I went to Penn Camera and asked how to take photos of Fireworks. The people at Penn Camera were very helpful. They taught me how to do it simply with the use of a dark color cloth (preferably black), a remote and the camera.
1. Find something that is dark in color. I used my hat in the picture.
2. Have a remote, something that allows you to control when to open and close your shutter.
3. Find a spot EARLY. I spent two hours before the fireworks to get a spot in front of everyone, with my tripod and camera setup.
4. When the fireworks start, adjust your camera to focus on the general location where the fireworks go off. Now, you cannot focus everywhere, but you will generally know where the fireworks go. Set the aperture low, around 16 (allowing a deeper focus) and be prepared with your hat or cover
5. Watch the base of the fireworks to see when the fireworks are being let off. With a little bit of practice you can generally get the time it takes from takeoff to explosion.
6. Press the remote switch to keep the shutter on when the explosion is about to go. Mine has a locking mechanism which allows me to press up and lock the shutter.After a second, place the dark cover over the lens. Wait for the next firework to go and remove the cover. After a sec, then place it back. The above photograph, showed my first attempt, where you see three explosions over 45 seconds. The first was to the left and then the second was in the middle. The third was to at the bottom, where they were letting off some ground fireworks.
Now don't despair if the photos don't come out right the first go around. It does take some practice. I just started and still am experimenting with the right timing and depth of field. But with practice, you will be able to take those memories of a great fireworks with you to your bookshelf.
One of the most favorite places in the world for my brother's family is Disney World. Luis and I had gone there once when we were small children and while I believe we enjoyed Disney World because of the characters and the fantasy, I don't think we truly enjoyed it as much as his family has. They have a timeshare over there and spend once a year seeing the little mouse. Well, I went there about 4 years ago with Soraya and took a whole bunch of photos. This was one in the shop, I believe in Epcot Center. I love the smile and the way the figure almost look like a scene from Roger Rabbit where the cartoons are joined with the real world. Maybe I will go back there someday. It truly feels like a magical place.
