Fireworks - Learning to Photograph - Critique please

[Brownbear]

Following are some fireworks images from the Canada Day festivities.

The first time I have photographed fireworks in the city, and the 2nd time all around. I think they turned out well but as I may just be swayed by the "pretty factor." Therefore I would be most appreciative of a critique so when I try this again I can improve my shots. And also so others that are trying to learn to photograph fireworks can also benefit.

To prepare I headed out in the morning to find the best position which was at the front end of a long pier. I arrived 3 hours early to claim my position, and dragged my husband along with me so he could hold my position for me when needed.

I used live view to check my focus and DOF on the city scape and settled with an aperture of f/11. I chose what I thought would make for the nicest background and pre-focused on the fireworks barge.

Although I was prepared I wasn't prepared as well as I should've been. A few minutes into the show I thought I would switch to my 300 mm lens for a closer view (and sharper shots than with my 18-200 mm lens) but 300 mm was too close. I missed half the show because I had to set everything up with my 18-200 mm lens again in the dark.

I found the bulb mode a bit confusing, ie; trying to keep track of when I opened the shutter and took the image with the remote release.

I also tried running the black strap of my tripod carrier across my lens whenever I felt that I had the shutter open for a long time because a photographer on the scene advised it was like painting with light (another first for me) and helped control the exposure when using bulb mode?


Tripod and remote release.

Manual Bulb Mode ISO 100 f/11 SS ranged from 2-4 seconds. Focal length 55-95 mm

1. Pretty in Blue



2.




3.




4.



I processed the images in Lightroom. Using a tungsten white balance on some and a cloudy white balance on others. I increased the shadows to lighten the city scape, and decreased the highlights to bring out more detail in the fireworks hopefully not too much so. I'm not sure if the wee bit of clipping in some of the center points is acceptable or not? If I had used a lower exposure my images would've been too dark.

Your critique for improvement is truly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

[Rita]

They look good to me. Way better than the way mine turned out

[Brownbear]

Thank you Rita.

I think I did a fair job of the background, and and that they are pretty but I suspect that the way I captured or processed the fireworks themselves needs improvement... For example the little bright white spots especially in the blue fireworks and also the softness of the fireworks (red ones in the 3rd image)...

They look good to me. Way better than the way mine turned out

[Shadowman]

Nicely done, added backdrop/cityscape really makes the images.

[KimC]

Love these, especially the first one.

[rtbaum]

Christina, I think that these are spectacular

[Digital]

Christina, very nice images.



Bruce

[bnnrcn]

Hi Christina I especially like #1 because it is not soft and I don't think small bright white spots at the center points cause a problem, you need them anyway I wonder why the other fireworks in 2-3-4 are soft. Might it be because you used a slower shutter speed ? I like all compositions and reflections in general . I find the colours a bit dull in the last one . I think it is because of the WB adjustment you chose and you can fix it anyway if you want .

[Brownbear]

Thank you John, Kim, Bruce and Randy for your kind comments. Truly appreciated.

Binnur... Thank you for your critique. Especially appreciated.

I'm not sure about the softness. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the bright spots but I'm still not sure.

The 2nd image had a shutter speed of 1.7 seconds and the rest were all about 4 seconds. Using bulb mode is new to me and the shutter speed chosen by the camera (even in manual mode) is determined by when I release the shutter which coincided with the burst of fireworks. I need to learn more about it. Or maybe it is the lens or not enough sharpening (first time post processing fireworks, unsharp mask .3 radius about 70%)... The Shaw sign on the building is in sharp focus so I think my focus was fine.

Later today or tomorrow when I have more time I will try processing the 4th image again and post the result with a more colourful white balance.

Aside... I hope those who take firework images of the 4th of July celebrations will post these for others to see and learn from. Randy ?

Thank you to everyone.

[bnnrcn]

Christina , you can manage the exposure on your own in bulb mode . You have a remote release and when you press its button you can see the time (seconds) on your LCD screen. When you decide that the exposure is long enough , just press the button again, the shooting will stop. This is how I shoot my long exposures.

[Brownbear]

Thank you Binnur!

Christina , you can manage the exposure on your own in bulb mode . You have a remote release and when you press its button you can see the time (seconds) on your LCD screen. When you decide that the exposure is long enough , just press the button again, the shooting will stop. This is how I shoot my long exposures.

[Mike Buckley]

Very nice first attempts!

Don't be so hard on yourself about not knowing which focal length to use. You couldn't possibly know that without first seeing the fireworks from a given position and trying different focal lengths. As for working in the dark, always keep a small flashlight in your bag or attached to your tripod. I recommend a small LED light that requires no external battery. I keep one attached to my tripod.

Regarding Binnur's suggestion about controlling the length of the exposure, another method is to release the shutter, hold a black card very close to the front of the lens, and intermittently remove and replace it until you close the shutter. This allows you to capture multiple bursts of the fireworks when multiple bursts are not occurring at the same time and is a substitute for configuring a camera to make multiple exposures of the same frame (which is not possible on some cameras). This is a hit-and-miss method when it comes to the composition because you may not remember precisely where the first burst of fireworks is positioned relative to where the later bursts are positioned; when the method works, it can work really well (sometimes by accident!) and can produce images that cannot be made using just one exposure.

