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by Tecant from West Allis

Last Post 81 days, 20 hours Ago


The Big Bang
Jun 29, 2008 | 7:59 PM
Category: Entertainment
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When Summerfest opened last Thursday, some camera club friends and I met for a picnic and to shoot photos of the Big Bang fireworks.

Last year had been my first try at shooting fireworks. I had done some internet research and discovered the essentials of fireworks photography: a sturdy tripod and a slow exposure. This year I was better prepared and my results were improved.





I liked the sailboat in the foreground and wished that I had zoomed wider to include in the picture more sailboats at the South Shore Yacht Club. Next time.



If you want to try shooting fireworks photos, you'll find some good tips in these articles from the New York Institute of Photography website:

How To Photograph Fireworks

Shooting Fireworks With A Digital Point & Shoot Camera (a little dated)

Photographing Fireworks In Your Backyard

Here's what worked for me. My friends and I set up a few blocks south of South Shore Park in Bay View, where South Shore Drive comes to a dead end. This spot gives you a view north toward the South Shore Yacht Club, the Hoan Bridge and the downtown skyline. Here's what it looks like just after sunset but before the sky goes completely dark.



Since the fireworks were going to be shot off near the north end of the Summerfest Grounds, I used a 70-300mm telephoto zoom to focus on just that portion of the downtown skyline. I varied my zoom setting from 145 to 200mm. Looking at my pictures later, I wished I had shot at 100-135mm instead to include more sailboats at anchor in the foreground.

Tech Stuff: I switched my DSLR to manual focus and focused the lens at infinity (the US Bank building). I put my camera in Manual exposure mode, set the ISO to ISO 200, and set the Aperture at f16 to f22. I used the "bulb" exposure setting and my wireless remote to vary the exposure time from 3 to 12 seconds. Because of the slow exposure, you absolutely need a sturdy tripod to hold your camera rigidly still. ... When it came to the grand finale, the fireworks bursts were coming so close together that I should have changed my aperture to f32 and a 1 or 2 second exposure. I forgot and here was the result.



The chemicals in fireworks burn very, very hot and caused an over-exposed white blob.

The 4th of July is coming up this Friday and there are lots of festivals that feature their own fireworks shows. Give it a try and post your pics on MyFox. I have more fireworks photos in my Milwaukee At Night album.

P.S. The location I used for the Big Bang Fireworks also works well for Milwaukee night-time skyline photos.



12 Comments |  Add a Comment

Member Comments Total Comments: 12
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gardendesigner read my blog view my photos
Jun 29, 2008 | 10:11 PM

I loved them!!!
You did a very nice job of taking the pics and letting us know what you used... Thanks!!
They look like they could be a magazine cover!!!
Really!!

~Vanessa
Katbird read my blog view my photos
Jun 29, 2008 | 11:45 PM

Absolutely beautiful, Tecant.
It's great to see your photography again.
Thank you for the advice.
I really appreciate the help.
Lovinlife read my blog view my photos
Jun 30, 2008 | 5:55 AM

Beautiful pix!
upnorth read my blog
Jun 30, 2008 | 2:14 PM

WOW! beautiful pictures.
rmls read my blog
Jul 1, 2008 | 5:01 AM

This is great! Last year when my daughter was in 2nd greade they had a photographer come in and teach the kids how to take pictures properly on a digital camara. I have to say that taking pictures is a bit more fun now because of that. Taking pictures is a true work of art! Please share more with us form the 4th!
prettyinpinks read my blog view my photos
Jul 3, 2008 | 7:19 AM

Very nice Tecant! How did your trip go?

My dad bought me a digital photography book that has a bunch of tips and tricks in it--how to get the best picture possible in a certain scenario, how to best shoot stuff like fireworks or sunsets--but one thing it doesn't really help with is the shutter stuff. If I try to leave the shutter open for longer than .5 seconds, I get a completely white screen. How do you adjust the amount of light coming in?

Thanks!
Tecant read my blog view my photos
Jul 4, 2008 | 8:22 AM

prettyinpinks:

A completely white screen indicates total overexposure - no picture. But let's say you wanted to shoot a mostly dark picture, like a nighttime city skyline or a fireworks photo.

