How to shoot fireworks

[Cyrano]

Excellent discussion. I love firework photos

 

[YetiSlayer]

WOW! Amazing shot JCTurner. Thanks for sharing.

 

[RBennett]

Nice pics everyone !

Nightime photography is my favourite type (see my Flickr in my sig).

Happy to answer any questions !

JC

Ok JC I HAVE to ask; where were you when you took that shot and what settings did you use??!! That is a picture-perfect example of how to do it!!!

 

[JCTurner]

Thanks for your comments !

My regular Wishes spot is on top of one of the trash cans on the right hand side of Main Street about equal distance between the Ice Cream Parlor and the hub - around the highest point of the streets arc (if you look you can see it rise before dipping veeerrry slightly. On top of the bin I normally sit a small tripod (about 2 foot high - its an old Velbon) on to which I pop my 350D/XT. The lens in use was a Canon 28-135mm IS.

Full Exif as follows:-

Make = Canon
Model = Canon EOS 350D DIGITAL
Orientation = top/left
Date Time = 2005-12-11 04:11:50

[Camera]
Exposure Time = 5"
F Number = F16
Exposure Program = Manual
ISO Speed Ratings = 200
Exif Version = Version 2.21
Date Time Original = 2005-12-11 04:11:50
Date Time Digitized = 2005-12-11 04:11:50
Shutter Speed Value = -2.17 TV
Aperture Value = 8 AV
Exposure Bias Value = ±0EV
Metering Mode = Average
Flash = Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode
Focal Length = 28mm
Maker Note = 8340 Byte
User Comment =
Flashpix Version = Version 1.0
Color Space = sRGB
Exif Image Width = 3456
Exif Image Height = 2304
Custom Rendered = Normal process
Exposure Mode = Manual exposure
White Balance = Auto white balance
Scene Capture Type = Normal

Here's another..

Cheers

JC

 

[wdwgirl03]

Very nice pictures!!! I stink at taking fireworks pictures...

 

[handicap18]

JCTurner, thanks for the info. I like the f/16 look with the extra fireworks going off. It really helps seperate the individual streaks. A wider aperture would definately make them blown out.

Can't wait to get back down there and try more fireworks shots during the bright parts of the show. I definately plan on experimenting with much smaller f/stops.

 

[AndrewWG]

Well, it seems like alot of people are planning on going to WDW in the next few months so I figured I'd bump this thread up a bit.

Also, I have a couple questions here. Most importantly is what is the longest focal length I will need to take good fireworks from Main Street and still include the castle? I will most likely set up somewhere along Main Street and not up in the train station or something like that. I have the Canon 17-85 which I will probably be using. I assume this will be more than sufficient for the shows. Am I wrong about this? The reason it is so important is that I have an "ok" tripod that can hold up to about 4-5 lbs and it is not good enough to hold my 70-200 f2.8L IS and my 30D body without shaking. That lens alone is 3lbs and I am not sure what the camera body weighs. I think that I can get away with it with the 17-85 lens though. Shouldn't be a big problem at all. In either case, I will be holding the camera strap for added security! I simply don't have it in my budget right now to buy a better tripod before my trip. Also, I assume that the tripod will be sturdier if it is not fully extended, right? That may help a bit. If necessary, I could use the "nifty fifty" as my lens, I just don't really want to be limited to just 50mm.

Any thoughts on this?

Andy

 

[Steve's Girl]

17-85 will be plenty of reach. In fact, you'll probably use more of the wider end if anything.

Edited to add: I have made the mistake of zooming in too much on fireworks and cutting off some of the nice trails, etc. Since you will be using an ISO of 100 or 200 max, go wide and allow yourself room to crop.

 

[Suburbanmom]

Thanks for the bump!!! I'm going to Disneyland for the first time tomorrow and came to look for this thread to print out. How wonderful, to find it so easily.

 

[Dcanoli]

We head to Disney World tomorrow, bright and early, and I've printed off just about every Fireworks article out there. Will be doing some reading along the way.....

Tripod, tripod, tripod--ISO 100 or 200--fireworks or Bulb mode; 2 sec or long shutter.....

So much to remember! I'm afraid I'll be too busy trying to remember everything and then I'll mess up the shots!

 

[steery1]

Heres a few of my first attempts at shooting fireworks from this July.
Had to endure manic crowds, people kicking my tripod, CM's knocking it with those litter sweeper machines but overall I'm pleased with the results.

If i had it to do again I'd change the aperture to f8 or f11 to get the castle a bit sharper and maybe move a bit farther back.

All my Wishes shots from that visit can be seen here

f6.3, ISO 200, 21 sec

f6.3, ISO 200, 1/10sec

f6.3, ISO 200 1.6 sec

 

[Dcanoli]

...those are great!

