There'll be fireworks!!!

Chris Wormwell

Chris Wormwell

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Hi all,
my local town has it's annual firework display on Friday night and I'm thinking of having a go at something outside my normal sphere (wildlife) and having a blast at them.
I can't decide whether to go to a nearby headland (we're coastal) and shoot with a Canon 100-400 IS on my 1D MkIIN (I have the option to use my 500 f4 but that's probably too big?) or get closer and use the Sigma 24-70 EX.
The headland is appx 2 miles in a direct line from the launch site and would enable me to get the sea in the foreground.

Any ideas and tips greatly appreciated.
 
Hi Chris,

Weather-permitting, I think I'll have a 2nd attempt at a fireworks display on Saturday night.

One factor to consider is the size of the display - I shot my first display in September* from a distance of about a mile, using a long zoom, but the display I'm meant to be going to on Sat will be much smaller, so I'll be getting in closer with a wider lens.

Getting the sea in the foreground could give a nice effect, with reflections etc.

* http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianedwardtaylor/sets/72157624903083774/ Not brilliiant, but not bad for a first attempt, I reckon.
 
iant79 said:
Hi Chris,

One factor to consider is the size of the display - I shot my first display in September* from a distance of about a mile, using a long zoom, but the display I'm meant to be going to on Sat will be much smaller, so I'll be getting in closer with a wider lens.

Getting the sea in the foreground could give a nice effect, with reflections etc.
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Click to expand...

Cheers Ian,
It's quite a big display and I'm thinking that getting too close might result in me missing some of the more dramatic stuff :shrug:
What settings and lens did you use on your shots?
 
You might be right - the one I'm going to at the weekend is a "village green" affair, so I don't think there'll be anything too huge. The ones on my Flickr were to mark the end of the Edinburgh Festival and are always huge.

I used an 80-200mm lens (Canon's old f4.5-5.6 II) at a focal length of 125mm. 100 ISO, f.9 and an exposure of 1.5 - 1.6 seconds. I was using a tripod, but it was a really windy night, so even that wobbled a bit.
 
No problem.

Forgot to add - use manual focus, as AF will struggle in the dark. I focused on the point at which the fireworks were coming from (Edinburgh castle made a handy landmark) when there was enough light in the sky, and didn't touch the focus for the whole dispaly after that.

Good luck!

I.
 
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