15 May 2008

Shooting Fireworks

by hasni


  1. Get a good position. Try to determine approximately where the fireworks will be bursting, and get a spot with an unobstructed view of that area. You'll probably need to show up early to get a good spot. Figure out the wind direction and get upwind of the fireworks so that your shots aren't obscured by smoke blowing toward you. Find a spot where you can avoid getting a lot of extraneous ambient light in the picture, as this will cause an overexpose.
  2. Set the camera on the tripod. Don't extend the legs or neck of the tripod. Keep everything close to the ground to keep the camera as steady as possible. Using a cable release to operate the shutter is also helpful.
  3. Ensure the camera settings are correct. It is best to set these well ahead of time, as it may be difficult to see your camera controls or your checklist in the dusk or dark. But it's wise to double-check now.

    • Set your focus to infinity. You're generally far enough away from fireworks that you can adjust your lens focus to infinity and leave it there. If you want to get a closeup of a small part of the burst, you may need to adjust the focus as you zoom in. If you want to include buildings or people in the background, you may want to bring these into focus. Avoid the use of auto focus if possible. Most cameras have difficulty adjusting focus in low light conditions.
    • Use a smaller aperture. Set the aperture in the f5.6 to f16 range. F8 is usually a good bet, but if you're shooting with ISO 200 film you may want to kick it up to f16.
    • Turn off your flash. The fireworks are bright enough, and your flash wouldn't effectively reach them anyway.
  4. Frame the picture before shooting. Look through your viewfinder during the first few bursts and figure out where the action is. Point your camera at that spot and leave it there. You don't want to be looking through the viewfinder while you're trying to shoot, because you'll likely shake the camera or your timing will be off. If you're trying to get closeups, of course, your framing will need to be more exact and you'll probably have to play with it more. Once again, frame carefully to exclude other light sources that might distract from the fireworks or cause your photos to be overexposed.
  5. Keep the shutter open to capture the entire burst. Set the exposure to the maximum length. To get the sharpest image it is best that nothing comes in contact with the camera during the exposure. Use the automatic long exposure of 30 seconds or more. If your camera does not have an automatic long exposure the use of a cable release is OK. Use the BULB (B) setting, which will keep the shutter open as long as the button is depressed. A rule of thumb is to open the shutter as soon as you hear or see the rocket shooting into the sky and to leave it open until the burst is dissipating. This will usually take several seconds.
  6. Spice it up. Even good pictures of fireworks can be boring if there's nothing to distinguish them. You can make more interesting photos by including buildings in the background or spectators in the foreground. Choose your shooting location to try to get an unusual and unique perspective on the show if possible.

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How to Take Good Photos from an Airplane Window Seat

by hasni
Posted in ,
How to Take Good Photos from an Airplane Window Seat

Have you ever flown on a commercial flight by the window and wondered how to capture an image of something interesting that you are flying over?

Steps

  1. Get a window seat near the front of the plane. Go online and book your seat in advance. Some web-pages will show you were the seats are located. Try to get a window seat in front of the wing. This works well on larger planes, most smaller commerical planes reserve first-class and business class near the front. This area creates a smoother ride and you don't have the airplane wing to block your view. Another reason to have a seat before the wing section, is that the fumes from the engines will affect the quality of the photo.
  2. Get your camera ready. Take your camera on the plane. Don't put it in the overhead area, this makes it difficult to get the camera since you are at a window seat and will have to ask two people to move. Tell the person next to you take you will be taking some photos as the plane is taking off. This will let the person know that you may be blocking his view for a few seconds. Set the speed of the camera at a high shutter speed, around 500 hundreds of a second. This will stop bluring of the photo. Set the ASA to around 250 to 400.
  3. Take your photos at an angle. This will stop reflection coming back into your pictures. It helps if you have a digital camera, so you can see your results and make adjustments during the beginning or landing part of the trip.
  4. Take your photos quickly, the plane is moving quickly, if you see something that you find interesting, it may be out of view the time you raise your camera.
  5. Don't use flash photography. This will just reflect your flash back into your photo and it may scare your fellow passengers who may be first-time passengers on a plane flight.
  6. Use a standard lens or a zoom lens, like a 35mm to 105mm. This will allow you to get photos of planes on the tarmac and other photos as the plane takes off.
  7. Use a polizaration filter if you have one. This will help reduce reflection and add color to your photos.

Tips

  • You have more time to take photos during the landing. The plane is moving slower as it reduces speed and follows a holding pattern when coming in.
  • You should have some type of software program at home to enhance your photo and remove un-wanted marks that may be in your photo.
  • Shoot both vertical photos and horizontal photos. Horizontal photos are better on the tarmac, vertical photos are better for photos of cities or the mountains.
  • Hold the camera lens next to the window. This will reduce the false readings of an auto-focus camera and will prevent the camera focusing on the window instead of the image outside the window.

Warnings

  • Follow all instructions by the captain or team member of that commerical flight.
  • Don't try taking photos during a turbulent flight. This may cause the camera to hit you in the face.

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