Fireworks Photography Guide: FIVE easy steps!
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- Опубліковано 31 лип 2024
- How to photograph fireworks in five easy steps! My tutorial and tips!
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Just used this today and works extrenly well!
Thankyou!
Thank you Gordon for the amazing tips on how to take photos of the fireworks displays!
Great job explaining everything and giving examples of what each setting changes, phenomenal video!
Thanks!
@@cameralabs how about on android phones how to take photos & videos of fireworks 🎆🎆🎆🎇🎇🎇 i.e. while apple iPad is also recording/shooting a video of it
One more step; check which direction the wind is blowing. One year, I set up perfectly with all the steps you mentioned but at the last moment the wind started blowing and blew the smoke between my camera and the fireworks. Never again!😂🙏🏾
Yes, wind can ruin everything! But sometimes you can still get an interesting result. My shot here of the Disney Castle in fog and wind looked quite mysterious in a good way I thought, even though you can barely see the fireworks explosions.
@Roenie exactly, I choose the location based on composition and if the weather turns, then I just try my best!
@@cameralabs Light wind can also help by removing "excess" smoke in a timely manner.
@@2020davidg that's also true! I just try to ignore the weather and shoot regardless, as you'll almost always get something usable or interesting - if not perhaps what you were expecting!
I want to thank you immensely for this video. I've been trying to get great fireworks photos for FIVE YEARS and tonight, July 4th, I finally did. Thank you SO MUCH!
You're very welcome! It can be a challenge until you learn the right recipe for them!
@@cameralabs Believe me, your recipe helped me out more than you’ll realize
Can you show us the fireworks pictures
Thank you.
Just getting back in to photography after about 5 years, been watching you for over 12 years now! (Canon 40d video) Good refresh for Australia day fireworks! Thanks
You're very welcome, glad you're getting back into it!
Thanks for the good advice Gordon... there are always questions on Facebook or similar asking how to take photos of fireworks so I think this will be a useful video.
I usually set my camera in bulb mode and use a cable release to open (and hold open) the shutter. I will either count the seconds off in my head (1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, etc) or, on some of my cameras, there is a display on the LCD of the exposure time in real time (i.e. it shows how long the shutter has been open). I also set the camera in manual mode so I can quickly and easily adjust the aperture and ISO as necessary (based on the image previews I'm seeing as I go along). I realise this doesn't allow you to enjoy the firworks as much as your method (as you're constatly monitoring the camera and making adjustments) but it does allow for a lot of variety in the shots.
Regarding focussing, I have typically used autofocus with no major (or even minor) problems. I did recently reach the conclusion that you did, that the camera can't focus rapidly enough (even though past experience suggested otherwise) and decided to focus manually. Just about every shot I took that night was out of focus! Won't be doing that again.
Please don't think I'm disagreeing with your suggestions... I'm just sharing my own experiences. At the end of the day it's very much a trial and error thing and everyone should do what works best for them.
BTW... how much coffee do you drink?!! (-:
Thanks for your tips! Manually focusing can be a gamble as obviously you need to focus on something that's at the same distance as the fireworks will be and that may be closer - or further -= than you think. PS - I drink one to two cups of coffee a day.
Olympus live composite is really helpful for previewing what you can get, live.
It is pretty handy.
Great video. Mentioned practically everything except from experience always arrive early to get a good spot unless you don't mind shooting over people's heads.
Never thought about taking photos of fireworks but it's good to be able to if the need ever arises and top video as always :)
Give it a go!
@cameralabs pls create a playlist about fireworks photography tips! :)
Thanks for a good video.
You're welcome!
Really helpful thank you!
You're very welcome!
I took some shots of fireworks that turned out OK but, on reflection, I think I should have waited until they had been taken out of the box, lit and actually set off. On a more serious note, thanks for this really helpful video Gordon. I will put your ideas into practice as soon as I can.
Ho ho!
The point with regard to long exposure noise reduction is crucial. I found out the hard way when i purchased my Sony A7iii. Shooting a fireworks display in bulb. 4 seconds exposure, and it took nearly 20s to write and save the image, delaying the ability to shoot the next shot. A 12 min display goes extremely quick when fighting noise reduction settings
I recently shot a nighttime balloon festival on the far side of a lake with my 77D DSLR. Because the balloons were not in a perfect line I needed to stop-down to f8 for enough depth of field, and most of my wide shots were around 50mm on an APS-C camera, with one second exposure at ISO 400. I was probably using the 17-55mm f/2.8 lens for the bulk of the shots (I tried several lenses during the event), but an 18-55mm kit lens probably would have been adequate given the aperture. The balloonists were only occasionally firing their gas jets so it was tricky to get good shots but I was able to generally get what I needed, and I got good reflections off of the lake as well.
I'm tempted to get one of those Canon bluetooth controllers. I have the 18-135mm Nano USM lens and the PZ controller, and the PZ will work off of that Canon remote, and I won't have to keep my smartphone on and the app on to use it. I had just a hint of shake in background lights but not on the balloons themselves, so running in live-view or with mirror lockup and with the controller would've helped.
