How to shoot fireworks

[DisneySuiteFreak]

So what do you do when you're short? LOL

This is my usual problem. I get to where I want to stand to get good photos of the castle and the fireworks 2 hours ahead of time...and set up with my tripod. I don't spread out the legs that much for fear of tripping people or them knockng the tripod over (I always have the strap still around my neck in case of accidents). And I'm ready for the fireworks...nothing's in my way. Lights dim, music starts...and then this happens. Big tall guy who was standing to the left or to the right moves in front of me. Or a little kid gets hoisted onto dad's shoulders for a "closer" look at the fireworks. Or some guy standing next to me decides to move for a better view (because kids got hoisted onto shoulders?) steps into my tripod.

Because I'm only 5'2", I can't really raise the tripod higher (it will go higher) because I can't see out of the viewfinder then or reach the shutter (I have a remote so it's the viewfinder that's a problem.)

Was it my imagination or wasn't there a time when we used to sit on the pavement to watch the fireworks? Isn't that a better way to see them? Then everybody has a view without being blocked?

I have had the exact same thing happen to me a lot in recent years. It sucks! And I'm only 5'2" also so I totally feel your pain. I got a lot of shots with people moving over and creeping into my shot (hands holding up their camera, their head or their kids head after being hoisted onto their shoulders.)
On my last trip, my DH was videotaping the fireworks show and you could hear me say a curse word as some lady who was not there squeezed in after Fantasmic in DL to see the fireworks show. I swore, Dh said, "What?" I whined to him, he told me to move and I told him to tap the lady on the shoulder and tell her she's in my way. She was nice about it and moved over a bit thank goodness. There is nothing more irritating than staking out a good spot hours ahead of time only to have people squeeze in and obstruct your shots. Now I have to edit out my curse word on the video.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I have had the exact same thing happen to me a lot in recent years. It sucks! And I'm only 5'2" also so I totally feel your pain. I got a lot of shots with people moving over and creeping into my shot (hands holding up their camera, their head or their kids head after being hoisted onto their shoulders.)
On my last trip, my DH was videotaping the fireworks show and you could hear me say a curse word as some lady who was not there squeezed in after Fantasmic in DL to see the fireworks show. I swore, Dh said, "What?" I whined to him, he told me to move and I told him to tap the lady on the shoulder and tell her she's in my way. She was nice about it and moved over a bit thank goodness. There is nothing more irritating than staking out a good spot hours ahead of time only to have people squeeze in and obstruct your shots. Now I have to edit out my curse word on the video.

Oh I sympathize. I end up having 2nd and 3rd thoughts about even trying for firework photos. I was in DL this past week and the first night there decided I'd go ahead. I picked a spot way back on main street to not interfere and it was not too long before the show and the only people were sitting on the curbs. Then people started filling in during the last 5 minutes- and giving me lots of looks! Two ladies started to walk in front and a man with them pulled them out of my way. After that they kept giving me "the look" and I hadn't said a word! I decided before hand I wasn't going to worry about it if it happened. They were short and my immediate reaction was to tell them no worries - stand in front - but then one shot me a glare and I kept quiet. LOL They moved further forward from me and still kept turning around to glare. Right as the show started a tall man 10 yards or so in front put his child on his shoulder as I expected. I just don't get it though - it's rude to all the people behind him. I'd be PO'd when not taking pics too! Fine - hold the child up to your height, but on the shoulders - not unless there's no one behind you.

Anyway - I always plan that someone will stand up tall in front and if not then I've gotten lucky. If it happens I move the tripod as high as possible, stand on my tippy toes to see how I'm aligned and keep it wide for cropping. Focus shouldn't be an issue since you're just raising the height and where it was set before should still be fine.

Best is to have your own group that can provide protection!

 

[GrillMouster]

Always carry fruit for just such an occasion. An orange or a soft apple to the back of the head will get your message across. A tomato would be too graphic for my delicate sensibilities.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Always carry fruit for just such an occasion. An orange or a soft apple to the back of the head will get your message across. A tomato would be too graphic for my delicate sensibilities.

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Then people started filling in during the last 5 minutes- and giving me lots of looks! Two ladies started to walk in front and a man with them pulled them out of my way. After that they kept giving me "the look" and I hadn't said a word! I decided before hand I wasn't going to worry about it if it happened. They were short and my immediate reaction was to tell them no worries - stand in front - but then one shot me a glare and I kept quiet. LOL They moved further forward from me and still kept turning around to glare. Right as the show started a tall man 10 yards or so in front put his child on his shoulder as I expected. I just don't get it though - it's rude to all the people behind him. I'd be PO'd when not taking pics too! Fine - hold the child up to your height, but on the shoulders - not unless there's no one behind you.

