Fireworks tips/tricks?

[Nicole]

Originally Posted by Heidilyn

Great Captures! Can you tell me what your EXIF settings were?

Oops! I just saw your message (sorry!), hopefully the response gets to you in time. The exif should be on the Flickr page for both, but the first one was: f/22, 4.6 sec, and the second was: f/18 and 3 seconds. Both were taken at ISO 200, using my 18-55mm lens.

[arphot]

Originally Posted by ikaijo

I would love to try my hand at some fireworks, is there a way to get these shots without a remote shutter release? Can I use the self timer? By using the self timer, I won't be able to take multiple bursts right? If I can use the self timer, should I use the 2 sec or 10 sec? I think the 2 sec sounds more logical... but would like to hear your opinions. Thanks for your help in advance!

I think the 2 second timer would allow you to get more shots. If you had to continuously wait for 10 seconds you could miss a lot.
I tried some of the information provided here and other places (on the web) last night and discovered that bulb the mode worked very well for me. But I had a remote.

[Quo Fan]

I went to my town fireworks last night, and I first had my 50mm on my camera, set at f11, 1/125. That gave me terrible results. I lengthened shutter time until I got 1 3". This gave me sufficient "lines" of the bursts. I was really close to the fireworks, about 300' from the launch site, so my focal length was "too long". I switched to my 28-300 zoom, at 28mm and shot the rest of the show. I may post up some results when I get them off my camera.

[ikaijo]

Thank you Arphot! I've been reading up on tech and tips, hopefully all goes well tonight! I share some pics, hopefully then come out decent!!

[arphot]

From last night:


http://flickr.com/photos/arphot/2637357992/

http://flickr.com/photos/arphot/2636532987/

http://flickr.com/photos/arphot/2637360116/

http://flickr.com/photos/arphot/2636538967/

Unfortunately, I have electrical wires crossing in front of the display. But, this is the downside to the luxury of viewing this from my front yard. Next year . . . I'm going for the proper set up. I'm getting closer than a mile away and with any luck, no obstructions!

[redthedunns]

Nice shots!!!

[arphot]

Originally Posted by redthedunns

Nice shots!!!

thank you

[Lakitu]

You caught some good shots there. I ought to give it a try too. Fireworks season lasts about a month here so there are a lot of chances.

[sk66]

I gave it a shot last night....Two things I learned with my Nikon.
1. Read the manual first! I couldn't figure out where my "bulb" setting was!
2. Try not to sit under street lights. (I was out-voted)
Out of 20+ pics I kept 2. Here they are.


The most significant thing I did when editing these was to change W/B to Tungsten and cropping.
I'm going out again tonight to set up across the river so I can get city skyline in the picture. It's "Music Fest" here along the river. I get another shot at fireworks tonight, and the "Grand Finally" tomorrow night!

[Seltzer]

nice shots there.
The bulb mode, at least on the cameras that I have used (Canon and Nikon entry-level DSLR's), was under the manual mode and then scrolling the shutter time all the way out (going past the 1", 1.5", etc..). It should show up as "bulb" as the last option there.