Show us your 2011 Fireworks shots!

[BrittanyBB]

These are amazing FW shots!
I am heading to Disney in October and can not wait to try to get some good shots. I have a Rebel T1i, already have the tripod and will make sure to bring it this time around, also making notes for the aperture and ISO settings.

Regarding using the ND filter, is there a specific one that is better than the others? There is a set I am looking at ordering that has ND2, ND4 and ND8, so I was wondering if any of them is good to use or is there one that will help out more so?

TIA

 

[Donald Duck888]

I just wanted to pop on and say I just re read the threads I have been reading and I don't know where I came up with 30 sec shutter. I thought I had read it somewhere but I can't for the life of me find where I did.

So having said that I think I will go with a 4 sec shutter speed to start and move up or down from there to experiment.

 

[saturndb]

Taken from my house

 

[Experiment_626]

Some of the shots I posted I did with a ND filter and around a 30 second exposure, but I wish I had gone less. With our local display, it turns out most of the shots are all in the same spot in my frame, so it just made the shot "busier" than I prefer.

That's why I haven't posted anything in this thread. I was freshly back from Disney on the fourth by just a few days, and took my family to Panama City Beach for their display over the gulf. Sounds like a great set-up, right? Well, it was cool for watching the display (I can't bring myself to call it a "show" because they had no music or anything else -- just a steady, almost uninterrupted 20-minute stream of fireworks), but not so much for photography. I used the ND filter, but all the bursts were coming from one smallish boat, so they varied only in altitude, and that only a little. Even with the heavy ND filter, I couldn't leave the shutter open long enough to get much of a reflection off the water, and certainly not long enough to get anything of the beach or pier.

I may go back to the images and try making a composite image in Photoshop that might bring out some of the surroundings. We'll see.

Some really impressive shots in this thread! Next year, maybe my family will stay here and go to Tallahassee's display. Haven't tried that one in years.

I've been in WDW once for July 4 -- spent the evening in the Studios, which I recall as not being so bad. One of these days we'll try Epcot (saw the "tag" for IllumiNations this year online and it looked very impressive) or at least the Polynesian beach or something.

Scott

 

[rdunative]

 

[rdunative]

Disney Dream Pirate Night

 

[capt445]

These were shot at the TOTWL on 7/3.


_DSC0013 by capt445, on Flickr


_DSC0014 by capt445, on Flickr


_DSC0015 by capt445, on Flickr

 

[klmall]

All these shots are amazing!!! I am in awe of everyone for your photography skills and for those who were at Disney and other great locations, I am a little jealous!

I got some great shots last year at Boy Scout camp as usual and planned to shoot even better this year especially since we were going to hike up to a great viewing spot high above the lake. I was imagining the beautiful reflection shots of the fireworks over the big lake and how I had the perfect settings all written down on my index cards! Well, the troop set off on the hike with our special deli-dinners (YUM!) and hiked, and hiked, and hiked. As the most experienced person in the group but not the leader by far......I kept my mouth shut. It was almost dusk when the new Scoutmaster and his assistant finally called a halt because we were nowhere near ANY VIEWING SPOT! Mind you, we were never in any danger at any time and I had asked the appropriate questions ahead of time which were ignored.

So we ended up walking back to the main viewing area where the whole camp was already seated waiting for fireworks but I had no time to set up my DSLR before the fireworks started.

SO I remembered something I read in an article; just focus on the people watching the fireworks, and I did!

This is one is like!

 

[capt445]

_DSC0253 by capt445, on Flickr

 

[capt445]

_DSC0386 by capt445, on Flickr

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I guess I'm a bit late with these. I shot them on the shore of the lake in Fort Collins, CO. One of these days I have to spend the fourth someplace with interesting foreground objects. Oh well, it was better than last year when we had burning debris falling on us.

These were all shot with a 17-40mm on a 5D using a tripod, a remote shutter release, and bulb mode. I shot at ISO 100, f/8 to f/11. I got bored during the show, so I shot a few of them while zooming the lens in and out during the exposure.

The set is here.

 

[ntikos]

I took these from the top of Mt Penn, next to the Pagoda and overlooking the city of Reading, PA. The fireworks are after a Reading Phillies AA minor league baseball game.

I didn't have a tripod so I rested the camera on a stone wall on the Pagoda deck.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

How do you handle focusing?

I have a Canon T2i. I have my tripod, can set f/11, use BULB with a shutter release cable, but how do I ensure the firework is in focus when it starts exploding?

Do you aim at the night sky? that makes AF wonky. If I use MF how do I know I've got a good focus when all I see is a black sky?

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

How do you handle focusing?

I have a Canon T2i. I have my tripod, can set f/11, use BULB with a shutter release cable, but how do I ensure the firework is in focus when it starts exploding?

Do you aim at the night sky? that makes AF wonky. If I use MF how do I know I've got a good focus when all I see is a black sky?

I use manual focus to infinity and then back it down just so slightly and leave it.

 

[mom2rtk]

How do you handle focusing?

I have a Canon T2i. I have my tripod, can set f/11, use BULB with a shutter release cable, but how do I ensure the firework is in focus when it starts exploding?

Do you aim at the night sky? that makes AF wonky. If I use MF how do I know I've got a good focus when all I see is a black sky?

Or you can focus on a burst or the castle, then move it to manual focus and leave it there.

 

[Marlton Mom]

All these shots are amazing!!! I am in awe of everyone for your photography skills and for those who were at Disney and other great locations, I am a little jealous!

I got some great shots last year at Boy Scout camp as usual and planned to shoot even better this year especially since we were going to hike up to a great viewing spot high above the lake. I was imagining the beautiful reflection shots of the fireworks over the big lake and how I had the perfect settings all written down on my index cards! Well, the troop set off on the hike with our special deli-dinners (YUM!) and hiked, and hiked, and hiked. As the most experienced person in the group but not the leader by far......I kept my mouth shut. It was almost dusk when the new Scoutmaster and his assistant finally called a halt because we were nowhere near ANY VIEWING SPOT! Mind you, we were never in any danger at any time and I had asked the appropriate questions ahead of time which were ignored.

So we ended up walking back to the main viewing area where the whole camp was already seated waiting for fireworks but I had no time to set up my DSLR before the fireworks started.

SO I remembered something I read in an article; just focus on the people watching the fireworks, and I did!

This is one is like!

Great photograph!! It really worked out huh! The best laid plans of mice and photographers....

_DSC0386 by capt445, on Flickr

Love this one Captain! Never thought to shoot FW over the fountain... NICE!

~Marlton Mom

 

[capt445]

Love this one Captain! Never thought to shoot FW over the fountain... NICE!

~Marlton Mom


Thank you.

I wish I could say it was my idea, but I believe I saw some one from this forum do it and thought I would give it a try.