Through out my many years, I have seen many fireworks shows. Until this year, my favorite has been the Nashville July 4th display. However, Pops on the River in Chattanooga has it beat by a long shot. The only thing they did not have was …Continue Reading Here…
The annual Lake Arrowhead Firework show was July 1st this year. I was fortunate enough to make it and get a few shots. Unfortunately, I did not get set up in time and then, where I set up was in the wrong place. Just as the show was starting, I had to …Continue Reading Here…
I have been getting a lot of requests for me to explain how I took a recent set of firework photos. I am in the process of writing a full fledged tutorial with screen shots and post processing, but did not want anyone to wait for the “meat and potatoes”. This should get you started so you at least have some photos.
1. Location: This year I had a lot of trouble deciding where to take firework photos. This requires lots of research, Google Earth and good old fashioned asking. Unfortunately, the last is where I took the short cut and almost lost. Firework photos with just the fireworks can be found most everywhere. It is the photo with more foreground in it that stands out. Getting this on purpose requires lots of research on the location.
2. Bring a tripod: It is impossible to hold a camera perfectly still for 2 – 4 seconds. Make sure the tripod is rated to hold the full weight of the camera.
3. Focus: Since most fireworks displays are just after sunset this is not hard to achieve. Get in place before the sun goes down, let the camera auto focus in the area where the fireworks should be and then switch the auto focus off. As long as you are not moving around, you should be able to get some crisp well focused shots.
4. Manual Mode: Because of the low light, you have to shoot in manual mode to make sure you get well exposed shots. I used the following settings for most of these photos.
Shutter Speed: I varied my shutter speed for these between 2 and 4 seconds. I found that 3 seconds seemed to be the best for me. trigger the shutter as soon as the firework is launched and that will give you the trail as well as the burst.
Aperture: I used the 18 – 105 kit lens for my Nikon D90 and opened the aperture all the way (3.5) at 18mm.
5. Check the shots: Most firework shows are about 30 minutes long. After the first ten or so shots, stop for a few seconds and scroll through them to make sure you have the settings right.
Now you have the photos, what to do with them. I will address this in the upcoming fireworks tutorial.
This is another firework shot from the Allatoona Yacht Club’s July 4th celebration (actually on July 3rd this year).
©2011 Just Shooting Memories (all rights reserved)
I could not resist posting some more photos of fireworks. These are more from the Allatoona Yacht Club display on July 3, 2011. I sat on the edge of the lake just opposite the location the Yacht Club was setting them off from. The cool thing was, the beach area just down from me was super crowded, but I had this place all to myself.
©2011 Just Shooting Memories (all rights reserved)
For anyone who wants to, unless otherwise labeled, I offer all my photos on Flickr in their original size. Or at least as large as I can get them on Flickr. So jump over there and check them out or just go to Flickr and search for Just Shooting Memories.
Okay, I was going to wait awhile before I posted another firework photo, but I was so impressed with the lightning in addition to the fireworks that I am putting another one up now. This was another on Lake Allatoona at the Allatoona Yacht Club. Conditions could not have been any more perfect. A storm in the background and fireworks up close. They shoot these from a barge in the lake and there are hundreds of boats lining the lake. This will be an annual event for me.
©2011 Just Shooting Memories (all rights reserved)
Fortunately, I was able to find a firework show this year which was on Sunday, July 3. It was on Lake Allatoona at the Allatoona Yacht Club. I had almost decided to skip the event and just go to one Monday night. I am SO glad I decided to go. While sitting on the lake shore just on the other side of a small cove from where the Yacht Club is, I began seeing a large thunderhead moving near the lake. I set the camera up and captured some bolts of lightning. Not a good sign, maybe the rain was moving in. I also got a few shots of the hundreds of boats lining the lake.
At 9 PM, the show was supposed to start. 9:02 PM and still no show, but no rain either. And then, all the sudden, Fireworks. I began taking photos and rapidly as the fireworks were going off. I sat through about 30 minutes of beautiful fireworks. What a sight. The Alltoona Yacht Club really puts on a show.
I got finished packing up and literally ran back to the truck to beat some of the crowd. While we were waiting in traffic (My father was kind enough to put up with my photographic jaunt), I was reviewing some photos and noticed what I thought were additional fireworks (Lightning) in the background. This was confirmed when I opened them in Lightroom for a little post processing. This is one of those double features…
©2011 Just Shooting Memories (all rights reserved)
