Fundamental 2 - A Solid Platform.
Regardless of your camera, the second requirement is a solid platform to hold the camera
motionless during the time-exposure. This is pretty much a requirement for all
time-exposures. Obviously, the best platform of all is a tripod. It provides a solid,
easy-to-carry base on which to hold the camera motionless during the exposure. All SLR's
and some point-and-shoots have a thread opening on the bottom that permits you to attach
the camera to a tripod. Single-use "cardboard" cameras do not. (In a moment
we'll give you some ideas on how you can still take the necessary time exposures.)
A tripod is just the beginning. You
also want the camera to be as vibrationless as possible during the time-exposure. Since
pressing the shutter button can cause the camera to vibrate, avoid this by also using a
cable release. The cable release enables you to press the shutter button without touching
the camera directly. Result: It helps minimize camera shake.
Advanced Hint for the SLR purist! For
the ultimate in steadiness, on some SLR's you can lock the mirror in an up position. Why
do this? Because when you take a normal picture with an SLR, the mirror snaps up during
the moment of exposure, then snaps back so you can set up the next shot in the viewfinder.
When the mirror snaps up, it causes the camera to vibrate for a moment. While this
vibration is usually tiny, if you're a purist and want the steadiest possible
time-exposure, you can eliminate this vibration totally by locking the mirror in its
"up" position. Of course, you can't frame the next shot in the viewfinder if the
mirror is locked up. But this may not be so big a problem as it seems. After all,
typically, fireworks appear in only one specific segment of the sky, so once you've aimed
your camera-on-tripod in that direction and framed the shooting area, you can lock the
mirror up since you don't have to reframe for every shot.
Back to basics: If you don't have a
tripod handy (or you're using a camera that doesn't have a tripod thread), don't give up.
Try placing your camera on a makeshift solid platform, such as a fence post, a railing, or
a wall. None of them is as steady or convenient as a tripod, but they're infinitely better
than hand-holding.
A word of warning: If you are on a
rocking boat, your tripod or the ship's rail or whatever you use as a "platform"
will rock along with the boat. Result: In your time-exposure the firework color-streaks
will come out rocking and wavy instead of straight. This may be interesting modern art -
though we doubt it! - but it's definitely not good firework photography. It won't look
right! Our advice: If you are on a rocking boat, don't bother to photograph the fireworks.
It's a waste of time. Find crowd shots and other subjects for your lens. Now to a few
specifics:
Which way should you hold the camera?
Typically, you'll be better off with a vertical format rather than horizontal. After all,
the trail of a skyrocket is usually upward and not very wide.
What focal-length should you
use? If you have a choice, go for a "normal" or slightly wide-angle
lens. Since your position relative to the rocket bursts will determine the exact focal
length, use this as your guide: You want the frame of your image to extend so that it
includes a good bit of the foreground in the bottom (more on this in a moment) and a
"head-room" above the topmost firework trails. Chances are you'll need at least
your normal and possibly a wide-angle setting for this.
What aperture should you use?
You might think that because the sky is so dark you need a wide
aperture. Just the opposite is true. Remember, your objective is not to record the dark
sky except as background. You want to record the intensely bright streaks of color. Were
you to use a wide open aperture during your time-exposure, you would probably overexpose
the colors. Result: They would "burn out" and lose coloration. To intensify the
color, therefore, use a smaller aperture like f/8, or f/11, or even f/16. Which you should
use depends upon the speed of your film and the intensity of the color bursts. We suggest
you bracket your shots, using different apertures.
Where should you set focus?
Set your lens for infinity. If your camera is an autofocus model, trust the
camera to automatically focus on infinity.
What film should you use?
Probably any film you ordinarily use will do the trick. Typically, grain is not a problem
in this type of image. We recommend that you use ISO 100, 200, or 400. The important point
is that you don't need a very fast film; in fact super-fast films may overexpose the
firework display. And very slow films - for example, ISO 64 - may not be sensitive enough
to capture the display. (Remember, while your shutter will be open for a second or two or
more, the actual appearance of the "rockets red glare" will last only a fraction
of a second in any one place.)
Should you use flash?
No. Not ordinarily. (In a moment, we'll discuss when you might want to use flash.)
Ordinarily, turn off your flash. The fireworks themselves provide all the light you want.
If your camera cannot be controlled and the flash goes off whether you like it or not, try
covering the flash with your hand or a piece of tape so that the camera doesn't
"see" it.
How many frames should you shoot?
