I think it only fitting that today being NYE, tha I post a link to some tips about shooting fireworks
HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH FIREWORKS
Just quickly
1. Use a tripod
2, use a self timer to fire the shot
3. use a wide focal length
4. Aperture F8-F16 - you don't really need a fast lens because the fireworks are quite bright.
5. Shutter speed - needs to be as long as the firework takes to explode.
6. ISO - a low one of about 100 will work just fine.
7. You will probably need to focus manually to because of the dark - very hard to use auto focus in low light.
And a few random tips
•“Find Out the Direction of the Wind – You want to shoot up wind, so it goes Camera, Fireworks, Smoke. Otherwise they’ll come out REALLY hazy.”
•“Also, I find that if you shoot from a little further back and with a little more lens, you can set the lens to manual focus, focus it at infinity and not have to worry about it after that.”
•“Remember to take advantage of a zero processing costs and take as many pictures as possible (more than you’d normally think necessary). That way, you’ll up your chances of getting that “perfect” shot.”
•“Make sure you are ready to take pictures of the first fireworks. If there isn’t much wind, you are going to end up with a lot of smoke in your shot. The first explosions are usually the sharpest one.”
•“Get some black foam core and set your camera to bulb. Start the exposure when the fireworks start with the piece of foam core in front of the lens. Every time a burst happens move the foam core out of the way. You will get multiple firework bursts in one exposure”
•“Another tip I would add to this is pre-focus if possible (need to be able to manually focus or lock down focus for good) before the show starts so other elements in the frame are sharp They did mention that you only need to focus once but its a lot easier to take a few shots before the show starts and check them carefully rather than wait until the show has begun and you are fiddling with focus instead of watching fireworks!”
Happy New Year.
See you all in 2010.
