Photographing Fireworks Tutorial

by Miserere

  

In the United States this coming weekend marks the celebration of Independence Day on the 4^th of July. This immediately brings one thing to mind: BBQ! OK, so two things: BBQ! And, Fireworks!

Is there anything better than to be sitting on a lawn chair with a hotdog in one hand, a beer in another, watching a magnificent fireworks display? Yes there is: To be photographing the fireworks! In this tutorial I’ll tell you everything you need to know in order to take great shots of fireworks. But first, put down the hotdog and beer; you’ll find it a lot easier to handle the camera.

Equipment Required

• DSLR or SLR camera: While it is technically possible to shoot fireworks on a P&S, it is easier with a (D)SLR, and the results should look better too. In any case, most of the instructions will be the same, so if all you have is a P&S, use it, and report back with some pics!
• Tripod: You’ll be shooting long exposures, so a tripod is a must. In lieu of it, you could prop the camera on any surface that will keep it stable and pointing at the fireworks.
• Cable Release: This is optional, but I find it a lot easier to fire the camera with a cable release. And why not an infrared remote? Because with a cable release you have the ability to shoot in bulb mode, which I will discuss further down. In any case, whenever using a camera on a tripod, some way of triggering the shutter remotely is always preferable as it reduces camera shake. Note that bulb mode can be used by pressing the shutter release button, but like I just said, it’s not as stable as using a cable release.
• Zoom Lens: I recommend a zoom lens, and not a prime, because I’ve found fireworks vary in size, and it’s a lot quicker to zoom in and out than to change lenses. Also, because you’re likely going to be shooting at f/5.6-8, a zoom will have good enough image quality. What focal length zoom you use depends on how close to the fireworks you are going to be. When in doubt, shoot wide—you can always crop later.

Setting Up the Camera

A, B, C; easy as 1, 2, 3:

1. Just prop the camera on top of the tripod (stone, wall, fence…) and point it in the general direction of where you expect the fireworks to appear. Connect the remote cable release if you have it. Focus the camera on a building the same distance away as the fireworks will be.
2. Very important: Remove any filters you may have screwed onto your lens! If you don’t, you will get ghost images of the fireworks. If you’re worried about the front of your lens, use a lens hood. In fact, using a lens hood is probably a good idea anyway as it will keep out stray light that might creep into your lens from the sides. If you are out in a street with bright street lamps, a hood is a safe bet.
3. Set the shooting mode to B, for Bulb, if you have a cable release. If you don’t, set the mode to M, for Manual.

You are now ready to shoot. But first…

Choosing the Correct Settings

You’re either going to shoot in Manual mode (if you don’t have a cable remote) or in Bulb mode (if you do), which means you will be setting the aperture, shutter speed and ISO yourself, with no help from the camera. Some P&S’s and prosumer superzoom cameras have a ‘fireworks’ setting, but if you’re reading this tutorial it’s because you want to learn how to shoot on your own, right? Now let’s see how each of the 3 shooting parameters will affect your photos.

• Shutter speed: This is important, as it will determine how long the fireworks trails are. Earlier I recommended using a cable remote in order to shoot in bulb mode. The advantage here is that you open the shutter when you want, and close it when the rocket has exploded and produced the pattern you want to photograph. Because different fireworks with different patterns go off at different speeds, you will find yourself leaving the shutter open for varying times during the show. I also find that with a cable release I can just stand there enjoying the show without having to worry about the camera. I’m looking at the sky all the time while the release is in my hand. If not shooting in bulb mode, you’ll have to try out different speeds until you find the one you prefer. This can anywhere from 0.5s to 2s, or maybe even more if you want many trails in a single frame.
• Aperture: How wide you open your lens will determine how bright the streaks are. Unlike with regular photos, the shutter speed has (practically) no bearing on the brightness of the fireworks. You’ll find that you can easily shoot f/5.6-8, so there’s little need for an expensive, fast lens. Something to bear in mind is this: The closer you are to the fireworks, the more depth of field you will need, so you might have to close down the lens. I find shooting from far away is much easier. Having said that, there is little need for the firework streamers to be tack sharp, as it’s the shapes and colours that you are ultimately after. If you know how far away from the fireworks you’ll be, use this online calculator to figure out your ideal aperture.
• ISO: As with the aperture, it will control how bright you images are. The aim is to keep it as low as possible, so after having set the aperture to the value that gives you the required depth of field, set the ISO to the value that gives you bright fireworks, but as little noise as possible in the sky.

Comments

Try to have everything set up ahead of time, but know that the first few fireworks to go off will likely be losses as you’ll be figuring out exactly what focal length you need and how long to leave the shutter open for. That’s OK, don’t panic. These shows generally last 15 minutes or more, and patterns get repeated, so spending 1-2 minutes tinkering around until you find the right settings is no big deal.