I did have to combine a few shots to into a single final picture to get all of the balloons firing at the same time, but with the tripod and manual settings left unchanged it was trivially easy to accomplish that.
Got some great FILM shots with an old Nikon 35LAF.
DIGITAL cameras are great for fireworks.
Yes! Shot portrait mode!
Thanks.. That was useful
You're welcome!
I needed to shoot fireworks tonight. For myself and for a small community magazine that just started and I'm heading up. I've shot a lot of things over the years, even for a living for about 5 years. But, never fireworks. I just got back and at least looking on the playback on the cameras, it looks good. I watched this video a few hours before I went and used your settings to start and tweaked it a little as I went. I was running a Canon 6D with a Tokina 11-16 DX lens set at 16mm and f8, No vignetting on full-frame that way. I also ran a Sony a6000 with a Samyang (Rokinon) 12MM. Because both cameras had L brackets I couldn't plug in the remote cords on either camera. So, I used Canon Connect on the 6D and used it wirelessly then did the 2-second shutter trick on the a6000. Since I was covering for the magazine I was able to get pretty close to where they were shooting off the fireworks. It was awesome. So thank you for the video.
You're very welcome! Please do share this with anyone you think might be interested!
I had my own checklist from last year and this one is to the point. MF, manual mode, disable long exposure NR (can be done in RawTherapee), disable IS (hopefully not crucial, I forgot last time), use something like base iso, f11, 8s, phone as remote shutter. Maybe f
Thanks!
Next video showing how to video record these events in more detail. :D
You have best video explanation shooting fireworks you show people in camera options shooting fireworks is my weakness I don’t have enough experience with it all I know is slow shutter speed low iso., sometimes my family shoot off fire works little early I have change iso higher for it look darker when it’s dusk out
Thanks, glad you found it useful!
I see you were preparing for the fireworks display in Preston Park (: ? Greetings from a fellow Brightonian!
I love fireworks, but never tried to photograph them. You're encouraging me to try.
'
Give it a go! It's great fun!
Watching on Fourth of July
I made it for that reason! Hope you have a good one.
@CodyBPyrotechnics Hi cody, I have noticed in a few videos of yours that you mention certain colors and effects are hard to capture, have you considered using a nice DSLR or mirrorless camera? It could make a big difference.
Very clear thanks! Can you do more video like that?
I have a few planned!
I’ve been taking firework photos since film days! Not all successfully but many ok, and I don’t do any thing that you do LOL! But then these are local displays where you might get 3 fireworks go off for the finale, not the same as New Year over the Thames. Last bonfire I hand held 1/400-1/640 f2.8-f5 iso from 6400 to 12800. Grains not too much of a problem on a black sky... Use Sony and
Nikon and fire a short burst as the firework starts to explode, most focus in autofocus. But I like sharp shots with the action frozen, not the whole explosion from beginning to end 😀
As I said in the video, it's all about adjusting until you find a technique or recipe that works for you! Fast shutters handheld can look pretty good too, especially as you can react to the action as it takes place.
Hi Gordon I have just decided to rekindle my interest in photography and as a result of various searches, this video of yours popped up.
I seem to remember talking to you several years ago. Did you used to live in New Zealand? Or maybe you still do - but this looks like it was filmed in the UK. I used to live in ChCh but had to return to the UK for family reasons.
Hi Chris, glad you found the video! Yep, I lived in Queenstown for a few years but moved back to the UK in 2012. Did you meet me in NZ? Yep, the b-roll of me setting up was filmed in the UK, but the photos are from my various travels - lots from DisneyWorld in there!
Nice video. Any advice on best settings for recording fireworks video on my Samsung S21 Ultra phone? Thank you.
I have the S20 and it's pretty much automatic. I've managed to record some good-looking fireworks videos with mine, but they do benefit from having the phone clamped to a tripod if you can. Also, use the standard lens as it's the brightest one. If the fireworks are still too dim, see if there's a night mode for video.
@@cameralabs Thanks for the reply. No night mode for video, just 4 pictures. When you say use the standard lens because it is the brightest how do I know if I'm using the standard lens only? And is it possible to use the video pro mode and lower the ISO, and where would I want to speed if I do that?
Thank you and I will not ask you any more questions lol
@@jpyrosky3825 the standard lens is 1x magnification. So not the wide one and not the telephoto one!
1/2 sec
f11
iso 400
interval timer set to 0 and 60 shots for 30 seconds of fireworks
When is the best time to click the shutter - when the fireworks is about to explode or when the fireworks is still streaming up the sky?
If you're using a two second timer, I'd set it going when you hear them launch, as they normally explode a couple of seconds later. Generally speaking though, at the displays I've been to, it's a constant stream of fireworks for a few minutes, so I just keep on pressing and some of the frames will have the effect I'm after.
@@cameralabs thank you
Is this checklist for use with or with out a ND filter? :)
without
What’s best Kelvin setting for fireworks videos? For 50 GM lens. Is f2.8 at ISO 1000 too much for videos?
