ClubSNAP Photography Forums - View Single Post - need some advice with MF lens for fireworks

whoelse · 8th August 2004

Use a short zoom if you have. Bring a blackhat or black card, set the shutter to bulb and cover the len with the blackhat etc. Bcos the fireworks is too bright, if u use 2-3 sec the firework will have too many light trail which make the picture look messy. If you use too fast shutter, mostly background will look underexpose and not much firework. So, cover the len and when the firework burst in sky, open the hat/card quickly and coverback. Repeat a few time up to max. 8 times (roughly 8sec max) you will have nice background since the background is stationary object and less bright too and many fireworks in the sky without the effect of messy light trials. You can even set the len at 28mm etc cover it, open for firework1 , cover then set to 50mm open, then maybe 70mm etc. Then u have many layers of fireworks taken with different focus len which make it more "3D" or even "zoom" the len when not covering to have "zoom" effect etc. (know what I mean?!) but if you do this, exclude the background in the frame, just the sky and distant fireworks will do.

Argh, messy and confusing. Well if you get my point or find it useful then good

otherwise experiment your own technique.

8th August 2004	#5
whoelse Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 1,227	Use a short zoom if you have. Bring a blackhat or black card, set the shutter to bulb and cover the len with the blackhat etc. Bcos the fireworks is too bright, if u use 2-3 sec the firework will have too many light trail which make the picture look messy. If you use too fast shutter, mostly background will look underexpose and not much firework. So, cover the len and when the firework burst in sky, open the hat/card quickly and coverback. Repeat a few time up to max. 8 times (roughly 8sec max) you will have nice background since the background is stationary object and less bright too and many fireworks in the sky without the effect of messy light trials. You can even set the len at 28mm etc cover it, open for firework1 , cover then set to 50mm open, then maybe 70mm etc. Then u have many layers of fireworks taken with different focus len which make it more "3D" or even "zoom" the len when not covering to have "zoom" effect etc. (know what I mean?!) but if you do this, exclude the background in the frame, just the sky and distant fireworks will do. Argh, messy and confusing. Well if you get my point or find it useful then good otherwise experiment your own technique.