So far I have only addressed the technical aspects of shooting fireworks. As for the artistic aspects, I will leave them mostly to you and your imagination. Try to pick a nice spot with an interesting foreground; if you can include a famous landmark in the frame, you get extra Flickr points. Shooting fireworks from across a lake or river is always a crowd pleaser as the reflections add impact to the image. While all this might seem boring and overdone, a photo of a firework burst, alone in the middle of the sky, is even more boring. Fireworks are easier to photograph than this slightly long tutorial might lead you to believe, and they’re fun too. After the first 1-2 minutes of frenzy you’ll find there’s nothing to it, and when you download the pictures to the computer you’ll see how simple it was to create stunning images.

Final Run-Down

1. Set up camera and tripod. Connect cable release if available.
2. Attach appropriate lens to camera and take any filter off the lens.
3. Set shooting mode to B or M.
4. Set appropriate aperture, or f/5.6 if you don’t know what it is.
5. Set ISO to 100.
6. Focus your camera on a landmark at about the same distance as where the fireworks will be.
7. When the fireworks start, make the first shot about 2s long and check the focus is correct (adjust by hand if necessary; do not try to autofous on the fireworks!).
8. Once the focus is correct, test shutter speeds of 1.5s, 1s and 0.5s. Find the one you like.
9. Now it’s time to set the image quality:
• If the fireworks are not bright enough, increase the ISO.
• If the fireworks are bright enough but the surroundings are not, increase the ISO (but make sure the fireworks retain colour).
• If the fireworks are bright enough but the surroundings are too bright, a) close down the aperture 1 stop while making sure the fireworks don’t dim too much, or b) shorten the shutter speed.
• If both fireworks and surroundings are too bright, close down the aperture 1 stop.
• If both fireworks and surroundings are too dim, a) increase the ISO, or b) if you are far away enough, you might be able to open up the aperture and still retain enough depth of field.
10. Now everything is set, sit back, relax, shoot each firework that goes up, and enjoy the show.

Questions

I’ve tried to be clear and not forget any step or detail, but if you find something missing or have any questions, use the comments section below and I will answer before the evening of July 4^th.

Article Photos – Technical Info

Shot on a 10.4MP DSLR with a Sigma APO 70-300mm f/4-5.6 at ISO 125. Further details:

#1: f/6.3, 0.6s
#2: f/6.3, 1.5s
#3: f/6.3, 1.1s
#4: f/7.1, 1.1s
#5: f/7.1, 1.8s

All photos: ©Miserere.

F-BoM July 2009: PhotoCritic

by Miserere

  

Featured Blog of the Month: PhotoCritic

  

When he’s not riding around Europe on his self-painted yellow motorbike, or setting up his own editorial consulting business, Haje runs PhotoCritic, his blog. And when he has free time, I believe he takes some photographs. That’s what he claims, anyway.

His blog has been up since 2005, so if nothing else the guy is persistent. He writes about whatever tickles his photographic fancy, and also features articles by other photographers. Did you know he wrote a book about macro photography? Well now you do. He’s also edited a few photography books in his other free time (c’mon, the guy must have at least two sets of free times!).

The following portrait caught my attention months ago, so much so that I went fishing in his Flickr stream and eventually found it. Anybody agree with me on it?

Apparently, “Haje” means “dances with sheep” in Dutch (Haje was born in Holland), which explains the following photo from a wedding shoot.

Something that doesn’t come across on the internet is just how nice Haje actually is. For example, when a friend needed someone to photograph her fashion designs, Haje immediately stopped everything he was doing and gave up his (third set?) of free time to shoot his friend’s clothes. It is not every photographer who would have done this! (See right –>)

I’m showing the last photo for a number of reasons. 1) It turns out that Haje has time (we’re no longer surprised) to shoot concerts, and he keeps a site on it, 3Songs.org; 2) I love B&W concert photography (see here!); 3) It’s a cool photo; and 4) I happen to like the Norwegian band Tristania. The photo shows their previous singer, Vibeke Stene.

All photos: ©Haje Jan Kamps.

Winner of the Hugh MacLeod Book Giveaway

by Miserere

  

A few weeks ago I decided to give away a copy of Hugh MacLeod’s Ignore Everybody. Today I performed the draw. I wrote the names of the nominees and their nominators on pieces of paper of equal size and then folded them twice. I shuffled them in a cap and asked my wife to pick one out without looking. That’s about as random as I could make it!

And the winner is… Reed Jaracz’s mum!

Please excuse the on-camera flash

I’ve contacted him to get a mail address to send the book to. Maybe a name too, although I could always address it To Reed’s Mum. Hopefully we’ll get her impressions after she’s read the book and I’ll post them here.

Thanks to all of you who took the time and care to nominate someone, and I’m sorry I didn’t have more copies to give away!

