How to shoot fireworks

[Groucho]

If you're using a PnS camera, you may not want ISO 200 as it will be a bit noisy. Try ISO 100 or 150 and use something faster than F8 to compensate. (I used ISO 200 and F8 myself.)

I still believe that a tripod is the most important thing, and a remote shutter release helps tremendously.

If you want a real challenge, I did some fireworks photos from my parents' boat last weekend, and it was pretty windy so the boat was rocking a lot. I got some pretty interesting fireworks photos, let me tell you. I'm going to post a few once I get around to properly processing them.

 

[Dis-Wiz]

Thanks for all the tips! I think I am going to write down or print out some of these tips and bring them with me to WDW.

Last night, I used my camera's fireworks mode for our town's fireworks, and I'm not sure how well that's going to work out in WDW. I probably took 50 pictures, and there are only about 3 decent ones, LOL. It takes a lot of practice, but I am determined. I think the biggest problem was me . I really need to work on my timing. I did use a tripod, and that helped a lot, but my timing really messed up the pics. I was using 200 ISO, so I will try 100 ISO at WDW.

Thanks again!

 

[Spinning]

Here's mine! Lets see yours! I have a fuji s6000 I just used the cameras fireworks setting!

 

[tinksdad]

Nice!! But it's not the 4th yet....... I have to wait

 

[Sha]

From the 4th July 2006

 

[bradk]

I probably took 50 pictures, and there are only about 3 decent ones

sounds like a better ratio than what i get. one of the first things i learned is you take a ton of photos and hope 1 or 2 look good.

 

[handicap18]

Tripod is the most important piece of equipment when taking photos of fireworks if you want the big colorful bursts AND the streaks that go with them.

Manual mode
Low ISO (50-150 with a PnS camera)
Aperture: between f/8 and f/11
Shutter: 2-8 seconds

Many PnS camera's don't have a remote shutter release so the next best bet is to use the self timer set to 2 seconds. This will allow a few seconds to let the camera settle after pressing the shutter relsease yourself. But keep this in mind when trying to time your shot. Listen for when they shoot off the rocket, press the shutter release set to the 2 second self timer and you should be pretty well off.

 

[wdwmom2]

This was from last evening at Lake Anna, VA

 

[Dis-Wiz]

Tripod is the most important piece of equipment when taking photos of fireworks if you want the big colorful bursts AND the streaks that go with them.

Manual mode
Low ISO (50-150 with a PnS camera)
Aperture: between f/8 and f/11
Shutter: 2-8 seconds

Many PnS camera's don't have a remote shutter release so the next best bet is to use the self timer set to 2 seconds. This will allow a few seconds to let the camera settle after pressing the shutter relsease yourself. But keep this in mind when trying to time your shot. Listen for when they shoot off the rocket, press the shutter release set to the 2 second self timer and you should be pretty well off.

Getting the timing right, I think, is the trickiest. My camera doesn't have the remote shutter release either, so I will try the 2 sec timer. Last night, I kinda got the whole 'wait until the PFFFFTTTT sound', but there were so many different types!
Thanks for your advice, I am definitely going to have to write this all down, lol.

 

[DVC Jen]

I learned so much about taking fireworks during our last WDW trip. I was really ambivalent about carrying around the tripod so I only did so on our last day. I took one set of Wishes, Illuminations and Fantasmic hand held. They turned out "ok" but not what I was really looking for.

I am much happier with the ones from Wishes when I did use the tripod on that last day. My biggest issue is that I am not even quite 5ft tall. So my tripod isn't that big. Even with my and my families best attempts at keeping someone from standing right in front of the tripod it still happened and I have some young mans HAT covering the bottom portion of most of my photos from that night.

My settings for that night were a 2 - 3 second shutter speed. f/8 ISO 100. I did our local fireworks a week ago and they turned out much better. I used the same f/8 ISO of 100 but slowed down to shutter to 5 seconds for most of the shots. I had much more of a wait/recovering time between shots, but the ones I did get turned out much better. Maybe this is a sign I need a faster camera????

So the things that I learned - move closer to the castle instead of being back on the circle at the beginning of Main Street USA. Have my girls SIT right in front of the tripod until it is time for the fireworks to begin. Then and only then have them stand in front of it - leaving just enouigh space for me to not have them in the photo.

OR - I can get a taller tripod and a step stool.