I hate when those things happen. Something is wrong with people when they are glaring at you for getting in your way. And I agree, I would never have put my kid on my shoulders or DH shoulders because it is plain rude to the people behind you. Imagine how the people right in back of those people feel? There's no way they can see through that person and their kid. Instead I would just carry my son my hip when he was little.He would be at the same height as me and able to see just as well that way.

Anyway - I always plan that someone will stand up tall in front and if not then I've gotten lucky. If it happens I move the tripod as high as possible, stand on my tippy toes to see how I'm aligned and keep it wide for cropping. Focus shouldn't be an issue since you're just raising the height and where it was set before should still be fine.
Best is to have your own group that can provide protection!

I agree and try to do the same. It really is a bummer though when they squeeze in at the last minute like that. I think what irritated me on my last trip too was that the park wasn't as full as on my summer trip,so there were other places that people could stand to watch, but most people only tend to think about what they want and obviously thought, "Ooh that's a good spot, let's all 4 of us squeeze into the 2 feet of space in front of this lady," obviously not thinking at all that there was a lot of space besides right in front of me, and if they wanted a better spot, they should have come early and set up or saved the spot. At least they moved over a few feet though...Thank goodness.

Another thing I've noticed is that with everyone having Digital P&S cameras nowadays (and many of them do not have the ability to go wide), they tend to not realize that others who are using cameras that can go wide will capture them in their shots. I've had so many people try to squeeze in on a shot of like the Partners Statue for instance, in which they obviously don't realize that they are in my field of view...and it was my turn to take a shot and I was set up before they squeezed in...
I also try to plan for the worst. Sometimes it's hard though because I like to get the castle in the shot and DL castle is so small compared to WDW that it makes it hard to do when someone's head is in the way. Then I have to suck it up and decide what I want to get in the shot and compromise. It would be nice if everyone used a little common sense and courtesy at the parks and go early and save their spot instead of trying to squeeze in at the last minute.

Always carry fruit for just such an occasion. An orange or a soft apple to the back of the head will get your message across. A tomato would be too graphic for my delicate sensibilities.

 

[pxlbarrel]

Why can't people in the hub just sit down to watch the fireworks. That would be perfect for everybody. Is it so they can jam more people in standing than sitting??

 

[tiggrbaby]

OK, I'm a DSLR newbie (Canon XS). So it looks like I need to go to manual, set it to around f8, ISO 200, shutter speed to 1/10, turn off the IS on the lens, put the camera on a tripod, and use a remote that should be held down for 2 - 4 seconds? I am planning on seeing Illuminations from the Rose and Crown and Wishes from 'Ohanas.

Thanks!

 

[cosmos]

Always carry fruit for just such an occasion. An orange or a soft apple to the back of the head will get your message across. A tomato would be too graphic for my delicate sensibilities.

 

[The Mayor]

I have a Nikon Coolpix P2 digital camera and can't seem to take clear pictures of fireworks...as you can see below they always come out blurry...what's the secret

 

[annnewjerz]

A tripod, or something stable to rest your camera on, as well as a remote shutter release or timer.

 

[zackiedawg]

Yep...that's the key. Your camera cannot be moving AT ALL - so no handheld photography. Your camera needs to be resting on a nice, stable surface or sitting on a tripod, and even better if you can take your hands off the camera before the shutter goes off. If you don't want to invest in a tripod, find a wall, fence, ledge, trashcan top, or some other surface you can sit your camera on. Set the timer to the shortest time available (usually 2 seconds), then with a little bit of timing, press the shutter button a few seconds before you expect to see the firework bloom. Even a lowly P&S camera can take fine fireworks shots, as long as it is sitting completely still!

 

[REL1203]

Try this link...
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1474329

 

[Bstanley]

On a recent trip to DL I was going to take some pictures of the fireworks by setting up at the Main Street Train Station veranda - a spot I had used in the past at the MK in WDW a couple of times.

Well at DL they had that spot roped off for 'special visitors'. Rats...

Has anyone seen this at the MK in WDW? If so - anyone know if it is common these days? I was hoping to get some more shots of the MK fireworks during our upcoming trip in December.

 

[Marlton Mom]

The flag pole will be in your way and the lights from Main street can mess with you ability to expose the fireworks correctly.

