July 4th fireworks Cityscape

[buzzrk]

From Close to home

How I took it:
I had failed miserably previous times I tried to take shots like this.
So I bumped my ISO and went for 2-8 second shutter speeds.
Tripod - used bulb mode, exposed foreground more time than the fireworks.
Cropping and exposure adjustment in Photoshop (no filters used).

EXIF: (full exif available on Picasa)
Canon T2i EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
ISO800 F5.0 3sec RAW


Questions:
What do you think about overall exposure and technique?

The building blocking the fireworks is bad in this picture. Any ideas how to mitigate its effect?

What can I do in Photoshop to add some more pop to this?

[mwatson]

I am in no means a professional photographer but I really like the building blocking the lowest burst. You have some that are higher so it is not like it blocked it completely. The whole point of the photo was a cityscape with fireworks, I believe you succeeded.

I also like the idea of taking the photo of the buildings and then waiting for the fireworks. You could also have taken a long exposure of the buildings and then combined the firework photos with the buildings in Photoshop. I have done that with a couple of firework photos where they turned off the foreground lights during the show. It gives you definition of the foreground without blowing out the center of the fireworks.

To answer the question of how to make this photo pop a little more; if you have multiple firework shots with the exact same position, try adding them to this photograph. It will give you some different colors and size fireworks. It can be done pretty easily by going to “apply image” under the image tab in Photoshop.

As for exposure, I am a strong advocate of using a black card for firework photos, especially this one since your foreground isn’t really that bright. Hold the black card in front of the lens and remove when you see a burst you like. You will lessen the chances of blowing out the center of the firework if you do it that way.

Overall, I really like this photo.

[buzzrk]

Any other opinions guys?
I am very new to post processing.

What would you guys do to this to add some pop.
Any filters in Photoshop you would recommend?

[buzzrk]

@mwatson
I do have the buildings well exposed in another photo.
I am also familiar with layers and other tool in photoshop that would let combine two photos.
But I am trying to focus on improving my photos as captured.
Same reason I did not add other fireworks I captured into this.

[Krusty79]

Did you play around with the RAW file? I shoot my RAWs in Neutral mode, but then I view them with my RAW Canon software and I can choose color modes like Standard, Portrait, Landscape, etc. I often use that to give my images more "pop" and can add sharpness.

You could play around with the Curves adjustment at the RAW or jpg stage.

[dlkight]

I am probably the worst person to critic any photo, but i pay extra attention to people who have the same camera that i have to see how their images come out. i really like this one! i have yet to try anything in raw, and really not a huge fan of photos that have too many "adjustments" in PS. i think a photo should be what it was when it is shot, other than trimming. that is why i really like this one. great shot!

[Peggyjom]

I agree pictures should be pretty good coming from the camera.......BUT, think of them as us girls, we look okay auh natural. But put a touch of make up on us for some color alittle mascara and WOW! Our eye's twinkle, the teeth and hair sparkle. There is a balance of getting it right.
Are we satsified with a passing glance or do you want some one to have that "wow" when they look at our photo's

This is a nice shot, Why must 4th of July be so far away I need to remember all the tips!

[EOBeav]

Now that's how you do fireworks shots. Nice job.

[smbtuckma]

Chromatically speaking, the green glow on the building to the left is the opposite of the magenta in the firework. So, they both have the same color impact and, I think, are detracting from one another. In Photoshop, try changing the temperature of the light on the building to something more subtle and warm to make the fireworks' colors pop more.