I have used that method using film but not when using a digital camera. I don't know if the implications of making a long exposure with regard to producing excessive noise becomes an issue when using a digital camera.

You made these images apparently when the sky was dark, as opposed to when twilight was occurring. That being the case, it's unattractive to me that all of the skies in your images display a color cast. Considering that most people want color images of fireworks to have a lot of punch, your images seem to be rather flat to me, though the third one is the least flat.

You will surely be disappointed to know that my favorite fireworks image, which is displayed prominently in my home as an 18" x 18" print, is in black-and-white. The image was made by Bruce Cratsley.

[ShaneS]

Nicely done Christina. The first and the third stand out for me.

I haven't ventured into this area of photography yet so applaud your efforts. The concept of bulb mode is so easy but like everything it takes a while before you can do it 'with your eyes closed', at least that has been my experience.

[Mike Buckley]

you can do it 'with your eyes closed'

That's my problem: I've never captured images with my eyes closed!

[ied]

Great capture Christine. I especially like #1. The smaller burst at the base really adds to the composition.

[Marie Hass]

Dear Christina,

I love how you anchored your fireworks in the skyline. Just lovely. In fact, I loved all of the images that you posted. Maybe adjust the WB a bit?

You asked to see some other fireworks images, so here are a few of mine. These are also 4 seconds f11, ISO 100, 24mm.





I also used 4 seconds for these, but now, if I have my druthers, I would use bulb mode as Binnur suggested. I use bulb mode, a tripod and a remote a good bit.

Marie

[Brownbear]

Mike...

Thank you for your encouragement and as always for your tips and a very helpful critique. I didn't see the colour cast and I still don't but I'm sure it is there. I am also a little lost about how to process these images. I chose a tungsten wb for some because I read that recommendation for fireworks somewhere, and then I tried cloudy and liked the golden effect on the highrises. I lightened some shadows and darkened some highlights which likely makes the images flat by decreasing contrast. Or are they flat because they are not colourful enough? If yes, I did increase the vibrancy of some of the fireworks colours, selectively.. Or is it that they are flat because I photographed these from the front (lighting) and perhaps I should've shot them a bit from the side, or is it that they have insufficient DOF?

And yes, I'm wondering about the noise from a long exposure but thinking that the image is so dark (Sky/water) that it may not be something to be worried about.

When I thought that I had the bulb open too long I ran my black tripod strap over the front of the lens on the advice of a photographer asked if he could squeeze in beside me. (I had the best spot) But not enough time to truly understand what I was doing so I will read up on that. Thank you for the explanation of the black card. And yes, I really need to buy a flashlight/LED and will do because being able to see makes handling your camera a lot easier.

That photo is too small to view. I can see that it has an interesting foreground element which I couldn't find to place in my scene.

Shane...

Thank you for sharing your preferences. I found the bulb mode confusing, especially when it was so dark outside. but I'm sure if I try this again it will be. It was so dark and crowded that the experience was akin to taking a photo with my eyes closed.

Irene...

Thank you for sharing your preference and that the little burst adds to the composition. Truly appreciated.


Following is another shot... The raw screen shot which shows that the image is a low key image (all fireworks?) and the histogram.






And the unprocessed raw image (no capture sharpening) downsized and sharpened with an unsharp mask.




Does anyone have any tips to share on how I might process this image avoiding a colour cast and making it less flat? If yes, I will try processing this image this weekend to see what I can do with it.

Thank you to all.

[Brownbear]

Hi Marie,
Thank you for sharing. Truly appreciated.

And I love your beautiful colours! And the isolation of the fireworks.

At this moment I'm thinking that bulb mode is a bit confusing.. Why not just set and use a shutter speed of 4 seconds?

Also thank you for your comments.

Dear Christina,

I love how you anchored your fireworks in the skyline. Just lovely. In fact, I loved all of the images that you posted. Maybe adjust the WB a bit?

You asked to see some other fireworks images, so here are a few of mine. These are also 4 seconds f11, ISO 100, 24mm.





I also used 4 seconds for these, but now, if I have my druthers, I would use bulb mode as Binnur suggested. I use bulb mode, a tripod and a remote a good bit.

Marie

[Mike Buckley]

Nice photos, Marie!

Christina,

For great examples of the punch (or pop) that I was referring to, consider Marie's photos.

You asked about my comment mentioning that your images are flat. When that term is used, it generally means (as in this case) that there is not enough mid-tone contrast. The color cast in the sky is contributing to the lack of contrast because the color cast is introducing mid-tones to what would otherwise be a plain black ski, as in Marie's photos.

As for the color cast in the sky that you're not seeing, try selecting the sky in each photo and strongly raising the black point or using a darkening slider to get the sky to black. Doing so has the effect of providing a perfect background for the colorful fireworks exactly as putting a piece of black velvet behind a really colorful flower. Once you've done that, compare the revised sky to the sky in these posts and I think you'll see the strong color cast. By the way, the color cast evident in the sky is also evident in the water and on the buildings, though in the end it may not be as objectionable there.

I'll work with your photos and get back to you later.

[Marie Hass]

Christina, please forgive me that I played with your image without your permission, but, here goes.



I adjusted the white balance and increased the saturation in the reds.


Marie