How were you shooting? AV mode? P? B? or Fireworks?

I don't see how you could get the castle any crisper. It's showing up pretty crisp on my side!

 

[steery1]

...those are great!

How were you shooting? AV mode? P? B? or Fireworks?

I don't see how you could get the castle any crisper. It's showing up pretty crisp on my side!

Thanks.

I set up and took a reading from the castle then fired off some test shots.
I changed to manual mode and adjusted the shutter speed quite a few times throughout the show.
I used a remote release and 2 sec delay timer.
But once the big fireworks start its pretty hard to keep the exposure right. The brightness of the blasts really impact on the amount of light hitting the castle. As has already been mentioned.
I think a good tip from this thread posted a while back (which I did not do) is to focus on the castle manually to avoid the camera searching for focus and possibly focussing on the fireworks instead of the castle.

 

[NostalgicDad]

Our trip last month I set up the tripod next to a railing and put 2 of the 3 legs on the other side of it so as not to having a tripping issue. For settings I use manual focus and pre-focus on the castle prior to the 1st fireworks. I'm far enough back that depth of field is no problem using f/11. Shutter is set to bulb. In a traditional fireworks show, I will listen for the thud of when they are actually launched and press the remote shutter release for about a 5-6 seconds exposure before closing the shutter. However, I don't generally hear that thud at the Disney show so I just wing it. I'm usually trying to time it right with what is going on and knowing the show helps to anticipate what comes next. Some get very bright and only require 1-2 seconds where some might require 5-6 second exposures and will help get the trail before explosion. There will be lots of discards but you should get plenty of keepers. Just shoot away and I'm sure it'll work out great for you. Here's a few of mine from early August at DL. Would have loved to avoid the trees but finding the best spot is not that easy unless you're WAY early....

 

[Groucho]

If i had it to do again I'd change the aperture to f8 or f11 to get the castle a bit sharper and maybe move a bit farther back.

One thing to remember is that as the aperture goes up, the castle will be darker in the same-length photo. For example, look at NostalgicDad's shots - it looks like they were taken as similar shutter speeds, but the castle is much darker. (OK, I think the castle at DL isn't lit as brightly as the one at WDW, but you get the point.) The advantage is that the fireworks trails aren't as blown out so there's more color to them. Unfortunately, you kind of choose one or the other.

I did F10 a bit in my DL photos from last week and had a lot of dark-castle ones, but some fill light boost in Lightroom helped a lot - but still not nearly as bright as it could be. Of course, it helps being closer to the castle, but that wasn't an option for me.

One other thing you can do (especially if you shot raw) is adjust the white-balance a little. Something cooler (closer to tungsten even) will get rid of the brown tint that the sky has.

NostalgicDad, good tips all-around. I got almost the same shot as your second one.

 

[NostalgicDad]

NostalgicDad, good tips all-around. I got almost the same shot as your second one.

Yep. I actually noticed yours the other day when you had posted it somewhere else (if I recall) and had to do a double-take.

Good point about the white balance as well. The dark or black sky is one reason I like to use a slightly smaller aperture. Another variable to deal with when shooting fireworks I suppose.

 

[Groucho]

The aperture shouldn't affect white balance, should it? I noticed no difference in my fireworks shots from F6.3 to F11.

But that's why I shoot RAW, I don't want to spend any time thinking about white balance when actually taking the photo, I can worry about that later.

 

[Gdad]

Great thread- you guys have inspired me to lug the tripod along when I go off in another week or so.

 

[NostalgicDad]

Great thread- you guys have inspired me to lug the tripod along when I go off in another week or so.

Yeah, it's one of those things where it's not always fun to carry it around but you're glad you did afterwards.

The aperture shouldn't affect white balance, should it? I noticed no difference in my fireworks shots from F6.3 to F11.

But that's why I shoot RAW, I don't want to spend any time thinking about white balance when actually taking the photo, I can worry about that later.

Oh I didn't mean to imply that aperture would affect WB. I guess I did kind of blend those 2 different thoughts together in my previous post. I just meant to say that I agreed with your WB suggestion when shooting RAW. The aperture reference was with regards to my experience in getting a darker sky when using a smaller f-stop.

Ok, I hope I didn't just confuse the issue further. I'll shutup now.
(Hopefully Gdad hasn't lost his inspiration to carry his tripod after that!)

 

[Groucho]

Oh I didn't mean to imply that aperture would affect WB. I guess I did kind of blend those 2 different thoughts together in my previous post. I just meant to say that I agreed with your WB suggestion when shooting RAW. The aperture reference was with regards to my experience in getting a darker sky when using a smaller f-stop.

Ah yes, I gotcha now! You're right, that will mean a brighter sky as well, which I hadn't even considered.

Although I think the sky can be pretty interesting sometimes, especially if it's cloudy...