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| Happy Birthday America!
All over the USA tonight, we'll be able to look up and see amazing burst of fireworks illuminating the sky! It's no surprise that shooting fireworks is on our mind as we get ready for the big night :) People are often intimidated by shooting fireworks because they seem so tricky and happen too infrequently to practice much. With these little hints, you can nail the fireworks shot of your dreams! Last year, I photographed a wedding over this same weekend and the fireworks show was quite long--I had a lot of time to practice before the grand finale. Here's what you need for your shot: -a camera and somewhat wide angle lens (I'd recommend at least a 35, and a 24 if you've got one) -a tripod is preferable and will give you more options but isn't 100% necessary--fireworks are bright! -a remote release if you're really wanting to make sure you have no shake lines in your photos -a clear shot at the sky Settings: -If you have a tripod, shoot at the lowest ISO you can. 400 and lower works best for the least amount of grain as long as you are properly exposed -DON'T USE A FLASH. Tripod or not, a flash will ruin the gorgeous lights the fireworks give off and make your shot look cloudy -Don't go for a super long exposure without a release ... tripod. The fireworks are plenty bright and a 30 second exposure is more than enough for a nice clean shot most of the time. If you don't have a tripod, stabilize yourself as well as possible (sit down and brace the camera against your face) before triggering the shutter Here was my favorite experimental shot from last year: |
| This time, I decided to try a long exposure. My settings for this photo were:
400 ISO, 5.6 Apeture, 8 second exposure, handheld. That's right--8 seconds, handheld. I didn't bring a tripod with me on this trip. The reason this technique works so well is that the low ISO keeps the photo from being too noisy. It also forces a longer exposure, which is why the trails of the fireworks are so long. I was able to focus at 5.6 on a previous firework that was set off before this shot. You can handhold something like this because when the fireworks go off is the only time the frame will be illuminated. Between fireworks, it's pitch black, and the explosion freezes the action like a flash would. If you move during the explosion though, you'll have a blurry shot. It's WAY BETTER AND EASIER to shoot this on a tripod. (it also helped that the people setting these fireworks off were...untrained and had them going off waaaaay low. That's why the smoke, ground, and barn are so well illuminated.) hope this helps, and happy belated 4th! We'd love to see your favorite fireworks shots--post a comment with a link or email your best to flamingo@shootsac.com! |
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