Taking photo's at night/Fireworks

[julie-ann]

I need help! or so my husband says.
I want to take pictures of the firework displays and parades at night but so far my attempts are not very good at all, i thought i'd brought quite a good camera (kodak DX6490) I've tried using the night function with and without the flash and the normal setting but all are hopeless. It also has a PASM function but i'm afraid i'm not very technical and am just baffled as to what setting i should be using.
Please can anyone give me any suggestions, hints and tips.

[Guest]

hiya
there is a photo clinic in guest services ...this thread will probably be moved there to be honest.
But there are some dibbers in the clinic that will be able to help you.
Elaine

[Andre]

Thank you, oh kindly thread-moving mods.

This subject has been discussed quite a bit here recently, but the really key thing that you need to do is keep the camera steady. Normally this would mean a tripod, but you can use anything available to do the job. But by steady, I really mean more solid than any hand-held option. And because you're shooting the sky, tops of litter bins/etc aren't always too much help. My advice would be a fairly lightweight tripod that's not too heavy or bulky to carry around at night. You will also need to get some kind of remote shutter release device to avoid shaking the camera when you press the button.

Secondly, you need to be able to control the shutter speed so that you can leave the shutter open for a longer time than usual (maybe around half a second), which the camera you've got should be able to do fine. This allows the fireworks to cross the sky a little giving you trails - a bit like this:



The thread you really need to check out is the Photo Tips: Low-Light and Night Photography one.

Now is a great time of year to experiment at home, of course! And remember, digital memory is cheap - shoot loads of pictures to get a few good ones, and then delete what you don't like later.

Andre

[AndyJ]

Did you mention keeping the camera still Andre?

Pick a good spot for Magic Kingdom fireworks if you don't have a tripod, where you can rest the camera on a fence, wall, table, bin or something steady like it.

Andre above is just outside of Caseys hot dog shop on the path to adventureland. A great location.

[Guest]

Also you can buy small tabletop tripods from jessops or other shops which allow you to place on a fairly sturdy surface and then it allows you to aim the camera a little more than just plonking it down.

Or a small beanbag, i know I have read about that in a photo magazine as it allows you to place the camera on the floor without getting it dirty or wet.

[AndyJ]

Originally Posted by stevered1

Also you can buy small tabletop tripods from jessops or other shops which allow you to place on a fairly sturdy surface and then it allows you to aim the camera a little more than just plonking it down.

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That's great advice, but it takes away the fun of asking people to empty pockets, hand-bags and collecting napkins from shops to use to aim the camera

[Andre]

Originally Posted by AndyJ72

Did you mention keeping the camera still Andre?

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I think I may have mentioned it...

Originally Posted by AndyJ72

Andre above is just outside of Caseys hot dog shop on the path to adventureland. A great location.

See more...

For good locations, check out this thread where we've indicated on a map some good places within WDW (and elsewhere) to take great pictures. If anyone's got any other suggestions for good photo locations please feel free to let me know and I'll add them to the master map.

Andre

[DIBBadmin]

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