I am by no means an expert but I had the same plan, and after reading deep into the photography boards, I discovered that this location for Fireworks is fraught with problems...

Read on in the photography boards and you will no doubt come across more helpful info and answers to questions you didn't even know you had yet!!

Good luck,
Smoochies,

 

[Bstanley]

The flag pole will be in your way and the lights from Main street can mess with you ability to expose the fireworks correctly.

Indeed - I had to sit off to one side or the other to get the pole off to the side of the castle and basically 'post process' the Main Street lights to control them.

I'll give the boards a search to see what other locations are suggesed.

 

[AbbysFamily]

Personally I'd think you'd be better of 1/2 way down main, where the lights are off and if you have a tall tripod, you can get above most heads.

 

[mom2rtk]

We were in the MK the end of September. I went up there one day just to snap a few daytime photos and found it roped off. I don't know if it was for special seating, or if they had just painted or something.... just ropes blocking that area.....

 

[Marlton Mom]

Ok, so here goes the check list for shooting Fireworks at Disney.

Notice that I got all this info from all of you who contributed tips and tricks to the photography board over the ages. THANKS!!!!!!! I had been reading through the boards and copy/pasting relevant quotes so that I could get a better idea of just how to go about this.

Some time in October 'Windows' updated my computer into the dreaded BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH!! Ack, ack, ack! I eventually got my lobotomized 'puter back with everything in one GIANT folder........ Fun!!!

So here goes...... Let me know what you think. This is a checklist so that I can be sure to set my Nikon D60 correctly in manual mode, in the dark, in a hurry, with people in the way, asking me questions like "Are you a Photopass Photographer?".

Apparently little Gremlins live in our cameras, come out when we are in the parks and mess with our settings! I am taking a big can of Raid and this checklist to beat them with!

Shooting FIREWORKS (for Nikon D60)
Check to see that no obstructions are in your way; Check the wind (smoke) One thing to take into consideration is wind direction. Some nights that there is a steady breeze it could be smart to pick a totally unconventional spot maybe in frontier land if it keeps the smoke away.

Set tripod and LOCK all adjusters **Watch your horizon, use hot shoe bubble level.

DO NOT USE noise reduction (slows shutter interval due to in camera image processing.)

Shoot a totally black frame (eg., one with your lens cap on) for Photoshop Post processing.
For a good exposure on the foreground object take a photo of it without any fireworks.
Set Camera to Manual Mode, Meter on Matrix and NOT SPOT!
SET your lowest ISO,
Shoot on the wide side (no zoom) and crop post production. Fireworks are shot off on both sides of the castle as well as in the back.

Set your focus: Make sure Auto focus area mode is set to closest subject (AF- area mode = solid black square) First auto focus on castle. Check using range finder . Set the FOCUS to MANUAL (magnify glass AF-A change to MF) and leave it there. Turn off Autofocus on lens itself, Nikon says turn VR OFF on a tripod, but leave it ON on a monopod.

Use a Remote, Set camera to Bottom remote setting. Push and hold to open shutter, Push again to close shutter. Use bulb/'time' setting, use tripod.

Set Aperture using Aperture button by on/off switch. Rotate dial to change Aperture. Apertures of f/8 to f/16 are typically the best if shooting ISO 100. One thing to remember is that as the aperture goes up, the castle will be darker in the same shutter-length photo The advantage is that the fireworks trails aren't as blown out.

Recheck that shutter is set to “TIME” aka bulb. When rotating aperture dial sometimes the shutter gets changed.

use the viewfinder cover

REMEMBER: overly long exposures blow out your highlights and the fireworks won't be crisp. If using bulb mode, open the shutter before the burst to get some light on the subject (take a meter reading off Cindy's castle for example to find out how long to keep it open for good light on it) and then keep the shutter open long enough for one burst. If you want to have multiple bursts, the best way to do it is to use black nonreflective cloth or board to temporarily place over lens. Open the shutter and then cover it between bursts with the cover. If using manual mode, experiment with exposures of 1 to 4 seconds.

Go for the fireworks in the beginning of the show - toward the end, you will mostly get smoke. Keep Shooting anyway and ditch the smoky ones in post production.

If there are many fireworks going off at once or bright white fireworks, you take a shorter picture... and if it's a quieter moment, you can hold the shutter open longer.

PhotoShop trick for post processing to reduce noise if you choose a higher ISO, Shoot a totally black frame (eg., one with your lens cap on). In PS, drag the black frame over your background image of the fireworks to create a new layer. Set the mode to "difference" and you will see a big reduction in the noise.

