Fireworks!

[Duncan Ross]

I've got a camera-full of 200ASA colour print film and a warm coat! Any recommendations for apertures etc for shooting 'garden' aerial fireworks in a town setting with streetlights all around? Not sure if long bulb exposures will be completely successful as the streetlights might start taking over the image.

Thanks everyone!

 

[BrianShaw]

Duncan, I have no personal experience (or interest) in that type of photography... but looking at the Kodak Master Photoguide (which generally gives pretty good exposure estimation advice:

f/11 with the camera open on "B".

You'll probably get good fireworks but blown-out street/city lights. In general, I believe that what you want to do is quite do-able, but in the realm of "experimentation". Good luck! 🙂

p.s. Nice flashcube. I still have a few of those for my 126 P&S.

 

[Duncan Ross]

Thanks Brian. Do you reckon that f11 will be for 200ASA or something else?

BTW did you know that Solaris still makes 126 film? It's a square world...

 

[BrianShaw]

According to the photoguide, f/11 is for 200 ASA.

If you think you can point, aim and time the firewok burst, the photoguide also seems to suggest 1/4 second as a possiblility. You might want to experiment here since I'm quite sure Kodak had fireworks against a black sky in mind when they suggested "b"

I still shoot square as much as possible... but I "graduated" to 120 film!

 

[Duncan Ross]

Thanks Brian. I'll give that a try. Slow shutter speeds on the Kiev are a bit odd for this sort of thing as the curtains move /very/ slowly so I'll try the hat-over-the-lens trick! F11 it is, and I'll give the Menopta an outing with its pointy nonagonal f11.

 

[wintoid]

I've seen some AMAZING firework shots where the shooter has started with the lens out of focus and then moved in to focus as the firework progressed. I am unable to get out to try this effect unfortunately so can only pass on the concept. The out of focus firework is enlarged and soft and the in focus firework is smaller and sharp, so you get what look like sea anemones or something. Very very beautiful. Seem to have lost the link to the photos too 🙁

 

[jaapv]

Rabbiting? Well-I do like carrots 😉 I used a Telyt 280 on Visoflex and tripod and each exposure was about 1 sec. on Kodachrome 64. And thanks for the compliment 🙂

 

[pvdhaar]

Here's one I did on Fuji NPH, about ten seconds at F8..

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=24337

 

[IGMeanwell]

My advice

Set the camera on a tripod with a cable release... ASA 200 will be fine...

Lens at F8 ...

Open the shutter when the rocket fires and then close the shutter when the bloom is at its apex

that has worked for me ... but there are many good suggestions in this thread