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Photography Question 

Tara Lenharth 		 

Fireworks advice for Nikon D70


I would appreciate any advice for settings on my D70 for nighttime fireworks pictures. I will be using a tripod, but a cable release is not an option. I do not have the remote control device either. Should I do manual shutter speed and aperature? What about ISO equivalents? Thank you.


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December 30, 2004

 

Carolina K. Smith 		 
 
 
Hi Tara,
Before I tried shooting fireworks for the first time, I tried to read up on it, so you might find this useful:
http://www.nyip.com/tips/current/digfirewks.php

But it boils down to this:

1)Use a small aperture
2)Choose X number of seconds
3)set your focus at infinity (or use your 'Landscape' mode if you choose to shoot in jpeg versus raw)
4)use a tripod
5)Use a wide angle (you then have room to crop, and how will you know just where the lights will appear?)

This particular shot was taken with a Nikon CoolPix 8700 which had a 'Fireworks' mode, and the exif files showed that every shot was at f/8 and 4 seconds.
Regarding ISO, my 2cents is the lower the better to reduce the amount of digital noise in the photo.

Take LOTS of shots... I took about 100 shots, and consider this photo the only 'keeper' :)

Have fun and good luck!


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December 30, 2004

 

Carolina K. Smith 		  Well, that upload sure didn't work, so here is the link to my 'Fireworks Finale!' photo:

http://carolinasmith.com/-/carolinasmith/detail.php?photoID=448782&cat=4842


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December 30, 2004

 

Tara Lenharth 		  Thanks Carolina, I appreciate your tips. I think the NYIP link is helpful, and your shot is beautiful. Nice job! I think I will try to get the remote control device, and since I'm shooting digital, I have the luxury to mess around and try different settings. Thanks.


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December 31, 2004

 

Peter K. Burian 		  My article on the topic of fireworks photography is still available at:

http://photos.msn.com/resources/targeted/en-us/editorial/FireworksPhotos_p.htm

It's not specific to the D70 but similar concepts apply. (You won't use film but the other techniques are the same.)

Cheers!

Peter Burian


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December 31, 2004

 

Tara Lenharth 		  Thanks for your response, Peter. Your article is great, and I am looking forward to trying out some of your tips.


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December 31, 2004

 
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