New Samsung M8910 Pixon12 Cameraphone Is Better than Canon 350D (Digital Rebel XT)

by Miserere

  

Or at least, that what the guys at GSM Arena are claiming. Check out Page 2 of their preview. They’re even using this photo comparison as proof (click for larger size):

Photo credit: GSM Arena

It makes me wonder exactly what type of vegetation they are growing in that arena… In case you’re wondering, the Canon 350D was fitted with a Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 at 28.8mm. No mention of what apertures they used or whether it’s the new OS version or the older non-OS. I suppose details don’t matter when you’re trying to prove that a camera phone is just as good as a DSLR.

I was going to go on a verbal tirade explaining why 12MP on a camera phone is a bad idea, but I don’t have time to waste on these things. It’s not like anyone is going to agree and write Samsung telling them they’re idiots. And I’m sure the engineers at Samsung know it’s dumb anyway, but cameraphones aren’t designed by engineers—they’re designed by the marketing department. 12MP is so much better than 8MP (because it’s a higher number, right?) that nobody will buy the Nokia N86. In the end it’s the consumer who loses.

Bird Photography with a Camera Phone

by Miserere

  

While most bird photographers lust over 600mm f/4 lenses and $500 tripod heads, there are some of us out there who believe all one needs for successful bird photography is a camera phone. Yes, you read that correctly.

Exhibit A:
Here is a Red-tailed Hawk in its natural habitat, a bike rack in Boston. The reason it’s sitting there is because it had spotted a wounded grey squirrel, which can just about be seen below it, hiding under the bike rack’s feet. I took this photo with my BlackBerry Storm, which has a very wideangle lens; I was actually standing about 3m away from the bird (click on the photo to see the complete frame). I was going in closer to get a portrait but somebody had a run at the bird and shooed it away. While Red-tail Hawks in urban areas are used to human presence and generally are not bothered by us, they are still wild, birds of prey and should be approached with caution. Running towards them, screaming, is NOT recommended because a female hawk close to its nest will not hesitate to attack you.

  

Exhibit B:
Yet another Red-tail Hawk, in one more of its typical hangouts, a fast-food joint in New York. This photograph was taken by David William on his iPhone. Please visit his blog to read the humorous account of how he found himself so close to this hawk: Excuse Me, Waiter…? There’s a Large Bird of Prey in My Soup.

  

See? There is no need for expensive, heavy equipment to photograph birds. A camera phone is enough.

I rest my case.

The End of Kodachrome – A Sad Day

by Peter Zack

  

Well, Kodachrome has come to an end. For me it’s a sad day but I’m also a small part of the reason. I used to shoot 2-6 rolls a week of both ASA 25 and 64 slide film. In many ways a very fussy film to develop and even fussier to shoot with. But the image quality was superb. Beautiful grain and range if you nailed the exposure.

Digital has sounded the death of many fine films, although we have many others still available. Even though, like for most of you, digital is the future, I hope we still shoot film for decades (or longer) to come. It’s still one of the best ways to learn: a good basic camera, a notepad (since there’s no EXIF data) and an understanding of the basics. If you haven’t done it recently, grab the old film camera and get a roll of whatever film you like (try a roll of black and white) and go shooting. You might be surprised how rewarding it can be.

Kodak press release:
ROCHESTER, N.Y., June 22 — Eastman Kodak Company announced today that it will retire KODACHROME Color Film this year, concluding its 74-year run as a photography icon.

Sales of KODACHROME Film, which became the world’s first commercially successful color film in 1935, have declined dramatically in recent years as photographers turned to newer KODAK Films or to the digital imaging technologies that Kodak pioneered. Today, KODACHROME Film represents just a fraction of one percent of Kodak’s total sales of still-picture films.

“KODACHROME Film is an iconic product and a testament to Kodak’s long and continuing leadership in imaging technology,” said Mary Jane Hellyar, President of Kodak’s Film, Photofinishing and Entertainment Group. “It was certainly a difficult decision to retire it, given its rich history. However, the majority of today’s photographers have voiced their preference to capture images with newer technology – both film and digital. Kodak remains committed to providing the highest-performing products – both film and digital – to meet those needs.”

While Kodak now derives about 70% of its revenues from commercial and consumer digital businesses, it is the global leader in the film business. Kodak has continued to bring innovative new film products to market, including seven new professional still films and several new VISION2 and VISION3 motion picture films in the past three years.These new still film products are among those that have become the dominant choice for those professional and advanced amateur photographers who use KODAK Films.

Among the well-known professional photographers who used KODACHROME Film is Steve McCurry, whose picture of a young Afghan girl captured the hearts of millions of people around the world as she peered hauntingly from the cover of National Geographic Magazine in 1985.

