RiverFire Fireworks photo

Well the once in a year event where they close down all the bridges and shoot fire works off bridges, buildings and this year off moving boats.

http://a70.fotopic.net/photo.php?id=1112237

Is my pic that i took during it, and advice on how i could of made it better?

[Vince Lorto]

your link takes forever to open. I can only suggest that you slow it down just a bit. The firework flowers are a bit too bright. I love the overall perspective though.

Vince

[BytePhoto]

Nice shot.
My suggestions on how to improve it would be to adjust the 'levels' so the sky is darker and also maybe reduce the amount of magenta and/or red in the the pic.

I definatly think it needs to be slowed down too. I just kept taking photo's because i didn't have time to sit down an analyse them. But some i took on alot shorter shutter and the whole city is just to black and the fireworks are a bit dull.

How to find a good combination, go back next year

The sky, well thats just the smoke, and with a long shutter it prints onto the pic, like u said, short shutter to fix that.

[boomanbb]

Fireworks are much brighter then city lights. If you want them both, consider a couple of shots metered for the cityscape and then meter the rest for the fireworks. You can combine the two later in photoshop, photoimpact 8, etc.

Starting exposures for the fireworks; iso 100, f8-f16, bulb setting, 4 second exposure. Vary the exposure time by watching the fireworks, brighter bursts mean shorter exposure time. If you try to catch too many bursts you will wash out the colors.

Have fun,

Ben

[boomanbb]

Also important for shooting fireworks and you probably already knew;

You need a STURDY tripod. You cannot skimp here because the slightest vibration or wind movement causes the trails to wiggle in the final image. I have a bogen 3001 and a 3011. My experiments have shown me that 3001 legs are suitable for landscapes but not fireworks. I use a 10D and I use the mirror lockup feature to minimize vibration.

DO NOT AUTOFOCUS. Set focus on infinity and change to manual focus. After setting the zoom and focus, I use non-marking tape to hold the rings in place. Some zooms can creep when the camera is pointed up to the sky.

If you have a remote shutter release, use it. You want to minimize any vibrations and pressing the shutter release will cause vibrations.

If you are using the bulb setting and holding the shutter open with a remote release and an unusually beautiful burst happens, release the shutter after that burst. That way, you get maximum color. You can always combine that image with others in software.

Remember, you cannot catch all the bursts. Try to enjoy the display. Too much fretting over the camera means that you miss the power and beauty of the show.

Ben