Lesson 4 Taking Fireworks Photo/Expand the basic
Lesson 4 Contents
Combinate fireworks with any landscape.
Compose the frame.
Fireworks display and weather conditions.
About telephoto lens
Notice, when take at an urban area or the big city .
A timing of changing films. Notice in time of development.
Attention and manners.
Finally:
Combinate fireworks with any landscape.
Almost photographs of fireworks are composed of this combinated style.
Fireworks are beautiful enough only itself. But add some supporting object in the frame, and put it in foreground or background of bursts,it will makes more wonderful shots.
There are various supporting object around the display area.
First, A night view in your sight. And some distinctive form buildings, any towers,a night fair,an audience, any streetlights, a silhouette of trees or wood, reflections of the river or the sea, bridge, a sightseeing boat, a yacht, flowers of season's ,etc, any amount of objects are there.
What is the purpose of combinate with these objects?
That is following:
-An explanation where are you taken it.
-Representation of the scale or hight.
-Emphasis of a season.
-Make a picture to full.
-Emphasis the features of each display. etc.
Most notable point is second, "How the scale of each bursts?".
You only realize the scale of each blooming when you add some objects that compare fireworks with it. And more, It makes a picture look solid (give a depth), make completely of fireworks photos that taken by vertical angle in usually.
In the case of shoot only the fireworks blast. If you change the focal length, it feels same size of shells from 4 to 12 inches on the picture.
Combination work use same method when to take only fireworks.
To take fireworks with ground objects, need a feeling "how many second have passed?"in addition to how many blast have exposed? It for expose exactly on night views.
Maximum exposure time is not over 12〜３ second on F11, ISO100. Fireworks is bright enough for expose it. But night views are often shortage expose time. There are some cases where night views need more long expose time.
In such a case, Using technique of "Multi time exposure"on Lesson3 with black card. Before shoot out shells, pre-expose a night view in advance,then expose fireworks into same cut. Or, after taken fireworks, still more expose night view into same cut.
Complete exposure time of night view is not fixed.
Acording to some night views, if expose about 10 second ,it may going over against firewoks. If you want correct exposure, it is best way to mesure correct time for night view.
If you put the audience in foreground, to create much presence of display. Most easiest way, use flush bulb a few time toward audience in front of you during exposure. Flush bulb is not set on the camera, but in your hand. And use open flush button. Best balance of compose this frame, audience are 25 percent or less of the frame. If over this percentage, This shot will be not fireworks photgraph but a news photograph. Because, Main theme was not fireworks but audience to watching it.
Compose the frame
I summarize about compose the frame in this heading.
"Keep the balance" is most important. That is, balance fireworks with the other suporting objects on the frame. Both percentage and content of suporting objects make character of that photograph. Character(your aim) will be sometimes Fireworks photograph,sometimes Landscape, News or Advertise photograph,a souvenir picture,travel photograph,etc.
Why reason I call "suport" objects? You must compose your picture not to be fireworks set off others. Do you see differences between Mountaineering photograph and Landscape photo that came out mountain?
Please clear this point that follow,in advance.
-What are you shoot?
-What are you show the first?
-How the way do you shoot them?
For example, "Fireworks is the leading and solo actor on the potograph" this is my own definition of "Fireworks photograph.
Any experts are shooting with each own intention.
But for biginers, please not think so strictly. Enjoy the shooting fireworks. According to your image, vary result.
Then, Which the point to attention to be a well-ballanced picture?
Please look following example.
Notice: Ex. maden by digital composite process for explanation. Taking these photographs and composite operation by Kiminari Onozato. I give notice, Ex 2,3,4 ,these angle are not exist in actual. Never take a photo by one time (without some composite method ) at this position. And you can see little more larger JPEG photo. JPEG=68K. Click left photo.
Ex-1: If you take the entire sky of launching area like Ex-1, it was good for no lack any parts. But it feel too compact and not powerful. This case was not fit a choosing focal length of lens. This result given choosing more wide-angle lens.
In such a case, like Ex-1b, some part of fireworks were gone out of frame, please choose focal length like this,It will be more powerful one.
Especially, on display at an urban where not launching large size shells,this "Put a part of bursts to outside over the frame" is the most effective method to get presence and power across to the others
Please look Ex-2 to 4 . You can see the effect of adding suport object to a picture and balance each other.
On Ex-2, fireworks and suport object are taken evenly. It's a limit of well-balanced composition. It's offten difficult to understand which is main object.
Ex-3 is ideal, good ballance.
But how do you feel arrangement of Ex-4? Fireworks lost the position of the leading actor,and show supporting objects to advantage.
A well-balanced arrange of ground objects or suporting one, according to these content, It's account for 20 percent or less of the picture when both vertical and holizontal angle. Not only compare a size on the picture, but necessary to clear what is the main theme ?
Notice: This Lesson is for taking fireworks photo normally like I doing,that is,fireworks are the main objects.
If you want to take any avant-garde one, Not apply these my techniques and data to it.
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Fireworks display and weather conditions.
I touch in here on relation between shooting fireworks and wheather condition.
I described in Lesson2, What the factor that stop or put off the fireworks display? Most of the reasons are rain and strong wind. If the weather forecast says it will be going bad, also stop or put off.
Difficult for both promoter and audience, is unsettled weather.
Worst for both, weather turn to bad just before starting display. Thunderstorm is a good example. Ordinary fireworks display in the cool of a summer evening in Japan, If it go with the strong wind, start launching in spite of the light rain just before the start.
