How To Photograph Fireworks

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH FIREWORKS

Fireworks are photographed by opening the camera’s shutter over a period of several seconds to let the fireworks’ streaming light to draw lines on the photograph.

Here’s how to do it:

DSLR Cameras

1.) Turn off your flash.

2.) Set the lens to manual focus and set it to the ∞ (infinity) mark. With most autofocus cameras, use autofocus to focus on something very far away, and then reset it to Manual focus to lock the focus at infinity for the rest of the night.

3.) Put the camera on tripod. Use a cable release or remote control so you won’t move the camera.

If you don’t use a tripod, the smooth streaks will become squiggles. If you want weird special effects, be my guest and wiggle the camera around to see what happens.

4.) If your camera has it, shoot on M or Manual exposure mode.

5.) Set the camera on “B” or “Bulb.” When you press the shutter, the camera opens to light, and stays open until you remove your finger.

Some cameras have a “T” (time) setting, which instead stays open by itself and closes when you press the shutter a second time. This isn’t as convenient.

If you have neither of these, set a long manual exposure of many seconds, and start the exposure the usual way. Use your hand in front of the lens to stop it. If you have no remote control or cable release, set a long exposure and use your hand or a piece of black card to start and stop the exposure.

If you have none of these settings, so long as you turn off your flash, you will be as good to go as possible.

6.) Shoot at the lowest ISO for the best results. Turn off ISO AUTO because it will try to set a high ISO in the dark. If you have no idea what ISO is, forget about it.

7.) Try an aperture of f/5.6 at ISO 50 and ISO 100, and f/8 at ISO 200 for starters. If you don’t know what an aperture is, or your camera doesn’t have this adjustment, don’t worry.

8.) Open the shutter before the first burst. Hold it open several seconds, until one burst completes, or hold it open longer for several bursts.

As more bursts happen, they “draw” on you film or digital, and add together to look like they all happened at once. If you only open the shutter for one burst, you get one. If you hold it open for several consecutive bursts, you’ll get a photo loaded with all of them.

9.) How’s it look? Too dark? Open up the aperture (set more towards f/4). Too washed-out? Stop down (towards f/11). Try again until you get an exposure you like, at whatever aperture you need.

10.) The brightness of the burst depends only on ISO and the aperture (f/stop). They don’t vary with the amount of time the shutter is open.

11.) The brightness of the sky, but not the bursts, also varies with the length of the exposure.

12.) For a bluer sky, I prefer the Tungsten white balance setting. For more orange, try the cloudy or shade settings (see white balance for more).

Compact Cameras

Pocket digital cameras rarely have a Bulb setting. For these, use the long time exposure or night mode or even firework mode. Most compact cameras can make exposures as long as 15 seconds, and you don’t need a cable release, you will need to set the camera on a tripod or a wall and use the 2 second self timer.

No Manual Mode?

If you have no manual exposure mode, use the Aperture-Priority (A or Av) mode instead. Choose the aperture as above, press the shutter before the first burst, and use your hand to cover the lens if the camera stays open longer than you want it to.

Landscape Photography – How I do it.

Now one of the most asked questions I get is how do I photograph landscapes and on the face of it a fairly simple question, but a lot of folk love landscape photography but get only seem to get mediocre results, so I have put together my tips for better landscapes.

1. Always start with the lens and the biggest mistake made here is to only rely on a wide angle lens. I will take a wide angle usually a 24 or 28mm but also in my bag will be a 35mm, a 50mm and either an 85mm or a 135mm, this gives me the ultimate flexibility. I do NOT like zoom lenses for landscapes for me the lens has to a prime lens and a good one too, and remember to spend more on your glass than on your camera!
2. NEVER shoot at the smallest aperture – this means if your lens goes down to f32 or even f64 use either f11 or f16 – its all to do with diffraction and this will soften your image especially when shooting with lots of sky. Depth of field in most cases
will not be an issue but if you shoot with a very small aperture the image will look soft!
3. Always use a tripod – a steady camera is a still camera. It doesn’t matter the length of the shutter speed always use a tripod, wether its a 10 sec exposure or a even 500th of a second. This also allows you to see the scene hands free and it also gives you discipline to compose properly and to stand back and see the picture.
4. Get walking – the best landscape photographers are walkers because they don’t want the shots that every else takes and they are constantly looking for new and interesting scenes.
5. Dont just snap away – wait for the light or weather to change and remember a different view point might be better – take time to see what a difference light and conditions can make to the scene.
6. Look for a focal point all shots need some sort of focal point to them and landscapes are no different – in fact landscape photographs without them end up looking rather empty and will leave your viewers eye just wondering through the image. Focal points can take many forms in landscapes and could range from a building or structure, a striking tree, a boulder or rock formation.
7. Use the rule of thirds – this will divide your picture into thirds and stop you placing the horizon right down the middle of the picture.
8. Think foregrounds – one element that can set apart your landscape shots is to think carefully about the foreground of your shots and by placing points of interest in them. When you do this you give those viewing the shot a way into the image as well as creating a sense of depth in your shot.
9. Use the sky – the sky is part of the landscape too and in a lot of cases is probably more interesting than the terra firma.
10. Use lines to lead the eye into the shot, it could a road or a dry stone wall or just ploughed furrows in a field but they all add to the journey the viewers eyes take through your picture.
11. Understand and use the GOLDEN HOURS – its one hour before and after sunset and sunrise, this light is magical and will change the way you shoot landscape photographs.
12. Lay off the HDR – we do NOT want our landscapes to look post apocalyptical – be subtle and have gentle touch.