How to shoot fireworks

[Gdad]

I tried it once but was not all that thrilled with the results- I would like to try it again from a better spot maybe right in front of the castle.

Here is the 'corrected' view.

 

[WDWFWfan]

GORGEOUS GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Did I say gorgeous??!?!?!!

Thanks!

WDWFWfan

I've read that the EPCOT shots can be trickier than the traditional fireworks settings. Just out of curiosity, what were the camera settings in these shots?

It's been a couple of years ago and it was film so unfortunately, no exif data. However, I can tell you the basics of how I set up my camera for shots like these. First, tripod and cable release. Then I set the camera to f16 and the shutter speed to bulb. Finally, I keep the shutter open long enough to get several bursts from the fireworks into one frame.

OMG those are both very beautiful!

Thanks!

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Well I own CS4 but haven't started using it, lol. Those were done in PSP. You have Elements right? You just need a program that does layers. I made a duplicate layer of my picture and set the blend mode to "Burn." The blend mode is on top of your layers palette and will say, "Normal." If you click on the little arrow by "Normal" you'll get a list of modes. Then you can play with the opacity if it's too dark or make another copy of the burn layer if it's still too light. Then you flatten them and save as when you get it how you like it. I learned by reading, reading, reading, lol. Layers are easy once you get the hang of it but pretty powerful and less destructive then applying a whole bunch of edits to your original picture. A lot of my older jpgs I'll add a "screen" layer to lighten them up rather then using curves, you don't get a bunch of extra noise that way. Try googling "layer modes" and you should get a bunch of info. If you want to, you can send me a pic and I'll see if the "burn" layer works on the smoke.

Thanks Wenrob! Actually I have CS3 but I just started using it/fiddling with it, so it's a brand new learning curve! Prior to the CS3 I never had or used any kind of PP software.

 

[WillowBelle]

I like that. I like that the foreground is lit up as well as the background. I didn't realize how much light would be produced from the fireworks. Did you happen to try looking down Main St (like mid-way)? I wonder how the buildings would look curved with the castle/fireworks centered.

 

[tndisneyfan]

Sometimes it just being in the right place at the right time. Both of these shots were taken on film...no PP at all.

This one doesn't have any after effects of previous fireworks.

This one you can see a little smoke.

Wow! Those two pictues are wonderful .

 

[Steve's Girl]

Weather will definitely play a big part in the "smokiness" of the photo. This was shot right after a rain storm

Now there is some smoke! (actually it is due to all the moisture in the air. There were some fireworks that we could hear going off, but couldn't really see them).

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Weather will definitely play a big part in the "smokiness" of the photo. This was shot right after a rain storm

Now there is some smoke! (actually it is due to all the moisture in the air. There were some fireworks that we could hear going off, but couldn't really see them).

Ahh yes, that's a lot like what I've been getting in my winter DL shots especially when it rains or is foggy to begin with. On the first day of my DL trip in January, it was so foggy all over LA and inland that it actually made the national news! Maybe I have to use my AP and plan a Summer or Fall trip!

 

[Groucho]

Jann, thanks!

The 15mm on the 50D will not give you a "true" fisheye look. I don't think Canon offers a fisheye for their crop-sensor DSLRs (but I could be wrong) so to get the full fish, you'd need something like the Tokina 10-17mm or Sigma 10mm.

That being said, I can give you a fairly good idea of what to expect. On my first WDW trip with a DSLR, I brought my Zenitar 16mm F2.8 fisheye. The 15mm lens you're using is slightly wider but your sensor is slightly smaller (1.6x vs 1.5x crop) so the end result will be pretty close. I am actually pretty happy with most of the results - this is probably a case where a little fishiness works better than a lot. (This is also an advantage of the 10-17mm that I use now over a fisheye prime, although I do usually prefer primes.)

I did some Wishes shooting from off to the side...

I also shot Illuminations, though here I used a monopod wedged into the fence, which helped but wasn't as stable as an actual tripod.

Anyway, I think it's worth a shot if you want some fireworks photos that don't look like everyone else's. Hope this helps!