I tell frankly" Nothing is miserable than to watch fireworks in raining day".
A bottom of a rain cloud is low, it about 250 meters high from the ground. If launch over 6 inches shell, all of it will be burst in the cloud and be bright it like a thunder,never see burst. Like this night,off course never shoot a fireworks. If you keep out the rain by umbrela, Camera and lens will covered with water(photo:right).
The problem of putting fireworks display into effect at windy day,is each bursts are blow off by the wind (photo:left). Each stars are will be drifting. Traces are fall into disorder. Please take a rest in these case.
Good weather for shooting fireworks, is off course fine and gentle wind. On cloudy weather, sky not dark enough even if in the night. On the contrary, be lifgt with reflect citylight. In this case, Make total exposure time be shorten as much as you can. If the exposure time same as fine weather, picture of fireworks be not clear owing to half dark sky.
About telephoto lens
What the purpose of using over 100 mm telephoto lens? It seems to me next two:
1. Compose only a part of landscape.
2. If could not approach to the objects or you were in inaccessible position, pull the objects near close to you.
On fireworks photo, both of this Two purpose are valuable when using telephoto lens.
Case of 1, To emphasize where the parts of fireworks are you impressed? For example, To choosing only one part(Ex. the tip of trace, center of the burst,etc) from many bursts of continuously launching, To close-up starmines or ground effects for appeal punch or scale of them.
But there is a limit to everything. It maybe not call "fireworks photography" that picking up only a very part of burst at too close range with telephoto lens. It's to difficult focusing.
Case of 2 is simple. If your camera or watching position is far from launching area over about 1 kirometer,it is too long distance over for fireworks photo. But, It often happens that it is essential to shoot far away from that area. If on the night,It was not seems to clear the sky in summer. If you want clear and sharp results, you must not use extreme telephoto lens that like over 500mm, 1000mm.
In basis, You'd rather shoot at close to the launching than using extreme telephoto lens for close-up from long distance.
Notice: case of take in and arround urban area or the big city.
Needless to say, "cut the total exposure time shorten" is the only word. The night sky of urban area is too bright. Fireworks need dark background sky at any time, But it maybe hopeless at urban area or near the big city. Thanks to city light, night sky never fall in dark, dimly bright through the night. If cloudy weather, it was reflect the city light, and looks milky-white sky. If you exposed fireworks, background as light as daytime.
And adout 19:00 in Summer still light(in japan). At first time of program, leave a camera and to see how things are going. This time is still too early to statrting shoot a fireworks. After about 20:00 is just the right time for starting.
Ex. photo left, It was teaken at19:30(in Japan). The sky was still light, you can see form of clouds behind fireworks. It was not longer exposure than usual. This is trouble of urban sky.
Ex. photo right, taken after 20:00, night grow darker enough. and had control the total exposure time be shorten. There is one's taste for brightness of night view. I choose show fireworks more clear than night view look better.
Fireworks diaplay at near urban area, choosing the camera position that not toward the lens to the sky of central part of urban area should be one of the first considerations. And more, exposure time of one shot be shorten for the night sky not be too bright .
The night sky refrect the citylight, it's not black but dark green. Fireworks are not match this dark green night. It's lack harmony of colors and uncomfortable to shoot.
One who enjoyed taking fireworks in already, who had tried again and again at display near urban area, but it won't go well. Perhaps,It was not one's ability but the place (and shells?) was bad. At these position, close the shutter a little faster, one step down the stop than usual for exposure time a little shorten. And not particular about expose night view definitely. If you tried it, you will probably get more clear color pictures.
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A timing of changing films.
When the good timing to change a new film? Please you don't miss a interval time between launch to next launch. If comming an interval, change earlier to new film quickly, even remain a few cut.
This is reason why ,speak out, Not miss the shutter chance. You must know always, how many films are remains during works. It is a real disappointment to spend all your film befor climax of display. 35 mm TTL camera need time and trouble of rewind. You loss the precious time during change a film.
"Change it earlier, begrudge remaining cut". that is trick.
Attention and manners.
-Make sure you have everything before back home.
-Bring garbages back.
empty cans,leftover, empty box of film,etc.
-Never set tripod up in front of other's.
For secure the best place to watch(shoot) the fireworks, generally, "First come, first served". It is manner that do not shoot in front of one who kept that position from earier than you.
-Please keep in mind show consideration for persons only watching(not take a picture). Did you and your tripod interrupt the view of audience at the back of you?
-Please attention to carring tripod or camera. If you carry them uncovered on your shoulder,it possibly hit a face or head of childrens.
Finally
The said, I arranged some techniques with tricks except for operate a camera.
That was basis. Possibly there are someone who say "unsatisfied". One who say that, please go on read "Advanced Lesson". But if one felt "Let start fireworks photo",that my pleasure.
This time, I omit explain about fireworks itself. If you have interest about it,please read this Homepage's "All about Japanese Fireworks","Visual catalog","Dictionary". Or please see books written about any fireworks.
Now, a message to all who taking fireworks photo for a long time.
One who taking it for a long time, possibly felt deadlock or try another way to shoot. In a case like that, unusual technique or goods have an appeal for you. Maybe you attain salvation from these way. What the facter refine one's works? What is there except for operating camera or unusual technique and any exposure time, any data? Please think about it. The answer, it will be possibly a shortcut to success.
I say to all put an end: "Please enjoy fireworks with your naked eye not only through the lens".
Well, I wish all enjoy and get good shot. Thank you.
Kiminari Onozato
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