Bridges wrote:
I start at ISO 100 f11 and adjust after a couple of bursts have gone off -- adjustment is often needed due to distance. Set your shutter to bulb. If you are close they are quite bright. A tripod is a must. If you have one, use a remote. Set the camera to manual focus and maximum distance. At 24 to 35mm everything from a hundred feet to infinity will be in focus. Make sure you don't have autofocus engaged. You will see the rocket trail when they fire off and sometimes I will press the shutter button at that time and sometimes I will wait a second or two to just get the burst. If you capture all the rocket trails, all your shots will look like illuminated palm trees. I will also hold the shutter button down for a couple of bursts at times and at other times just try to capture a single burst. I find a 24 to 35-mm lens to be the best option. If you want to get multiple bursts onto one frame, one technique is to take a piece of non-reflective black cardboard, hold the shutter button down, and put the black card in front of the lens between bursts. If you hold the shutter button down too long you will end up with just a blown-out mess. I shoot anywhere from 4 to 6 fireworks shows each summer. All my shots are done between ISO 100 and 200, f10 to f13, and as I said, will use different release points to get a variety of results. If you do not have a remote shutter release, set the camera for 2, 3, or 4 seconds and use the delay (set it for 2 seconds). When you see the rocket launch, press the shutter button and take your hand off the camera to avoid shaking it. Here are a few shots I took. Another thing you could look for is something in the foreground that would add to the shot. I've taken shots of people silhouetted and in the last shot, I found a tree that worked well. Good luck and get some good shots. One other point -- the end of the show -- they usually fire all rockets at once making a grand exit. If you try to shoot this, you will most likely end up with a blown-out glob of white light. I found that if I press the shutter button as fast as I can, I will get some good multiple bursts. This will result in 15 to 20 shots of which some will be good while others will just be too overexposed. I usually get three to four good shots by doing this.
I start at ISO 100 f11 and adjust after a couple o... (
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