I use daylight white balance, so around 5600k
@@cameralabs Thank you. I will remember to use 5600K in Florida this weekend. Thanks Again.
@@cameralabs One other thing. Can the hot shoe of A1 or A7R5 support a mount with an iPhone 15PM? figure about 1.5 lbs/
@@paulchiu I'd just set it to daylight / sunny white balance, it's the same. As for exposure, you just have to experiment, especially if you're using video friendly shutter speeds of around 1/60. Let me know what works for you,.
@@cameralabs I tried using 4K 24p at Time Square and find much less problems with electronics billboards vs 30 or 60p. At 24p or 23.98p (not sure), I use 1/50 speed for 4K video. Would that be too slow for fireworks videos?
You didn’t measure what white balance you used! I’m assuming you will use auto wb since that is what I saw on your settings... but isn’t auto white balance going to make the photos all over the place in terms of color shift with so many different colors in the fireworks??
Yep, I used AWB on all of these, but also shoot in RAW so I can easily adjust it later if required. It's never too far off though and no-one will know or remember if the colours of the fireworks weren't 100% accurate. Daylight would be my first choice if I had to choose a fixed WB.
the G9+ Leica 12-60 still rule right?
Still a great combo!
Why not? I have G80,12-60 kit lens,45-150 zoom,two primes and it's good enough.
noice
Where to set Manual focus in sky before the crackers start to burst ?
Try to find something far away, effectively at infinity as far as your lens is concerned. I normally go for distant buildings, trees or streetlamps.
@@cameralabs thanks
4 sec and f11
Wi that work for a 1" sensor or chances r it won't see much 🤔
Yep those work for any camera, but for smaller formats, maybe try smaller f number and shorter exposure.
I prefer to use bulb mode if possible.
Bulb can certainly give you lots of flexibility to keep the exposure running for as long as you need it, as oppose to guessing and hoping as my 'recipe' suggests - but I wanted to keep it fairly simple, and for all my example photos, every one was a fixed exposure fired by the self-timer.
@@cameralabs That makes sense :thumbsup:
Setting manual focus to infinity is a bad idea?
Nope. It's a great idea when photographing distant subjects with a wide lens that suddenly appear and disappear. Most AF system won't focus on a firework explosion, so to avoid blurred images, it's wise to preset your manual focus to where the fireworks are going off. Most wider lenses consider anything further than about 10-20m to effectively be at infinity, hence my approach.
@@cameralabs ok fair. I feel where they will go off this weekend I won’t be able to set a manual focus point. I did see one of Taylor Jackson’s videos where the autofocus did well at finding the fireworks on an R6ii I believe it was. But I still feel Manual focus is key.
@@Soul_Visuals_Photography the thing is, you won't know where they'll be exploding distance-wise, but my point is, anything more than about 20m away with a wide lens is effectively infinity anyway, so why tale the risk? Plus even if you use AF, you may need to move the camera to recompose, and by that time the explosion has gone. If there's a constant stream in the same place, maybe, but otherwise I wouldn't. But there's several ways to achieve the same goal, so I'd experiment and see what works for you, your gear and your conditions.
@@cameralabs awesome! Thank you sir
Great video for beginners. But please don't use a bluetooth or wifi remote controller if you want to be precise. To have only the effects that you want in the frame, you need to avoid any latency when you shoot. Prefer to use a cable remote controller to get the best results, and you'll be able to capture moments that no one will be able to capture with a wifi or bluetooth remote controller, especially in bulb mode.
I agree Wifi has quite noticeable latency, but I find the Bluetooth remotes are almost instant. Certainly good enough for this task. Almost all the photos I showed here were taken with a self-timer, so even greater latency.
PS - if I'm using Bulb for fireworks, I generally use a hat or a piece of black card as a manual shutter over the lens, pulling it aside when I want to expose the frame.
@@cameralabs l do exactly the same thing, wait for the explosion then pull the card away. Seems to work OK as a technique.
Gordon, thanks for the 5600 K temperature setting. I used it along with f2.8 ISO1000, HLG3 with A7R5 and the 16-35 GM. I remember to turn off the stabliizer as well, as you recommended. ua-cam.com/video/4WLxo2PLogM/v-deo.htmlsi=ZcFgRMZ0NmmuLckg
HLG is a classy move!
@@cameralabs you inspires me to learn.
@@paulchiu PS - great looking video by the way!
A month too late Gordon
Sure, it's late for 2019 New Year, but people let off fireworks at other times of the year too! Plus I try to film tutorials that can be relevant for a long time - this isn't time dependant, so it'll still work for 2020 New Year, 2021 New Year and so on.
4 seconds far too long for me
It depends on the display, distance, lenses, and of course your own preference. That's why I said you should start with 4 as a suggestion then adjust as desired. What speeds work well for you?
Excellent tutorial, Gordon. Simple, concise, useful. 👍🦘
Thanks! Hope you got some photos this weekend!
@@cameralabs Sure did. Dawn this morning. 👍🦘🇦🇺