 

[Groucho]

Sometimes it just being in the right place at the right time. Both of these shots were taken on film...no PP at all.

I would agree with the right time comment. I've shot Illuminations a handful of times on various trips and have gotten varying clarity of the bursts and quantity of smoke, presumably depending on the atmospheric conditions and wind at the time.

(I'll always remember one time where we had bits of exploded fireworks shells raining down on us through the whole show... the perils of watching downwind!)

 

[WillowBelle]

TY Groucho for the advice on the lens (and the photo examples)! I went to the web site that I am renting the lens from and they don't have any off brand lenses NOR is there a wider Canon one. My guess is that your guess that they don't make a wider one is correct. Now I've got to try to find a company that will rent an off brand fisheye that will work on my camra.

Thanks everyone for the help!

 

[WillowBelle]

Will the Tokina photo be the circle type? I prefer that the photo not be a circle. I found a company that has a Tokina 10-17mm f3.5. There is also a Sigma 8mm f3.5. I'm not sure which one would be suggested - I don't know much about these lenses with the exception of knowing that I want the curved effect on some of the pictures that I take.

 

[Cdnmom2001]

I am new to this camera and truly want to make the most of it. Is it true to take pictures at fireworks at night I should put it on manual and then ISO of 100? Any tips for taking great night shots? I really want to get a good use of this camera.

Lens on my camera is 28-135mm

I am so new to ISO settings on manual, please any help would be incredibly appreciated.

 

[boBQuincy]

I have a Xsi and rarely use Manual but fireworks are an exception. As a starting point I use ISO 100, f/11 or f/16, and 2-3 seconds. Of course a tripod and remote shutter release are required.
Manual focus works well here too. Use auto focus on a distant object to set the focus, then switch to manual to keep the lens from changing focus.

Here are the results of these settings:

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

How would you fix photos like these? I hate it when I stake out my spot an hour and a half before hand, and then someone comes along and stands in front of me as I take photos of the back of their head. Gee, thanks a lot! I sucked it up because I didn't want to start a war, but I thought it was very rude. He was in none of my test shots, and then somehow, he just appeared in my viewfinder as the fireworks started going off. What would you do? What should I have done? Would I been within my rights to ask him to move a little so as not to block my shots?
Here are some examples:
Test shot No head...

Suddenly 15 minutes later in another test shot, he appears...This was about 3 minutes before the show started...

First shot of the show:

The it gets worse because he's evolved into blocking 1/3 of the castle!

Some otherwise really nice shots are ruined by this guys head!

And the rest get worse from there. Every shot is pretty much ruined by the back of his head! Cropping it out looked weird, because I'm losing 1/3 of the castle from one side and all of the bottom below the garland. Should I have asked him to move out of my field of view? I couldn't move, as it was wall to wall people and I really didn't want to do to anyone else what was happening to me.My tripod was maxed out at 64" I believe, so I couldn't raise it any higher. I figured I'd suck it up and try to fix in post. Ha! How do you remove the guys head without ruining the photo?
Thanks...DSF

 

[annie1995]

Wow, that totally sucks. I'm not sure what I would have done too. I know this last trip, I had my family stand infront of me so as to block people from doing something similar. THen as the show started, they squated down. Just a thought for next time for you. Hope someone has some suggestions on how to fix them.

 

[wenrob]

I would have bopped him over the head with my tripod...kidding...

Depending on the vibe I would have politely pointed out my camera and asked him to step aside. But not like, "Hey Buddy, I've waited here and staked out my spot, get out of the way!" More like, "Excuse me, would you mind stepping a little to the right? I'd really, really appreciate it." Most people don't want to get in the way of someone taking a picture and don't even realize they're in the way. However after a long day even the nicest people can be testy so I wouldn't push it. Annnd, some people can just be obnoxious. When we were at Sea World last summer I was trying to get pics of my then 2yr olds in the window when the walrus would sweep up into the window. He was doing it over and over (I suspect maybe he was trained to do this) and all I needed was a good 30secs to get the shot (or two). Several people stepped out of the way but this one woman kept stepping right in front of me and practically pushed my kids out of the way. They're small kids (seriously, they're 3 now and still wear 24mos) and she just kept crowding them out. So many people gave he discusted eye rolls and she was oblivious. Thirty seconds and she just couldn't step back briefly and was acting like two year olds would make her miss something. I get pissed off every time I look at those pics. Sorry, I went off on my own rant. I guess my point is, all you can do is ask and most people will be more then accommodating and others, well, what can you do?

