Photo Challenge: Fireworks

I hope both our American and Canadian fans enjoyed the fireworks this week. This week’s photo challenge was Fireworks. Take a look at this week’s set of photos, and tell us what you think in the comments. Scroll down to find out what the next photo challenge is.

The fireworks show is in Wisconsin and the fireworks are launched off of an island in the middle of the lake. All the boats crowd around and watch as the fireworks explode above them. It’s really an amazing sight. Photo by Brant Axt.
Heartbleed. Photo by Tom Robins.
Photo by Cris Nasol
Photo by Jared Kotoff.
The mighty colors taken @ ‘Volkfest Fireworks, Stuttgart, Germany’. Taken with a Sony Alpha 580 with Sigma 17-70mm f2.8 lens. Photo by Ramesh Mohan.
Fireworks from this years “My Waterloo Days” celebration in Waterloo, Iowa. This was taken near the end of the extravaganza when they started lighting off chains of fireworks. Photo by Paul Adams
Columbia Lake Fireworks in Waterloo, Ontario, right behind Snapsort HQ. Photo by Brenden Sherratt.
Photo by Andy Howells
Photo by Tex Bacalian
Photo by Arun Sagar.
Photo by Oliver Häusler.
Photo by Christopher Reilly
Photo by Endika Roldan
Photo by Nirav Patel.
Here’s a picture of the fireworks display on Canada Day in Ottawa, taken from Bates Island. Photo by Alain Villeneuve.
Photo by Naveen Balaji.
Photo by vladimir krasnolutsky
RGB Fireworks by Sergi Domènech

This week’s photo challenge is: Abstract Photography

This is a difficult photo challenge, and because we started later we are going to extend the photo challenge until Wednesday the 18th. So Grab your camera and take a photo this week, and send them to Photo@snapsort.com, along with your name, and a short description of the photo.

Guidelines:

  • The photo should be taken by you
  • You may interpret the theme in any way you would like
  • You agree to allow us to share your image on our Blog and Facebook wall
  • You retain all rights to the photo
  • Submit your photos by Wednesday the 18th of July
  • Please only submit one photo per week
  • Please include a short description of your photo, along with your name
  • Email your photo to Photo@Snapsort.com
  • Be creative and have fun

Tips for taking great photos of fireworks

Everyone loves fireworks, with the 4th of July just around the corner we thought that we would put together a list of tips for taking great photos of fireworks.

Photo by SJ photography

Location: You should try to get to your location early, so you can avoid the crowds and find the perfect spot. When selecting a location consider a vantage point that is behind and above the crowd or where you can photograph a local landmark as well as the fireworks.

Photo by amrufm

Equipment: In addition to your camera, a wide angle lens and freshly charged batteries, you should consider bringing a good tripod and a remote shutter. Consider bringing some black fabric (a shirt maybe), we will talk about this later.

Aperture: The fireworks are quite bright, so unlike most low light photograph, you are going to want to us a low aperture of between f/8 and f/16.

ISO: Set your ISO to 200.

Shutter Speed: Set your camera to bulb setting and use the remote shutter. This way you can hit the shutter just as the fireworks are launched to get the light trail and release it after the explosion has occurred. For a more dramatic image, take that black fabric and place it over the front of the lens. Hit the shutter and remove the fabric as the fireworks explode, then replace it between explosions. This will give you a interesting look with multiple fireworks in one image, but do not go overboard or you might overexpose the image.

Focus: Turn off auto-focus and set your camera to infinity. If you don’t have infinity on your camera than just manually focus on the first few burst.

Things to keep in mind:

  • Through out the fireworks show make sure you check your results, after all the 4th of July only comes once a year
  • Try taking photos of people watching the fireworks, or from a different perspective.
  • Try to take your photos up wind of the fireworks, so that the smoke doesn’t take away from your photos.
  • The first set of fireworks will have less smoke, so be ready for the first volley of fireworks.
  • Make sure you flash is off.
  • Consider using a zoom lens, once you have a general idea of where the fireworks will be going off. You can zoom in and change the way your photo is framed to give you a different look.
  • Just get out there and have fun with your family and your camera.

Photo by focusshoot

Here are some more tips from Pixiq has some more tips to make your photos stand out:

  • Using a reference point like a building or other structure will add to the magnitude of the fireworks display and add interest in the image.
  • Try to capture as many different frames as possible. It’s really hard to tell which ones are going to look best while your shooting.
  • Take a few images of the people watching the fireworks as well. The light from the fireworks themselves will create interesting light casts on the observers.
  • If you’re near water use the reflection of the fireworks in the image to create some truly magical pictures.