Fireworks Tutorial
Fourth of July was an amazing one this year. This year we shot some new fireworks and wanted to let people in on some of the settings we use. Keep in mind that whatever settings you use, there is still some leeway one needs to consider. Your location in relation to the fireworks and how bright the fireworks are is a crucial consideration. When trying to find the right spot to setup, I would highly recommend looking for an area that is not lit by any street lights and the direction you are shooting at, does not have any constant lights. This will insure that when you are adjusting for the lighting, no lights will be interfering in your measurements. If you choose to shoot fireworks without a tripod, good luck…
You need the following to shoot fireworks:
- A camera that is capable of doing long exposure (keeping the shutter open for 2-3 seconds)
- A sturdy tripod that will not be affected by the wind, if you have a light tripod, try attaching the camera bag, to the main shaft of the tripod (this will increase stability)
- A memory card that is capable of taking at-least 200-300 shots (min) = 20-30min
- A wired remote (optional but helps a lot)
- Pair of ear plugs (can get very loud, especially if you are right below them)
The Right Spot
Finding a good spot is honestly very difficult. We usually try to find a spot where there is no one around. This insures that you don’t have to worry about your stuff being taken in the night and also that no one accidentally bumps into your equipment.
Caution
If you are shooting in the middle of the field and the source of the fireworks is also there, be cautious of the emergency fence that is typically placed around the perimeter. This fence is a safety precaution to insure that the falling debris from the shot out fireworks hits no one. We would recommend being at-least 20-30 feet away from that fence (accidents happen and that fence is usually a primary fence, and viewers are usually placed behind a second fence).
So what settings do you use
- Nikon D200 Digital SLR
- 18-200 VR Nikkor (we used, but no specific lens is required)
- ISO: 320
- Shutter Speed - 1.6 - 3 seconds, varying on the amount of light (sometimes less when it comes to the finale)
- Aperture - f/11
- Focus - try focusing on the first firework display, and then lock in the focus into manual, to insure that there is no delay in taking the image.
If you have any more questions, please do not hesitate to comment and ask. Hope everyone had an amazing 4th of July!
Also here is the outcome of this year’s 4th of July, and more of this new and cool desktop wallpaper will be posted in the coming weeks on the website. Please check out the previous year on the following page: fireworks
|
|
Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment