July is my Fireworks favorite month of the year, touching on a lot of things we as Americans love - Barbecues, Baseball, the Beach and Fourth of July Fireworks. I’ve photographed many of these pyrotechnic celebra- tions over the years, and will show you here how to capture these unique images with your just in time for Independence Day. First, location and staking out your spot is key. Find out well in advance where the best viewing will be so the fireworks won’t be blocked by trees or other obstruc- tions, and predict anything that may block your camera view during the shoot. If it’s an important event, I’ll do this several days prior to the shoot. Avoid locations where vehicles may park and block our view. Anticipate that 6’ PaulKeckPhotography.com 4” dad who steps in front of you and hoist his daughter [email protected] on his shoulders. These things happen! Planning goes a by Paul Keck long way to a successful time. An ideal spot is one where

boatingonthehudson.com July 2012 27 no one/thing can get in front of you, and no park personnel or police officers might ask you to move from. A good way to hold your spot is to place a picnic blanket there earlier in the day to mark it as your own. Later in the day you can bring in other items like these: folding chair, sunscreen, bug repellant, umbrella (if you get a brief rain shower), flashlight (to set up your camera and see the camera settings on the display), warm clothing (it can cool of quickly in the evening) and food and drinks in your cooler. For camera equipment, your ideal setup will be a DSLR (digi- tal single lens reflex camera— these allow you to remove the lens from the body) that has a Manual mode. The Manual Exposure mode allows you to manually set both the speed and /lens opening/F-stop (these last three terms are the same thing—for this article I’ll call it the aperture). If you don’t have a DSLR camera with Manual Exposure mode, I’ll give you some tips at the end of the article that might give you the ability to shoot with your com- pact Point and Shoot camera. Your DSLR should also have the ability to manually focus the lens (note: manual exposure and manual focus are two com- pletely different things). You’ll also need to manually set your ISO, so check that your camera can do this as well. For the right lens to use on your DSLR camera, a wide angle that covers a range of about 18-70mm will be fine if you are near the area where the fireworks are being launched. A wide angle zoom gives your best chance of capturing one or more bursts of fireworks in each image as this type of lens “sees” more of the sky than other types of lenses. At the minimum you should have this type of lens with you. The only downside of using a wide angle zoom is if you are a distance away from the fireworks launch site the fireworks may appear small in your photos.

28 July 2012 boatingonthehudson.com If you have a telephoto zoom lens in the camera shutter, bring that along get well lit photos and good color as the range of about 55-200mm or so, too. This will help (in addition to the you increase the length of the shutter bring that as well. This type of lens mag- ) to eliminate camera shake. Carry speeds. nifies the area you are photographing a backup battery for both the camera, If the images you take are coming as you move toward the 200mm end cable release (some of them may have out too light, or completely white, set and can be helpful if you are somewhat their own battery) and anything else in faster shutter speeds than your start- further away from the fireworks display your equipment that requires power. ing ½ second setting. For example, and need to make the bursts appear Now we go into the setup for both take shots at ¼, 1/8, 1/15 seconds and bigger in the pictures you make. Please the equipment and setting the camera faster until your images are looking note if this is the only type of lens you controls. Make sure all your batteries good on your display screen. are charged and installed. Attach your If you are still getting no image at all camera securely to the tripod and if and this can’t be fixed by using faster you have the cable release attach that or slower shutter speeds, make sure to the camera as well. Start by using the is aimed where the your wide angle lens and set it to the fireworks are going off and set your smallest number. This lens to the widest angle setting you will give you the widest field of view can get. Or your lens cap may still be and best chance of capturing a whole on the lens—take it off if that’s the fireworks burst. For example, with an case! 18-55 mm lens, set it to the 18mm set- For those of you who don’t have a ting. Later you can change the zoom DSLR camera you can still get good setting to frame the bursts best to your fireworks shots if your camera has a eye. You can also experiment later on Manual Exposure mode (M) and the with your telephoto zoom lens if you ability to make the same camera set- have one. tings as mentioned in this article. In this Then set your ISO manually to 100 or case follow the same procedure and 200—either will be fine. Many cam- setup as for the DSLR. If your camera eras are set to a default of Auto ISO, doesn’t have the Manual Exposure and you don’t want that for fireworks. mode and ability to make settings as If your camera has a , turn it off. mentioned for the DSLR camera, check With some cameras this may require if it has a special Fireworks mode. If so, making a cancel flash setting. Set your follow your cameras manual on how to lens to manual focus and focus it to use this mode. infinity (far away, so as to focus on the If your camera has the several types sky). You may want to do this during of manual settings mentioned in this Tripod. the day and preset your lens to infinity article and you have not used them photo: alzodigital.com because during the evening it may be before, check your camera manual to difficult to focus on a black sky. see how to make these settings. Often Next set your exposure mode to manuals have an A-Z index, typically Manual Exposure. This is the only mode at the back, where you can look up to use for this special type of shoot- “Manual Exposure” or “Exposure”, “ISO”, have and you are near the fireworks ing. Set your aperture to F-8 or F-11. “Flash” or “Cancel Flash”, etc. to help launch area, you may not get all of the Then set your at a start- you learn how to make these settings. fireworks in your photos—possibly only ing point of ½ second. the camera Fireworks photography often yields parts of each burst. to an angle where you see the first few some truly memorable images so get There is also an “all in one” lens type bursts of fireworks go off through your out there and take some great photos that goes from wide angle to telephoto, viewfinder. Press the cable release (if this year. Happy Independence Day! for example 18-200 and 18-300 lenses. you have one) as the fireworks go off. If you want to carry only one lens, this If you don’t have this press will be a good choice too and you won’t the shutter button gently to have to bother with changing lenses release the shutter and take back and forth during your shoot. pictures. A sturdy tripod will be necessary to If the images you take are capture fireworks—without this you coming out well on your will get poor results. A good tripod for camera display screen, great! a DSLR camera typically weights about But if they are coming out too 4 pounds or more and must have the dark, or black, you’ll want to ability to tilt upwards towards the sky. take new pictures with the It should be able to reach your eye shutter speed open longer level and not be wobbly. Mount your than your initial ½ second set- camera/lens on the tripod and angle it ting. In this case start taking upwards to test that it is sturdy enough progressively longer shutter Cable Release. before you head out for the evening. speeds, i.e. 1 second, 2 sec- If you have a cable release to actuate onds, etc. Eventually you’ll

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