 

[annnewjerz]

As someone with a short temper, I know that I would feel horrible if I stepped in front of someone taking a photo, especially with their tripod set up and the whole nine yards and would be more than happy to move if asked nicely.

I agree with Wen that maybe next time, even though you are fuming, putting on your biggest best Disney face and asking the offender if it wouldn't be too much trouble to move aside a little bit. If they don't move...I guess there's not too much you can do. If they do move, show some appreciation...hey, maybe even ask if they would like the pics e-mailed to them or something and you have a cell phone handy to store their address.

For our trip in December, I plan to have DH and DM stand in front of me as suggested and have them move a little to the left or right, or even squat when I go to take the shots.

Good luck with the PP---I am absolutely NO HELP there. Sorry!!

 

[jann1033]

How would you fix photos like these? I hate it when I stake out my spot an hour and a half before hand, and then someone comes along and stands in front of me as I take photos of the back of their head. Gee, thanks a lot! I sucked it up because I didn't want to start a war, but I thought it was very rude. He was in none of my test shots, and then somehow, he just appeared in my viewfinder as the fireworks started going off. What would you do? What should I have done? Would I been within my rights to ask him to move a little so as not to block my shots?
Here are some examples:
Test shot No head...

Suddenly 15 minutes later in another test shot, he appears...This was about 3 minutes before the show started...

First shot of the show:

The it gets worse because he's evolved into blocking 1/3 of the castle!

Some otherwise really nice shots are ruined by this guys head!

And the rest get worse from there. Every shot is pretty much ruined by the back of his head! Cropping it out looked weird, because I'm losing 1/3 of the castle from one side and all of the bottom below the garland. Should I have asked him to move out of my field of view? I couldn't move, as it was wall to wall people and I really didn't want to do to anyone else what was happening to me.My tripod was maxed out at 64" I believe, so I couldn't raise it any higher. I figured I'd suck it up and try to fix in post. Ha! How do you remove the guys head without ruining the photo?
Thanks...DSF

i would have asked him( or better yet had my hub ask him, he's bigger ), explained you had waited due to wanting to take photos so could he please move to the side a couple steps. i agree with wenrod, some people are oblivious, like me when i walk through others' shots
i wonder if you did an edge darkening vignette if it would make it look "sort of" blended in for the ones where it is dark-ish anyway ( like the blue castle )

 

[zackiedawg]

Actually, your test shots may really give you a great fix - but you need at least a somewhat advanced photo editing suite, like Photoshop CS or Paint Shop Pro. If your editing suite can do layering - you can actually drop the fireworks layer over the test shot, then erase out the head to show through to the background. A little color adjusting and brightness adjusting to match the two shots, and you can effectively erase at least most of the head without affecting the shot. Where the head blocked the actual fireworks trails might take a little work with the cloning tool...but all this should be doable. I'd be glad to give it a go for you, if you want to send me the originals (or post them where I can upload them).

 

[zackiedawg]

Here's a quickie sample I did in about 10 minutes off of your small version posted above.

I took this photo of your with the head:

And layered it over the top of the first test shot you posted (which had the same castle color). I had to resize the test shot until it matched the castle size in the fireworks shot, and tilt it just slightly to align. Then I had to bring up the shadow brightness about 15% so the sky darkness was about equal. I then erased away the head, revealing the test shot castle and background beneath...and used the clone tool to fill in the fireworks down to the castle:

It may not be 100% perfect, but it'd be perfectly passable for most prints...and it's a fairly simple fix.