How to take good fireworks pictures?

[iwritemax]

Will be at WDW in a few short days. Love all the fireworks, esp. at MK but last time my pictures of them turned out really bad. I have a Kodak digital DX4530 camera...any tips on how I can get some pics that do fireworks justice? I don't have a tripod.

 

[oogieboogie]

you really should get a tripod. There are some small compact ones you can buy. It doesn't have to be a hulking big one, but you really need one to take great fireworks picture.

On your camera, turn the dial to landscape mode, turn off your flash, set the camera on a tripod and shoot away. Best bet is to shoot using the self timer to really minimize shaking. Use the highest resolution you can get, don't bother zooming in, you can always crop later.

If you don't want to spring for a tripod, then stake out a spot where you can put the camera on a trashcan/low wall, etc - something where your camera can sit and not move.

Good luck.

 

[Greg K.]

Look closely. Many digital cameras now have a "fireworks mode." But oogie's advice about the tripod is sound. Also: take a LOT of pictures. Since you have a digital camera, you can snap away like mad and increase the chances of getting at least one great shot.

The tip about turning off the flash is important, too. I never cease to be amazed at how many flashbulbs go off during the fireworks. (And I'm sure thousands and thousands of people then go home from a Disney vacation and have their film developed and are SHOCKED at the crummy fireworks pictures, and blame it on the camera...) The flash will only carry 10 or 15 feet. You'll end up with perfectly lit pictures of people's heads, or maybe a lamppost, or a tree; the fireworks will barely show up.

 

[ryley26]

Thanks guys will try it to always wondered why my firework pictures stunk

 

[Crazy Hakim]

You would not believe how many guests do not know how to turn off their flash! Usually it's a new camera they bought specifically for their visit and didn't bother to read thru the instruction manual. But you are correct, turn off the flash and try to hold the camera as steady as possible, I have many wonderful photos of IllumiNations done with a budget priced digital camera.

 

[Debs5angels]

you really should get a tripod. There are some small compact ones you can buy. It doesn't have to be a hulking big one, but you really need one to take great fireworks picture.

On your camera, turn the dial to landscape mode, turn off your flash, set the camera on a tripod and shoot away. Best bet is to shoot using the self timer to really minimize shaking. Use the highest resolution you can get, don't bother zooming in, you can always crop later.

If you don't want to spring for a tripod, then stake out a spot where you can put the camera on a trashcan/low wall, etc - something where your camera can sit and not move.

Good luck.

Just curious why turn to landscape mode? Also thanks for the advice I would love to have nice pictures of the fireworks too.

 

[oogieboogie]

putting it on landscape mode lets the focus go to infinity. What you want to do is open up the shutter (the lens) to it's max to allow in the most light, which is why no flash. Focusing to infinity tells the camera you're taking a picture of a far-away object so it doesn't try to focus to something nearby.

 

[Debs5angels]

putting it on landscape mode lets the focus go to infinity. What you want to do is open up the shutter (the lens) to it's max to allow in the most light, which is why no flash. Focusing to infinity tells the camera you're taking a picture of a far-away object so it doesn't try to focus to something nearby.

Thanks for the info.

 

[cobbler]

I have night mode on my camera how would that do? I took a picture once of Spaceship Earth at night using my night mode and the flash went off and it came out really pretty.

 

[oogieboogie]

night mode lets you take gorgeous pictures at night because it slows the shutter speed down while still illuminating your object with the flash.

this doesn't work when you're trying to take fireworks picture because the flash will be ineffective since the range is too far for the flash to do any good. The flash needs to be off and night mode still has the flash on.

 

[CAJUNWDWFAN]

Wow, I also thank you for the info. I was wondering why to use landscape mode. Now I know.

 

[Tiggerific]

I have the same camera as iwritemax. I always wondered why my fireworks pictures came out horrible. Thanks for the tips everyone.

 

[dcg0317]

Here's a couple links that might help you out.

http://www.digicamhelp.com/how-to-photograph-fireworks/how-to-photograph-fireworks.htm

http://www.nyip.com/tips/current/digfirewks.php

 

[marriedmarylander]

Turning the flash off? even with the flash, the pictures of the fireworks are so dark. can barely see. Actually I couldn't get a picture of the castle in the dark. It would be pink and my picture was black.

 

[oogieboogie]

Turning the flash off? even with the flash, the pictures of the fireworks are so dark. can barely see. Actually I couldn't get a picture of the castle in the dark. It would be pink and my picture was black.

interesting, what was your camera setting when you took the pics? what camera did you use?

 

[donnajon]

So with Spectro parade, would you use the night setting without a flash or the landscape setting?

 

[MOmousefan]

I couldn't agree more on taking lots of pictures. Between three of us we shot over 200 pics a day and downloaded to a laptop. My daughter took 35 pics of Wishes and 12 are superb. We set the camera ( Powershot S70) on night mode and it did quiet well. I agree also that the flash must be turned off.

 

[Pinnochio]

if you have a setting for night time on your camera use that

 

[RoyalCanadian]

Turning the flash off? even with the flash, the pictures of the fireworks are so dark. can barely see. Actually I couldn't get a picture of the castle in the dark. It would be pink and my picture was black.

We need to remember that our cameras are simply boxes with lenses designed to focus light on a piece of film or digital sensors. The flash simply illuminates the subject, reflecting light back through the camera lens onto the film or digital sensor. You get a picture. There is nothing for the flash to bounce off on fireworks -- add to that, they are too far away for the little flash to illuminate. Same with the castle. Little flash -- big castle -- no reflection of the light. Your camera is fooled into thinking there will be light bouncing back -- there isn't. It is fooled into thinking that light coming back will be of a certain brightness -- it isn't. Camera takes a picture -- it looks crappy. We blame the camera.

If I have learned one thing about using a camera it is that 99.9% of the problems we blame on the camera are with the operator.

The fireworks give off light at one point, move to another point and give off light there, move to another point and so on, and so on. Our brain puts all this together and we see a trail of light in the sky. Try taking a picture without setting it up and you'll get a tiny blip of light from the rocket as it moves a short distance in the sky. It's not what you saw in the sky because you didn't let the camera see what you were seeing.

The best way to get a good nighttime picture with your camera is to stop thinking of grabbing a millisecond and start thinking of painting with the light. Let lots of light in by leaving the shutter open longer. I have taken wonderful fireworks photos by closing down the aperture to the smallest setting (allows for a crisper focus) and leaving the shutter open for seconds at a time. Camera shake was minimized with the use of a tripod. The pictures are crisp and clean and filled with brilliant streaks of light arcing across the page. I look at those pictures and think "Yes, that's how I remember the fireworks."