 

[DueyDooDah]

Not to steal the thread but which focal length would you recommend?

 

[Dis-Wiz]

Not to steal the thread but which focal length would you recommend?

You're not stealing it, I would also like to know this.

 

[bradk]

kinda depends on where you are. the key is to know the fireworks show and how wide you need to be. wishes doesn't stray too much from the castle, but most of the special shows do, especially hallowishes and mvmcp. because i don't do any post-editing, i find myself sometimes changing mid-performance, but i also shoot manual focus (i use autofocus to focus the lens, then switch) to reduce the shot time.

the closest i ever shot, during P&PP, from the central plaza. tripod was maybe a foot tall, camera angled up so i could avoid people in the shot (the good news is in that area, guests are more sparse). ISO 100, 1 second exposure, 28.8mm @ 35mm eq

and the furthest i've shot, from the TTC ferry dock, ISO 100, .5s, 128mm @ 35 mm eq

 

[DVC Jen]

kinda depends on where you are. the key is to know the fireworks show and how wide you need to be. wishes doesn't stray too much from the castle, but most of the special shows do, especially hallowishes and mvmcp. because i don't do any post-editing, i find myself sometimes changing mid-performance, but i also shoot manual focus (i use autofocus to focus the lens, then switch) to reduce the shot time.

the closest i ever shot, during P&PP, from the central plaza. tripod was maybe a foot tall, camera angled up so i could avoid people in the shot (the good news is in that area, guests are more sparse). ISO 100, 1 second exposure, 28.8mm @ 35mm eq

That firework on the right looks like tinkerbell.

 

[DizneyNutz]

I learned so much about taking fireworks during our last WDW trip. I was really ambivalent about carrying around the tripod so I only did so on our last day.

When I know I will need my tripod, but don't want to carry it around all day, we rent a big locker (usually around 3-5 dollars). Put the tripod in it and come back and get it when needed, then put it back in for the rest of our visit or turn the key in if we are ready to leave.

 

[DizneyNutz]

I am really looking forward to trying my new camera on some real fireworks. I got my new camera last December and a neighbor was firing some backyard rockets off a block from the house at New Years eve. I decided to grab my camera and try it out. I got set up and they only fired two more for me to try to photograph. It was my first attempt at bulb mode, but I was pleased with the results although there was a large tree between us that you can notice in the photos. NOTE: I did crop these photos some.

 

[handicap18]

Not to steal the thread but which focal length would you recommend?

These are my 3 best.

First is 27mm (40mm equilivent on a film slr)

This one is 34mm (51mm equilivent on a film slr)

This one was croped from 34mm

The spot I got was just beyond Casey's Corner at a trash can next to where the information board is. However, the focal length is going to change from location to location and what if any obsticles are in the way.

 

[Groucho]

I don't think a specific focal length matters, it's really a matter of how big you want the castle to be in the photo. (Obviously, this is only for Wishes or Remember DCT if you're on the west coast. For Illuminations, you're kind of stuck at a certain distance.) If you want a big castle, you'll see less of the fireworks, and vice versa.

From there, focal length depends on how much sky you want in the shot. If you go wide, you'll have a better chance of getting high-up fireworks, but also better chances of empty air in the top of some of the photos.

I'd also go with using the camera sideways (portrait), to maximize the amount of space in the air that you can get.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Just saw this, thanks for starting it, Mark.

Definitely worthy of a bump!

 

[AndrewWG]

I was quite bummed by the performance of the S2 IS with this years fireworks. I had hoped for MUCH better results. The main problem was focus issues. Everything else that I read on the Dis Photography forum was all sound advice. I got some great shots that were completely out of focus. One problem that I may have had was not turning the IS off. Is that a possibility? I had the manual focus set at infinity most of the time as the fireworks were very far away from where we sat but to the naked eye, were perfectly clear. There was a slight (very slight) wind at our faces making a cool breeze, and possibly a very slight fog that may have clouded the lens but it wasn't noticable when I had checked half way through the show. Well, out of 250 pics, I have 2 that I would say are "ok", but I am my own worst critic, so maybe there are a few more but I'll check them tomorrow when I'm not mad at the focus issue.

Andy

Cropped and noise filtered. Manual mode/0.8 second exposure/f5.6/ ISO 200/on tripod

Cropped and noise filtered. Manual mode/2 second exposure/ f8 / ISO 200/on tripod