Another trick for a good exposure on the foreground object is to take a photo of it without any fireworks. Then, you can blend in that good exposure with your fireworks exposure if you foreground subject is too dark in the fireworks shot.

WHEN FINISHED SHOOTING REVERSE CHECK LIST AND RETURN CAMERA
TO DAYLIGHT SETTINGS.

END Instructions - begin musings,
Ok, so with all that I haven't decided where I want to stand, how I want to beat senseless the late comers that will stand in my way and which one of my lenses to use. (Tokina 11-16 F2.8 IF DX, Nikon AFS Nikkor VR 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 G, or the, not really for fireworks, Nikon DX AFS Nikkor 55-200mm 1.4-5.6 G ED). I plan on going to the park, checking out possible locations and lens combinations and for the interlopers, perhaps deploying one of those squirt bottles that cat disciplinarians are so fond of.

So I think I've got the fireworks pretty much planned out..... My question is this.....
For night shots using ambient lighting that are not fireworks related what settings do y'all recommend? I'll still be using that tripod and the remote release. Should I trust my meter on automatic mode for shutter, F stop and ISO and bracket around that + - EV steps (2 each way)? I would like to do HDR post processing as well, that's why I would bracket.

This sunset/night photography has got me flummoxed as to whether or not I should depend totally on my auto program or go with some combination, say Shutter priority, or the Night Portrait mode (i.e. slow sync flash, Flash for subject in foreground, shutter then stays open to expose background). So what do you think??? (Tell me Tell me!!!)

Thanks again for all of you info and inspiration.
BIG
Marlton MOM

 

[disneyboy2003]

Holy cow! That's a LOT of information!

I think you've pretty much got everything covered for fireworks photography. The great thing about fireworks photography at Disney is that you'll have multiple opportunities for trial-and-error. If things don't work out tonight, you can try tomorrow night! (unlike 4th of July photography, where you only get 1 shot a year!)

Hope you've got all this info printed out somewhere so when the time comes, you can walk through your pre-fireworks check-list.

The other thing I'd hate to see is if, for some reason, things don't quite work out that you'd get flustered and not be able to enjoy the fireworks. Disney puts on a *beautiful* display of fireworks, so please take some time to sit back and soak them in. Don't stress too much over trying to capture THE perfect series of fireworks shots.

For night shots using ambient lighting that are not fireworks related what settings do y'all recommend? I'll still be using that tripod and the remote release. Should I trust my meter on automatic mode for shutter, F stop and ISO and bracket around that + - EV steps (2 each way)? I would like to do HDR post processing as well, that's why I would bracket.

In general, if you're already going to use a tripod for this, I would try for ISO 100, aperture of f/8-11, and whatever shutter speed the camera says (about 6-10 seconds?). ISO 100 will give me a clean, noiseless photo. Aperture of f/8-11 will give me sufficient depth of field (remember to focus about 1/3-way into the scene), be at my lens's theoretical "sweet spot", and avoid the effects of diffraction that occur with smaller apertures. The longer shutter speeds will hopefully make folks who walk through my picture disappear.

I'm not sure about HDR with night photography. You can try it, but I think it works better with daytime stuff.

This sunset/night photography has got me flummoxed as to whether or not I should depend totally on my auto program or go with some combination, say Shutter priority, or the Night Portrait mode (i.e. slow sync flash, Flash for subject in foreground, shutter then stays open to expose background). So what do you think??? (Tell me Tell me!!!)

I have a feeling you should probably stay in Manual mode. Once you've got all the settings done, as described above, you can then add your external flash, set it on TTL (ie. the flash version of "auto"), and have your subjects stand in front of the camera. That should give you a nice flash exposure for your subjects in the foreground, and your background should also be nicely exposed, too.

You can also experiment with setting the flash exposure compensation (FEC) to -1/3 to -1, if your subject is somehow overexposed by the flash. You should probably have your subject stand still there for the entire 6-10 seconds while the camera is exposing the background (that way, none of the background image "bleeds" into your subject). If the background is too bright, you can also try using a faster shutter speed to slightly darken the background, making your foreground subject pop out with the flash exposure.

Hope that all makes sense. Sorry for the super-long reply. Let us know how it goes! (I'll be trying this myself later this month! )

 

[NateNLogansDad]

I'm subbing to this. A few hrs ago I think we decided to go to Disney on Jan 1st for a few days! About 2 hrs ago I realized I don't know jack about my camera and and