shooting fireworks

BetterSense · Sep 16, 2008

I have the opportunity to shoot some fireworks this weekend, and I've never done it before. All I have is 100,200,400 speed color print film and SLRs with a cable release.

Is it possible to shoot handheld on 'manual' mode and get pictures? Or would I have to use a tripod and 'bulb' an kinda let the fireworks 'draw' on the film? What speed of film and aperture should I use? I have a feeling I'm going to waste a bunch of film, because I've never done it before.

Anscojohn · Sep 16, 2008

Use a tripod and bulb. Lock the shutter open and cover the lens with a hat; uncover for each of several bursts.

airgunr · Sep 16, 2008

To add to what John said. Depending on your format (digital, 35mm, 120, etc.) I usually use a 17mm or 24mm (35mm format) so that it covers the area the displays will burst in. This will depend on how close you are to the display area. In my case I am usually very close.

Set the camera to manual mode and a f/stop of around f16 and the hyper focal points at f16, etc. I will use ISO160 but sometimes ISO 200 (almost any of them should work)

For single bursts I usually set about 2-4 seconds. I time the release for AFTER the shell has launched. I personnally don't like the look of the trail of it comming off the ground. It usually takes a couple of seconds for them to reach their hight and burst. I trip the shutter just before they burst. If you like the trails from the ground just use a longer shutter and trip it when they launch.

John is also correct in that you can just set it to BULB and use a hat or something to cover the lens between bursts. You can get many (think like a multiple exposure) on the same frame. A very cool effect and one used quite often.

Good luck and try some different things. It's a fun thing to do and try out. Show us some of your shots when your done!

mabman · Sep 16, 2008

I tried this earlier in the summer using (expired) 50 ISO film. I had read elsewhere that approx. 30-second exposures were good, so I tried that, with a 28mm lens (35mm film).

2 points:

- 30 seconds is way too long. As mentioned above, you end up with the initial shell burst and the trail - the shell burst can overpower everything else and just doesn't look that good. Other people I was out with were shooting digital, and using 2-4 seconds (100 ISO) after the shell burst, and had decent results.

- from where I was the 28mm lens was way too wide. Depends on where you are relative to the fireworks - I could have used an 85mm or longer and had nicely framed shots

Next time, I'm going to use 2-4 second individual bursts, or use an older camera that has no double-exposure lock so I can shoot multiple exposures after the shell bursts (or the hat method as above, but I just don't trust myself to not knock my lens

Anupam Basu · Sep 16, 2008

Initially, forget the firework and set exposure for ambient light. Stop down so the ambient exposure is relatively long - anywhere between 4-20 secs. Then compose with the foreground and the area for fireworks and you are set. The longer the total exposure, the LESS overwhelming the shellburst will be on film. I would post samples but I've only used digital to shoot things like fireworks.

-A

kodachrome64 · Sep 16, 2008

I found Kodachrome 64 to be a great film for this after I read the suggestions of others. It would seem to be too slow but it worked for me. Don't try it hand held...go for tripod and bulb or timed exposure.

Dennis S · Sep 16, 2008

I used double exposure and triple to get sevearl different colors per frame on 35mm film. Some shots were TOO busy but out of 3rls I had some keepers.

Derek Lofgreen · Sep 16, 2008

This is what I did, for what it's worth. I put my 35mm pentax *ist (no it's not digital) on a tripod and waited for the first few fireworks to start. Then composed to what I thought would be good for a 30 minute fireworks show. Once the show started I matrix metered the scene when a firework would go off. Watching the meter go uuuuuuppppp and dooowwwwn each time I could find out how I should set the camera. It was about 4 sec for this shot (there was a url link here which no longer exists) Then I just kept tripping the shutter through the show and every one was spot on.

Use a cable release or your camera timer and a tripod for sure. good luck.

D.

BetterSense · Sep 16, 2008

so when your meter was going up and down, did you set for like the peak of the light, or shoot for the middle?

Derek Lofgreen · Sep 16, 2008

The peak, remember this is a matrix meter so it meters some of the ambient light too, not spot meter.

Wyno · Sep 16, 2008

I've always used the Kodak Professional Photoguide for low light situations. It has a dial with shutter speeds, apertures and above that a list with different types of subjects. For fireworks (listed as category B) you turn the dialso your film speed is opposite category B and down the bottom of the dial it gives you a choice of apertures and shutter speeds. When I was using Velvia 50 I nearly always shot at F22 @ 20 seconds for fireworks, although on two occasions I used F32 @ 40 seconds. The exposure was spot on every time. The Kodak publication had already taken reciprocity into account, so you didn't have to.
Hope this helps
Mike

Anupam Basu · Sep 16, 2008

Exposure for fireworks has relatively little to do with the time and exposure settings. The time and aperture is basically for ambient exposure with the idea being to have the time long enough to let the fireworks draw on the film. The traces move so it won't blow out if it's spread long over a long enough period of time.

coriana6jp · Sep 16, 2008

The first time I tried shooting fireworks a few years ago, I used a D*****l SLR to figure out what seemed to work best, then I went back and shot with my Mamiya and this year on LF using what I figured out the first time.

I worked out the best exposures for normal fires works on MF were f/8 to f/11 for 10s to 30s on Provia 100F. To caputre multiple bursts, I would leave the shutter open and then use a either my hat or a black peice of cardboard to cover the lens in between exposures. It worked pretty well, if I get a chance I will put up some of my shots later today after work. As others have pointed out, to many bursts on one frame can get too busy for my tastes.

Hope it helps.

Gary

shooting fireworks

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