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Sony Forums Challenges | all galleries >> Challenge 184: 'Tis The Season & The Best of 2008 (hosted by MFC) >> Challenge 184: Eligible > edit image
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01-JAN-2009 Jerry Curtis

Happy 2009
HM
by Jerry Curtis

From the oldest city in North America - St. John's, NL

Sony DSLR-A350 ,Sony SAL-18-250mm
8s f/16.0 at 18.0mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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mlynn 07-Jan-2009 01:46
Beautiful composition and excellent capture of those fireworks. --Melanie
Helen Betts07-Jan-2009 00:22
Super fireworks capture, Jerry. Crisp and clear, and I love those trailers, well, trailing off.
Deb Kees03-Jan-2009 16:13
Beautifully captured fireworks. The clarity is incredible! Thank you for the hints for getting great fireworks images. I've had some good ones here and there, but it was just plain luck! I'll have to come back to this picture and get all the tips the next time I am ready to capture fireworks. Happy New Year Jerry!---deb
Sony Forums Challenges02-Jan-2009 10:24
Jerry, thanks a lot for taking the time to provide all this helpful information based on your experience...and, again, you have some great photos to view in your gallery. Thank you! MFC
Jerry Curtis02-Jan-2009 04:09
Thanks, Katherine and Mike.

Fireworks have fascinated me as a photographic subject since I've had a digital camera. A few things I have learned, Mike:
1. Select a good vantage point (which we really didn't do this time, but we were really close, so that offered other advantages).
2. Of course a tripod is essential for best results - and a remote release is best for control of shot timing vs using the timer.
3. Turn off long-exposure NR (if you can) to avoid tying up the cam while it does the dark-frame subtraction. I find NR unnecessary on fireworks shots, period!
4. Use small apertures - f/8 to f/16 - for sharp, well-defined trails.
5. Keep exposures between 1-10s - depending on frequency of bursts. You don't want too many overlapping bursts, or it will just be a mess,
6. Use "Bulb" exposure, if you have it, so you can vary the exposure time at will. Remember, the exposure time just determines the length of the streamers and the number of bursts you get. The brightness of the fireworks is probably equivalent to a high-powered flashgun, so you don't need slow shutter speeds for exposure.
7. Use the lowest ISO available on yout cam for the same reason as 6.
8. Take lots of shots and stay a little wide to allow cropping room for composition, It's impossible to compose in the field - except to include ground detail, as in this one, shot last night as well:http://www.pbase.com/icicle50/image/107659718

I got off 69 shots in 15 minutes last night, with the remote release and bulb exposure, and ended up processing only 2. Others would probably have kept many more, but I already have a decent collection of fireworks shots scattered through this gallery: :http://www.pbase.com/icicle50/sunsets_and_sunrises

I think that's about it...
Sony Forums Challenges02-Jan-2009 02:17
Gorgeous fireworks photo, Jerry...simple and well composed I love the burst patterns here... those "spattered" fingers of light and those beautiful, feathery plumes. Very well captured! Any tricks you can pass on to us? MFC
Katherine Stanback's Photos02-Jan-2009 01:41
Very pretty capture - I love the simple composition!