Fireworks pictures.....

sphmaz

Mouseketeer
Joined
Apr 18, 2006
Messages
94
How do you get a somewhat decent shot of fireworks if you ahve no tripod? I know I can rest the camera on a table or bench if I have one available and what not. What ISO do you use? Bump it up? Do I have to change any other settings on the camera if I bump up the ISO?

TIA!
Sue
 
I don't know a lot about it but here's what I did. Cranked the ISO up to max, the shutter speed was up pretty high and I took about 4 in a burst to hope something came out. Luckily it did.

BTW that's Bristol Motor Speedway you see on the right of the pic. :thumbsup2

IMG_1407x.0.jpg
 
These are the ones I found worth saving from a shoot I did with my Canon Powershot S60. I just put the ISO on 800, shot wide open, set the shutter at 1/15, and held the camera as tightly against my body as I could. I'm surprised they turned out as well as they did - but there are limites. I don't like the grain, and I would have gotten more intresting shots had the shutter speed been slower (more bursts in one shot) and zoomed in closer (but I would have lost shutter speed).

There are always compromises. The best way to thold a camera for this situation is to look through the viewfinder, use both hands, and hold your elbows tight against your chest. An imperfect shot is better than no shot!

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http://carolinayankee.smugmug.com/gallery/1837530

Dirk
 
In your situation I would stake out a trash can some place after Casey's Corner and before the hub. Find something you have with you that you can prop up the camera (maybe a shirt or a bag of some sort) a bit or so that you can angle it to view the Castle near the bottom of your frame with a lot of open space above the castle.

In this situation use a low ISO (ie 200), manual priority with a shutter speed anywhere between 2 and 5 seconds and set your aperture to f/5.6 or f/8. Don't release the shutter yourself. Use the self timer (at about a 5 second delay), this will help with camera shake from you pressing the shutter.

Another options is what others have also said, use ISO 400 or 800 (some camera's will lower the amount of megapixels at ISO 800, so be sure you know your camera). Use shutter priority and try slow exposures starting at 1/30th and lower (1/15th, 1/8th). Sitting on the ground with your knees up, holding the camera with 2 hands braced against your knees, or lean against a fence or pole, again try using the self timer and hold your breath (litterally, even breathing could give camera shake).

FYI: Keep in mind that you can buy table top tripods, that are small enough to fit in your pocket, at just about any camera store (ie: Ritz Camera) for less than $20.
 

The table tripods and trashcans are great, and I've gotten many excellent low-light shots at Disney with them. I've just never found a spot where I could get fireworks shots in the MK with them (people blocking and what not). Maybe there's one by Crystal Palace or the rose garden pathway? Hmmm. It would sure be easier than the full thing.

Dirk
 





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