As a bit of an experiment I wanted to see whether it's possible to get decent fireworks photos without using a triopd. I think the results work OK. If anyone wants to try this there are a few notes below for how to setup the camera.
There are a couple of things worth mentioning. These are all taken at an extremely high ISO setting (more on this in a few lines) and so the originals come out really grainy; that is they have speckles here and there. This is quite normal. These tend to jpeg out of existence when reducing the size of the picture for using on the web so aren't too much trouble. It's also fair to say that these should print OK at 6x4 but there is no way they are going to stand being blown up to 10x8 or 20x16. You've gotta make a trade-off somewhere, and that's where it is. The other thing to mention is that the make, model, type of camera used shouldn't matter. These were all taken with the Nikon but there is no reason why a snappy point and shoot should get the same results.
So to the settings:
ISO: Set the camera's ISO setting to ISO 1600. This is going to make things really grainy but it's the only way the camera is going to pick up enough light.
Exposure Mode: Forget any automatic settings, forget any program settings and switch it to manual. You'll need to set a shutter speed and a aperture value. Set the shutter speed to 1/25, one twenty-fifth of a second, and set the aperture to f3.5, or as close as you can get it.
Focus: Switch off the autofocus and focus manually. Focus on the castle and then forget it. The autofocus won't be anywhere near fast enough and you'll just miss shots.
Zoom: Use the wider angle end of the lens' zoom; it's easier to hold the camera steady at wider angles and you can always crop the photos later.
Taking the photos: The golden rule is to take heaps of photos. Take dozens. Aim to take between 50 and 100 and you should get a handful of good ones. Start with a new flash card and shoot, shoot, shoot. Don't try to sort anything out until you are back home and can view the photos on a much bigger screen. Use the gaps in the fireworks to check the image previews to make sure they look clear, in-focus and not too dark or light. If they look too dark try setting the shutter speed down to 1/10 but this might make things blurred if the camera doesn't have image stabilisation. If they are too light, try setting the shutter speed fractionally faster; 1/40 or 1/50 depending on what the camera will give you. Tempting though it will be, don't try to photograph Tinkerbell. She is way too small to get a good shot, she moves too fast to focus and you'll spend the rest of the show trying to re-focus on the castle and reset everything.
Steve
absolutely fantastic steve. youre not a paparazzi or scenes of crime officer are you?. nowt against either but you have, some skill there[clap][clap][clap]
i take it the camera is a digital version of one of those larger 'proper' 35mm ones ?
Trev
Superb photo's as always Steve.
Another Masterclass in taking firework photographs.
Thanks Steve, I think they are all amazing but the second one is my favourite because it gave me a real insight into the castle now. For a moment I was standing on Main Street.
Angela
Great pictures.
This will be my way of taking again later this year...no tripod.
I have in the past tried to stick to a lower ISO, to avoid the grainy images, but I will try my highest setting which only goes as far as ISO 400.
Nice to see the new bits on the Castle too. I can't wait to get some new pictures of the Castle with all of it's 'birthday gear' on.
Brizzle.
Brilliant as usual Steve!![clap][clap][clap][clap][clap][clap][clap]
Well done again Steve, absolutely fantastic and must be the best firework pictures I've seen[clap][clap][clap][clap]
Fireworks are one of my favourites at Disney and wish I was there now, but only got to wait til Oct!!!
Anita
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