2011 July 4th Fireworks on the National Mall, Washington DC

I am not a big fan of fireworks photography, but nonetheless, I cannot resist.  This year’s temptation was particularly difficult to ignore.  My wife (Chef Sue), won tickets for lawn seats just a couple of blocks from the location the fireworks are launched.

Trying to avoid the cliché fireworks photography, this year I decided to focus more on the light reflections in the smoke rather than the fireworks proper.  The result is the set of photographs I am sharing here.

I find these photographs more reminiscent of an exploding galaxy, or some of the photographs produced by the Hubble telescope.  I was fortunate to get these shots.  The wind was light, but blowing in the right direction – away from our location.  Any other direction, and I would have been unable to capture the lighting in the smoke.

So here is the takeaway:  If you are photographing something that is sure to be photographed by hundreds if not thousands of other people, take a moment to look at it differently.  Use your creativity to see something different.

Have fun, and go make some great photography.

Craig

More Experimenting with Fireworks Photography

I have wonderful neighbors that look for any excuse to launch fireworks.  This being Labor Day weekend seemed to be one of those perfect excuses.  No complaints on my part – they are always entertaining, and another opportunity for me to experiment further with photography.

My experimentation comprised two components; 1) rather than my normal choice of a wide angle lens (17-40 would be my natural choice, or 24-105 if I were further away), I stuck with my committed relationship to my 50mm, and 2) rather than stick to my recommendation of a 5 – 8 second exposure (see my recommendations for shooting fireworks - “Independence Day Fireworks”), I extended the exposures to 30 seconds.  All of the photographs in this post were shot with my Canon 50mm f/1.8 II at ISO 200, f/5.6 and 30 seconds.

As is normally the case, I was happy with the use of the 50mm.  Nice sharp shots even with the long exposures.  However, I did not have enough room to get the shots I wanted and keep all of the bursts in the frame.  A wide angle is certainly a better choice when you are up close and personal with the display.

I was pleased with the results of the longer exposure.  By extending the exposure time, I was able to draw more color and definition from the background and introduce a strong gradient in the sky which in turn highlighted the horizon.  This combination provides greater context for the fireworks.

Have fun, and go make some great photography.

Craig

July 4th Fireworks Wrap up from Piney Point Maryland

In my last post I suggested some tips for fireworks photography.  This post is a wrap up of the 4th of July weekend and a few of my shots from the festivities of last night.

Unlike other forms of photography, shooting fireworks is truly a matter of experimenting as light conditions change, and timing (sometimes known as luck).  The key to fostering luck (and timing) is anticipating the next launch, and shooting – a lot.

Another key aspect of this photography, as is the case with all photography, is composition.  For these shots I was fortunate to have the beach and waterline as a leading line, some foreground activity, the subject (fireworks), and some background explosions to add interest to the scene.

I hope you enjoyed your Independence Day celebrations and had the chance to do some shooting.
Have fun and go make some great photography.
Craig

Independence Day Fireworks

People love fireworks.  In my neighborhood, any good excuse to light the sky brings out the pyromaniacs.  Photographing fireworks will account for a lot of shutter snaps this weekend, and not wanting to be left out, I went out to the beach last night and set up the tripod for some of the “warm-up” displays.

I have plenty of photography featuring fireworks, so once again, the challenge was to find something unique or particularly attractive other than the average shot.  I was attracted to the first shot because of the perception of the person being engulfed in the explosion.  No worries, it just appears that way because of the long exposure; no one was injured.

I like the second and third shots for several reasons. 1.  I like the water reflection and the milky appearance of the water resulting from the long exposure.  2.  Including the flag in the shot is appropriate for the celebration, and 3. The onshore wind made for some interesting light streaks.
So here are some tips for shooting fireworks this evening:

1. Use a tripod and a remote shutter release to eliminate camera movement.  If you don’t have a remote shutter release, you can use the exposure release timer, but you may miss some shots.  As a last resort, careful manual release will work.
2. Use a wide angle lens, particularly if you are close to the fireworks.  Your goal should be to fill the frame with the light and include some reference objects to provide scale.
3. Turn on the camera’s long exposure noise reduction.
4. Use a low ISO; 100 to 200
5. Set your camera to manual and experiment with different aperture and shutter speed settings.  I like exposure times of between 5 and 8 seconds which allows you to capture the launch trail, explosion, and movement of the light. After selecting the time, I shifted the aperture until I arrived at the exposure I was looking for.  In these cases, it was 5.6 on my 50mm f1.8 lens.

Go make some great photography, and don’t get too close to the fireworks.
Craig

Fireworks in Aqaba

Just the other night I was sitting on the balcony outside my hotel room in Aqaba Jordan doing exactly what I normally do…smoking a cigar, enjoying a glass of wine and listening to podcasts.  In addition to enjoying my favorite vices, I was doing a little photography. 
Facing my hotel is another hotel with similar balconies angling toward the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea.  I found the view interesting because of the repeating patterns formed by the rooms in addition to the overlaid pattern formed by the guests turning on the balcony lights as they enjoyed the evening – like me.  So the first photograph represents the “why” of having my camera set up in the first place.  The next two photographs are a happy coincidence that resulted from having my tripod and camera in place.

I am not a big fan of fireworks photography, but since the camera was already there, I figured “why not?”  This leads to two points I am obliged to address; 1) why I am not a fan of fireworks photography, and 2) fire works are all about color – why did I decide to process the photography in black and white?
I am not a fan of fireworks photography because of sentiments I hold that are similar to sunset photography (see my post titled “I Don’t Shoot Sunsets (Except in Aqaba Jordan)”)  On one level, I find fireworks photography cliché.  More importantly however is my recognition that getting fireworks photography “right” is a very difficult thing.  In addition to the obvious challenges with timing and exposure, fireworks are just big flashy bangs unless they are set within an interesting context that gives them a sense of purpose and scale.

The two photographs shown here are essentially the same composition, but I think they clearly show the point I was making (I am not suggesting these are particularly noteworthy fireworks photographs, but they are illustrative).  If you accept my premise that a happy snap of an exploding rocket in the middle of a black sky is not particularly compelling, you can see how composition and other elements of interest make these two photographs much more interesting.  Adding interest to this composition, one could consider the following as contributors;

• the fireworks are off-center on the third
• there are the equivalent of two horizons at roughly the bottom 1/3 and top 1/3 formed by the upper limit of the Aqaba city lights and the top of the mountains in the background
• the flag pole on the right flying the flag of Jordan draws your eye through the photograph to the right
• the repeating patterns of the hotel rooms on the left with the single balcony light energized draw the eye through the left of the frame.

I hope you enjoyed my happy coincidence.  Oh, and by the way, regarding the second question of “why black and white fireworks photography?”  The answer is simple – I was more attracted to the black and white version that accented the silhouette of the mountains.  In the end, it really helps if you enjoy your final product.  So processing choices should be something that leads you to an appreciation of the photograph even if you cannot articulate a reason other than “I like it.”
Have fun and go make some great photography!
Craig