As part of a tribute to KODACHROME Film, Kodak will donate the last rolls of the film to George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film in Rochester, which houses the world’s largest collection of cameras and related artifacts. McCurry will shoot one of those last rolls and the images will be donated to Eastman House.

“The early part of my career was dominated by KODACHROME Film, and I reached for that film to shoot some of my most memorable images,” said McCurry. “While KODACHROME Film was very good to me, I have since moved on to other films and digital to create my images. In fact, when I returned to shoot the ‘Afghan Girl’ 17 years later, I used KODAK PROFESSIONAL EKTACHROME Film E100VS to create that image, rather than KODACHROME Film as with the original.”

For all of its magic, KODACHROME is a complex film to manufacture and an even more complex film to process. There is only one remaining photofinishing lab in the world – Dwayne’s Photo in Parsons, Kansas – that processes KODACHROME Film, precisely because of the difficulty of processing. This lack of widespread processing availability, as well as the features of newer films introduced by Kodak over the years, has accelerated the decline of demand for KODACHROME Film.

During its run, KODACHROME Film filled a special niche in the annals of the imaging world. It was used to capture some of the best-known photographs in history, while also being the film of choice for family slide shows of the Baby Boom generation.

To celebrate the film’s storied history, Kodak has created a gallery of iconic images, including the Afghan girl and other McCurry photos, as well as others from professional photographers Eric Meola and Peter Guttman on its website: www.kodak.com/go/kodachrometribute. Special podcasts featuring McCurry and Guttman will also be featured on the website.

Kodak estimates that current supplies of KODACHROME Film will last until early this fall at the current sales pace. Dwayne’s Photo has indicated it will continue to offer processing for the film through 2010. Current KODACHROME Film users are encouraged to try other KODAK Films, such as KODAK PROFESSIONAL EKTACHROME E100G and EKTAR 100 Film. These films both feature extremely fine grain. For more information, please visit www.kodak.com/go/professional.

Baby Photography, Not as Easy as It Seems!

by Miserere

  

A few months ago I published an interview with baby photographer extraordinaire, Carrie Sandoval. Her photography is stunning, and she makes it look so easy! While I had photographed plenty of young children, I had not tried my hand at babies, and after featuring Carrie’s photography on EtL I was itching to try it out. Plus, if I can shoot 4-year old kids that run around and don’t know what posing is, how difficult can a little baby be, right?

Hah! So wrong, so wrong…

Two friends from my home town were kind enough to have a baby during the time I was visiting my parents back in March-April. That’s how I know they’re good friends, see? I thought “I want to try some baby photography”, and they promptly had a baby a few weeks later. You can’t buy friends like that! Of course, they were all too happy to let me practice my skills on their little Simon, a mere 3 days after he was born.

Babies are cute, and I would have to be a bad photographer to mess that up. Turns out babies are cute over the medium or long term, say over a minute or so; but in 1/100s, they can look like scary aliens. No mother wants a photo of their child looking like a scary alien (or Winston Churchill, as my friend says). That must be Rule #1 of baby photography, surely. So as I stood there scrolling through the first pics of Simon on my camera’s rear LCD (and promptly deleting each one) I desperately tried to remember everything Carrie had said: Soft light, large windows, uncluttered background, cute props, make sure he’s fed, use 50mm-equiv lens… OK, OK, I have all that…now what?

In the end I figured out the missing ingredient was patience. While Simon had finished eating (drinking!) just before I arrived, he wasn’t quite ready to hang out butt-naked while some guy pointed a black box at him and made him lie in strange positions. It’s not his fault, and that’s something the photographer needs to understand: Sometimes it just isn’t the right moment to photograph the baby. Because I was flying back to Boston the next day, however, there were no other moments we could use. Eventually the there was a lot of daddy holding him until he calmed down, then 60 seconds of shooting in the basket until he grew restless, then mummy calming him…and just when things were on a roll, grandma and grandpa arrived for a surprise visit! I made the most of it and took some pictures of them with Simon. They were a bit suspicious of me to begin with, but the magic thing about babies is that everyone forgets the photographer when there is a baby in the room.

  

In the end I found that the best way to get good photos is to go with the flow. There is no point in forcing the baby to do something he doesn’t feel like because nobody wants photos of sad, crying babies (Rule #2, I believe). I took some photos of him lying down, but when he was being held by his parents I tried to capture that tender connection too. While the baby is important, we need to remember that he’s part of a family, and capturing that spirit of love and unity is just as important.

I hope Simon’s parents enjoy the photographs. As for me, I’m on the lookout for more babies; I reckon in 50 babies I’ll be able to show Carrie some of my work. And Simon? I told him I’d be back next April for the 1 year reunion, and I won’t be taking any monkey business from him this time!

  

Do you have any baby photos to share? Show them in the comments section! Extra points if there’s a funny story around them.

All photos: ©Miserere.