Expect to shoot lots! Every burst is beautiful - and you can't predict
which one will be the "most beautiful." So your tendency if you're like the rest
of us, will be to shoot lots of film. This means that you should be prepared to change
rolls of film quickly and in the dark. Our advice is to burn lots of film - a few rolls,
at least - and if you want to save money, do so during processing, as follows: Ask your
photofinisher to make contact sheets or index prints, but not print each image. Then, from
the thumbnail images select the few best shots that you want printed.
Another way to save money: While
shooting, be aware that most firework displays have a rhythm that usually ends in a
multiple burst of glory. If you want to limit the film you shoot, hold back for this Grand
Finale. But be wary. It may happen before you realize it...and then it's too late! So be
sure you're ready for it. If the fireworks have a musical accompaniment - like
Tschaikovsky's 1812 Overture - you can hear it coming. But often, you can't anticipate the
Finale, so we can only admonish you to follow the Boy Scout motto - Be Prepared!
©Robert Spratt - NYI Student
Now, there's an additional step to consider that can take your pictures out of the
ordinary and make them extra-special. The burst of a skyrocket, by itself, is pretty. But
it's not particularly interesting. What can you do to add interest? Try this: Don't just
shoot the burst by itself, but shoot it in conjunction with something else. For example,
look how much more interesting this picture is because the paths of fireworks are
incidental to this picture of the Capitol Building. Since you may not have the Capitol in
your area - or even its equivalent - what can you use to add similar interest?
Consider including a statue in the foreground, with the fireworks
framing it. Or silhouettes of the onlookers to give a sense of location to your picture.
Or a tree. Or a building. Or a bridge. Or a skyline. Or...you fill in the blanks. The
important thing is that your image include some interesting foreground objects - perhaps,
framed within the fireworks display. One trick you may want to try is to use flash to
light the foreground object. Now, we realize we just told you NOT to use flash, but here's
the special case we warned you was coming.
Let's say you want to capture the
statue of George Washington or some other interesting object that's in the foreground, and
that object is in the dark. How can you add light to the statue during your exposure? Your
strobe may do the trick. Put your camera on Manual control if possible. Set up on the
tripod as already explained. But in this case, focus on the statue instead of infinity.
With a wide-angle lens, if the statue is 15 or 20 feet away, you will get infinity within
your depth of field. If the statue is closer, the fireworks may not be sharply in focus,
but this lack of sharpness is probably acceptable because the fireworks are streaks of
light and color, rather than detailed objects. Set your strobe to go off
during the exposure. The flash will light up the statue for an instant, but will not
affect your time exposure of the sky. That's the theory, at least. But there may be some
problems depending upon your specific equipment. Will the statue be overexposed because
the strobe is too powerful, and the shutter is manually set for two seconds? Or will the
strobe turn itself off when the statue is properly exposed regardless of how long the
shutter is open? Some strobes will - some, will not. Another possibility: Will the strobe
"force" the shutter to close prematurely, sooner than you intended? Again, the
answer depends upon the particular equipment you use.
If you are not sure (for which you are
not to blame - most camera and strobe instruction manuals don't tell you), we offer these
suggestions. First, bracket your shots. Try different exposures, and select the best shots
when you get them back. Second, consider removing the strobe from the camera (if you can)
and handhold it facing toward the statue. Press the shutter button to start your time
exposure, and immediately press the Test button on the strobe to get it to flash. In this
configuration, the strobe is not connected to your camera so it cannot "force"
the shutter to close prematurely. If you have an assistant, you may even have that person
walk up toward the statue holding the strobe, and setting off the flash when you give the
signal. In any event, don't forget that your flash has a limited range. It's not
going to light up those mountains on the horizon! Know its limitations, and use it - if at
all - to add a bit of light to foreground objects.
Of course, if your subject, like the
Capitol Building, is lit by artificial light, you can let that light do the work for you.
Let's say that statue of George Washington is floodlit. You probably are better off not
using your flash. Let the floodlights light up old George during the time exposure. How do
you know if you will get enough light or too much? Typically, you won't. So our advice is
to stand back far enough from the lighted statue to avoid gross overexposure - and then
bracket your shots.
Back to basics: Whether you're advanced
or not, there's one more "trick" for you to consider. Why limit yourself to just
one rocket's glare? What about keeping your shutter open long enough to capture the glare
of a few rockets exploding in air one after the other. To accomplish this, experiment with
longer time exposures - ten seconds, 20 seconds, and even longer. You can get some
dazzling results! To sum up, don't let any of the complications examined in this
article discourage you. At bottom, firework pictures are easy to take and make great
photographs. Just remember the two Fundamentals: 1) Take a time exposure, and 2) Use a
tripod. If you're an average photographer and do just this, you'll get some outstanding
photographs on the Fourth of July.....Web site -- www.nyip.com
