Newbie Firework - Advise

[jasonct]

Hi .. hope i'm in the right place seeking advise .. saw lots of post on fireworks,
the background of the skyline looks sharp and bright .. tried and those i took
were not bright .. something like this ..




if i were to increase the exposure .. won't the firework be over exposed?
and how do i get sharp pic in night shoot? most of my pics taken at night, when
at 100% doesn't seeem to be 'sharp' .. any advise? .. thanks

[Francis247]

Originally Posted by jasonct Hi .. hope i'm in the right place seeking advise .. saw lots of post on fireworks, the background of the skyline looks sharp and bright .. tried and those i took were not bright .. something like this .. *Image Removed* if i were to increase the exposure .. won't the firework be over exposed? and how do i get sharp pic in night shoot? most of my pics taken at night, when at 100% doesn't seeem to be 'sharp' .. any advise? .. thanks

Hi Jason,

Sorry to reply so late. For a start, maybe you can share out some details on how you take that shot, such as what mode are you shooting in, ISO Setting, Aperture and Shutter Speed.

It is true that your background looks underexpose while your fireworks looks alright. I presume you are using a small Aperture of f16 or f22.

Some ways you can look into is to use Bulb Mode and the black card technique. When the fireworks has not been fired, trigger the shutter release in Bulb mode to expose the background first, then put a black card in front and when the fireworks has been fired up, remove the black card to record the fireworks and then off the shutter release.

Alternatively, if your camera can do double exposure, you can try that out too. Hope that helps.

As for the sharpness issue, maybe you can start a new thread or submit your photos in this thread for discussion. Some reason I can think of for the sharpness issue is what aperture did you shoot with for those shots.

[jasonct]

Hi Francis .. thanks for your reply. can't really remeber the settings .. but should be around - ISO100 / F22 / 8 - 13s .. understand with regards to bulb mode and black card, but during the fireworks, i can't find time for a background exposure as the fireworks are quite back-to-back .. unless i just go for few best tries?

[Francis247]

Originally Posted by jasonct Hi Francis .. thanks for your reply. can't really remeber the settings .. but should be around - ISO100 / F22 / 8 - 13s .. understand with regards to bulb mode and black card, but during the fireworks, i can't find time for a background exposure as the fireworks are quite back-to-back .. unless i just go for few best tries?

Hi Jason,

You can use the Bulb mode and Black Card technique when the fireworks just started. If the fireworks is already in the midst of firing. You can try lumping a few fireworks shots in a single frame. Another alternative is either to pump up the ISO but this may not be highly recommended or you can try to open up the aperture to f11 or f16, but this will be at the expense of the fireworks trails as it will appear thicker especially you are taking it at such a close distance.

Hope that answer your questions.

[jasonct]

Hi francis .. thanks .. have to wait for another opportunity to try ..