How do you adjust the amount of light coming in?

Assuming you are trying to shoot a night time skyline or fireworks picture:

Most point and shoot digital cameras default to Auto Everything, but you'll want to change at least 2 of 3 settings (ISO-Aperture-Shutter speed) that control exposure.

For my how-to answer I'm going to pretend you have a Canon A620 like my wife. Most P&S Canons have similar controls. If you have a different brand, dig into your owner's manual.

1) On your camera's mode dial, change from AUTO to APERTURE PRIORITY, indicated by "Av" (Canon) or "A" (Nikon and most others). Don't use Scene Modes; they lock out some of the settings we need to change.

2) Choose the smallest APERTURE (highest f number) your camera has available. On a Canon you do this by pressing the RIGHT ARROW (->) on the ring around the FUNC SET button. Keep pressing it until you get to f8 or the highest f number your camera has available. f8 lets in 1/4 as much light as f2.8.

3) Change the ISO setting. The ISO # indicates the sensor's sensitivity to light; you want to change that to it's least sensitive setting. Most cameras default to Auto ISO but you want to override that and manually choose the lowest ISO setting your camera is capable of. On a Canon A620, press the FUNC SET button in the middle of the joystick pad, then RIGHT ARROW over to ISO 50, and press FUNC SET agai
Tecant read my blog view my photos
Jul 4, 2008 | 8:27 AM

Part 2:

... RIGHT ARROW over to ISO 50, and press FUNC SET again. Using ISO 50 makes your camera 1/8 as sensitive to light as ISO 400. The lowest ISO number might be different on your camera. Now you've set your camera to it's least-sensitive-to-light settings, which will = darkest picture.

4) In Aperture Priority, your camera's internal meter will now calculate the correct shutter speed based on your ISO and Aperture setting.

5) But, if your picture is still too light or too dark, you can also override that. Use the EXPOSURE COMPENSATION button [+/-]. On a Canon it is located at the top left of the up-down-left-right arrows ring around the FUNC SET button.

Press the [+/-] button which brings up this scale on your LCD:
(-2)---(-1)---(0)---(+1)---(+2)
If your picture is too bright, press the Left Arrow and shift to -1 or -2; if too dark, press the Right Arrow. You will probably need to selce -1 or -2 for night photos.

6) If you do all this, your nighttime picture may still APPEAR gray rather than mostly black when it displays on your LCD screen. Don't worry, the picture is OK. But for shooting at night I like to turn down the sensitivity of the LCD so it displays a darker image. You'll have to do this in a menu somewhere.
Tecant read my blog view my photos
Jul 4, 2008 | 8:29 AM

Part 3

2 THINGS TO REMEMBER:

When shooting with a slow shutter speed of several seconds, you absolutely need a sturdy tripod to hold your camera rigidly still during the exposure or your photos will be blurry.

When you are finished taking night photos, put your camera settings back to normal.

If you'd like to educate yourself more about ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed, I recommend the book "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson.

For someone new to photography, "How To Photograph Your Life" by Nick Kelsh is a great starter book and is not technical.

You can find either book at your local library or at most bookstores. IMO both are worth owning if you want to become a better photographer.

Sorry my answer was so long-winded. I just don't know how to say it in a few words.

Good luck!
mary-kohnke read my blog view my photos
Jul 8, 2008 | 1:56 AM

Awesome pics.
CrownVictoriaCop read my blog
Jul 8, 2008 | 4:47 PM

Good thing you were there in person. Channel 12's coverage of the event sucked! The reporters wouldn't shut up!
prettyinpinks read my blog view my photos
Jul 20, 2008 | 9:46 AM

Oh man, sorry T! I read this and never said thanks!

So, here it is, a few weeks late . . .

Thank you very much!
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Tecant

I have fun with photography. What I'm reading: "His Excellency: George Washington" by Joseph J. Ellis. Favorite TV shows: Lost & Battlestar Galactica. Last movie I saw: Get Smart (**1/2) Lots of fun, especially if you were a fan of the old "Get Smart" TV series.

Member Since: 9/18/2006


 

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