I LOOOOOOVE fireworks!… I have to say they’re one of the reasons (ok ok like the 5th one) that I moved, but I’m so sad because since I moved they also MOVED the fireworks from they used to be, to the other side of the river =( .. And this year too =( so I don’t think there will be fireworks for me this year… we’ll be enjoying the BBQ =)
This is last year.. from the roof of a building in Manhattan
Exposure: 15 sec
Aperture: f/7.1
ISO Speed: 100
8 sec, f/14.0, ISO 100
And one of my iconic images from LIC, the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Queensboro Bridge
Exp 10sec – f/6.3 – ISO 100
There’s not an exact formula, you have to experiment on your own.
So the basic thing that you need, beside a camera that allows you to do long exposures, is a tripod.
I recommend also a wireless remote control to avoid movements in your shots but you can do just fine without it but you can get one for less than $6. I got a Nikon remote like 3 years ago and it still works great, no complaints whatsoever, back then I paid like $10.
You won’t need a super fast lens. I did the shots that you see here with my kit lens 18-55mm.
The other thing is that you have to find a nice place so be there early to claim it (works better if you scout the place earlier or a few days before) sometimes it’s nice to see the people looking at the fireworks but you’ll need a nice high place to do that. Like my friend Soon said, one of the biggest enemies to get nice fireworks shots is the wind. “Try to find a location where the wind blows toward you or away from you and NOT from side to side”.
After you get all set with your location and equipment you need to set your camera to "Bulb" or "B" (if you’re using the remote) and your Aperture will vary between f6 or even f10 more or less. That will depend on your location and the brightness of the sky, you’ll have to find what’s best for you before the fireworks start. Keep your ISO to 100 or as low as you can get it.
First, take a picture to compose your shot, you’ll probably have to recompose later but just to have an idea and make sure that your background is in focus. You can lock the focus or change it to manual, as long as your camera doesn’t move you don’t need to worry about it, but check the focus once in a while to see if it’s still fine.
The first ones are the clear ones and sometimes the best shots that you’ll get.. after a few minutes you’ll start to see a lot of smoke around and your picture will get a little muudy/polluted but sometimes this can be cool thing if you have interesting clouds in the sky.
To get just one explosion, I press the button as soon as I see it coming (to get the flare) and when its done I just press it again to finish my exposure. If you want to see a lot of them just leave the shutter open for a while but make sure that you’re using something around F12, otherwise you’ll get just white spots all over.
Remember that you won’t be able to get all of the fireworks.. If you get one or two good shots be happy with that.. After you get those you can experiment doing other things.
I moved my zoom while the exposure was on and I got this
You get the idea.. it can be cool =)
Try to zoom out and get the silhouettes of the people around you. Try different things and experiment.
The most important thing is to enjoy and have fun =)
Let me know if you have any questions, feel free to leave your comments and links to your fireworks pictures!
If you like this please share it with your friends!
Happy July 4th!!
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