hat, you don't take wide open shots of fireworks. They look a lot better with a longer exposure, so you fiddle with your ratios to suit.

Personally, I like to crank my f/stop to max and shoot in bulb mode (on a tripod, of course). That gives you the most control over the shot, IMO, and you can take really long shots of multiple bursts or single explosions or whatever as the mood takes you.

Spinning Hat · Post by **Spinning Hat** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 12:18 pm

We've got some more festivals with fireworks coming up, so I'll give it a shot later this summer. Our State Fair has fireworks every night, and I'll have a pretty good seat for them, since they launch in the stadium, and I'll be there for a concert.

Post by **XMEN Gambit** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 6:35 pm

Speaking as someone who's shot 'em from almost directly underneath for the past couple years...

You can get some really neat shots of fireworks and sky, provided you have a wide enough lens. However I'm finding that most of the really impressive fireworks picutres have land/water scape and/or buildings in them too, kinda like BR's pano.

XMENPorsche · Post by **XMENPorsche** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 9:11 pm

BR - very very cool pano.

Hat - it's not so much about aperture as it is about having a stable platform. IMHO, a tripod is a must.

Here's a tip.... try to include something compelling in the image other than the bursts of fireworks. Again, IMHO, airbursts shot against a black sky are boring after the first one or two. Try to include some sort of landscape feature in the shot, too.

Here are a couple of examples of what I mean. The first image is a couple of years old and the 2nd one was shot a couple of weeks ago.

Spinning Hat · Post by **Spinning Hat** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 11:17 pm

Both of those look great. 25 seconds on the second shot? How long was the shutter speed on the first?

XMENPorsche · Post by **XMENPorsche** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 11:12 pm

To be honest, I don't really remember what my shutter was on the first one. I took it over 2 years ago. I usually run a very long shutter when shooting this kind of stuff, though.

Post by **XMEN Gambit** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 7:21 pm

...Too lazy to go back and check his RAW...

XMENPorsche · Post by **XMENPorsche** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 10:42 pm

Not too lazy. I didn't shoot in RAW back then.

However, Bibble allows me to see the EXIF.

Program = shutter priority
Metering = evaluative
Exposuer time = 4 seconds
F stop = 7.1
Focal length = 27mm

/me kicks Gambit in the aperture.

Spinning Hat · Post by **Spinning Hat** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 2:50 pm

Kick him again! Kick him again!