Firework Flops

Late last night in pouring rain I watched a firework 'party' and took some 40 shots of the event.

The following are some of the best, BUT, I don't find them particulary inspiring.
So.... What went wrong?. How do I improve next time?. Bearing in mind the opportunities to practice are somewhat fleeting.

[IMG]http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff444/Frogherder/IMGP1522.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff444/Frogherder/IMGP1525.jpg[/IMG]

Exif for both :-
K5+55mm (kit lens); 1/[email protected]; ISO400

The shutter speed of 1/10s was to get some form of display. by 1/30th there was just dots, of which I have many.

regards
Bernard

Were they handheld? The general advice for fireworks (at lest for film) was to use a tripod & long exposure (several seconds or B) and use a piece of black card in front of the lens as a 'manual shutter'. This allows you to get several different bursts on the same frame should you desire it.

Yes they were hand held - Pentax Shake Resistance is good isn't it

The use of a tripod, in a field full of people looking skywards didn't seem to be a good idea at the time. It was hard enough to avoid being josttle as it was

regards
Bernard

Just checked my last firework shots. They were between 3 and 5 secs. Used a tripod.

Pentax Shake reduction is good, but not THAT good.
1/10th of a second can be OK if you have steady hands. It also depends a bit on the focal length.

You really do want to use a tripod (or place on a sturdy table that is not bumped by crowds), and probably longer shutter speeds for fireworks.

Thanks guys,
I much appreciate your comments. I think next time I'll take a longer lens and a tripod and stand well back from the people. (the next field might well be better - wouldn't cost anything to get in either and I've save myself the extra calories from the hotdogs )

regards
Bernard

The tripod is definitely a must. But you should forget the longer lens and try to find a background that would help "locate" the fireworks, like some trees (they'll show as silhouette)or buildings. It gives an indication about the height and size of the fireworks. Also, using a tripod with a longer exposure will show the light trails as the fireworks are going up.

Good luck on your next try.

Definitely agree with that! I haven't taken many shots of fireworks, but I definitely prefer looking at that sort of shot.

Thanks Yves The tripod will be used next time. Location, unfortunately, tends to be where the organisers choose to herd everyone (Pentaxophile will no doubt confirm that trait over here in the UK) so usually off site gives more scope (hence the longer lens - 70-100mm ish) for artistic silhouettes.

I suppose I've got to wait until November now.

regards
Bernard

Just come over here on the 24th of june. On St-Jean Baptist day, there are fireworks everywhere.

And, like every summer, there is the World Fireworks Festival at La Ronde (Montréal).

I found with the local (free) fireworks on Monday that I could set a tripod up by the crowd barrier twenty minutes before the show started (~250yds from the point they were setting them off).
It was then adequately out of the way but perhaps having the kids sitting round it helped. First time I've got anything remotely worthwhile from fireworks shots! Exposures ranged from 4-30s.
One of the better shots:


I found that 18mm wasn't quite wide enough for some of the shots - a 12-24mm would probably have been ideal.

We have a free organised display every year and I try to attend if I can. My tip for you is Tripod, bulb mode, f16 to prevent over exposure and burnt highlights, wide lens (I use my 16-50) turned up into portrait, and I always use an IR remote to open and close the shutter one press to open and another to close. You open the shutter when you see the biggies launch into the air and close it at the end of the explosion. usually 4-8 seconds but sometimes longer.

Example shot, I particularly like this image as there were people on the beach in the foreground that really emphasised the scale of the fireworks.
There are more examples on my flickr.

Some might call it cheating but you can get away with taking lots of individual shots then sticking them together in Photoshop. It means that you can choose where they appear on the photograph.

It's one of the easiest bits of montage going as you are generally working on a pitch-black background and any stray light looks like part of the image.

Take a few shots of the skyline first and you can have a spectacular photograph.

Look at this for an example: link

I've not done any firework shots for a very long time, but after seeing these I am looking forward to the next displays, some very nice captures.

Mike/Steve. Exactly what I was hoping to get.

Gareth. I'll worry about PS when I've managed to get shots I'm happy with.

regards
Bernard