Visual obstructions cause me to rethink my goal.

Balancing family and work is a creative challenge. However there are still interesting opportunities if you keep your mind open. Case in point: Since I had taken 2 nights to shoot fireworks away from family and a number of circumstances that would bore you to tears, I ended up staying at home with my sleeping son, while my wife, daughter, and mother-in-law all went to enjoy the show a mile away.

With the baby monitor outside, I explored what I could find from the back yard. When the fireworks started I was thrilled that I COULD in fact see them and a little disappointed that I had a “beautiful” streetlight and a number of electrical lines, obstructing most of what I could shoot.

The collar on the 70-200 created new opportunitySo what do you do? Do you pack up and watch fireworks on TV? No. Could you try something else? Sure! I knew I was far away from the show, but if I used my 70-200mm lens, I could pull the show closer. Maybe just photograph the fireworks that are above the lines. However that proved to be a rare occurrence.

So what else could I do? When I went to rotate the camera to portrait, I remembered, the “Tripod collar ring” could also let me rotate the entire camera 360 degrees.

If you’ve ever been captivated by the idea of painting with light. This is a fantastic opportunity to explore what happens when you paint with fireworks. Using the tripod to steady my camera in every other way allows you to experiment with rotational movement.

I tried a few different movements. Sometimes I'd just spin the camera 360 degrees, other times, rotate just a quarter, pause, rotate again. This is certainly more art than a science. Predicting any results is very silly excercise, unless you have alot of these under your belt. I just took pleasure discovering the results.

If you want to to try this yourself, guess what I did in each shot. THEN try some things out for your self. Discover! Trust me, the results are surprising and exciting.

Before post production	After post production

At first you will find a lot of garbage, but DON’T DELETE ANYTHING in the field. Get it back to your digital dark room. You can compensate for some things like exposure, but you can save some amazing shots, just by tweaking your white balance, adjusting your clarity and black levels. Check out this example to see what I mean.

So take a look. If you want to see them larger, clicking any of these will take you to the full gallery. Leave a comment, what’s your favorite? What do they make you think of? If you want any of them, order a print, or buy a download from the gallery. I hope you enjoy!

 #1 In the Wind

#2 Rainbow Rocket

#3 Emergent Galaxy

#4 Electric Whirlpool

#5 Spiral Nebula

#6 The Whoville Tree

#7 Pixel Galaxy

#8 Fire Wheel

#9 Stream and Radiate

#10 Wormhole

#11 Double-Take

#12 Green Lure

Normandale Lake at sunset before fireworks on July 2nd 2010, by Ryan Siemers

Originally I planned to be at the Taste of Minnesota. Do to a lack luster budget year for the Taste, I needed to find another show. Luckily, I knew of one that left me more than enough time to scout fully. Bloomington, MN has a fantastic display year after year. You can always catch them on the 3rd of July.

This year's Bloomington "Summer Fete" fireworks were provided by RES Pyroteknic who also provide fireworks shows for several indoor venues around Minnesota.

While scouting, one of the event planners for Bloomington, gave me some great tips: 1) Where the fireworks were going to be fired. 2) How long the show was. He also suggested a couple places that would provide great opportunities to set up.

I discovered that many people physically staked out places with their blankets, coolers, and lawn chairs but other wise they left them abandoned. That gave me the idea to use plastic table clothes and a cheap set of stakes to squat two locations that would allow me to explore three subjects: 1) Watchers 2) The Launch Site 3) The Fireworks.

Before the show, the bandshell stands emptyHDR-Tonemapped image of the crowd during the concert

CLICK HERE to be taken to the full gallery.

For those who have Flash, I put together a slide show (see below) of my results. I am including a few stills incase your browser doesn't support flash, click any to go to the full gallery.  You can also purchase prints and downloads from the gallery.

Target Field, July 2nd 2010 by Ryan Siemers

Unfortunately I had been researching the fireworks for the Taste of Minnesota. The Taste of Minnesota has been a tradition for 25 Years. For 25 years they had fireworks every night of the taste. So why would I expect that fireworks have been reduced from every night, to just the 4th. This was mentioned in only one location that I could find, a small notice in the Star Tribune. This is the principle reason for researching.

Target Field, July 2nd by Ryan Siemers

Luckily when I learned about the change in plans, I high tailed it to the Twins game with enough time to be misdirected by a plaza attendant and enough time to have scouted out the rest of my viable options.

The show lasted only 10-15 minutes and because of the nature of fireworks in downtown urban areas the show wasn’t mind blowing, but it was certainly enough to entertain.

Below are the completed images. Click any to go to the full size.

First Fireworks show at Target Field, July 2nd, 2010 by Ryan Siemers

First Fireworks show at Target Field, July 2nd, 2010 by Ryan Siemers

#5 Stabilization: Get on your tripod

There are a number of things that can make your shoot successful. Stabilization is HUGE.

Bring a tripod, USE it, even if it's 6" above the ground, otherwise you will get home and you will be disappointed.

If you haven’t spent the $25 for a corded remote, now’s the time. If you're even remotely slower than 1/60th a second, you need to isolate your shutter release. Just the act of pressing the button causes your camera to shift.  If you’re in a pinch for time though, you can try your luck with a delayed shutter release. This was my favorite technique for shooting with a point and shoot in low light.

#4 Lenses: Wide or Telephoto?

Wide
Pro: Great for context shots & catching those massive fireworks close to the launch site.
Con: If you are spending less than $500 on a wide angle lens, there usually are some optical issues occur, flare, ghosting, and distortion around the edges. Can create an odd stretched look to objects and people on the edges.

Telephoto
Pro: Get as close to the action as you can manage. Detail shots of the explosions can be very interesting
Con: Timing and location has a lot to do with luck. But you can improve your chances by focusing on the area and then going manual. Autofocus will cost you many precious shots.

Why not both?
If you have a longer show, give both a try. Or if you happen to have two bodies, set up each and get the best of both worlds that way.

#3 The Balance of ISO, Exposure, and Aperture

Imagine a triangular plate balanced on a pole. No matter what you place on one of the three corners, it affects the other two. So it’s important to decide what you want to accomplish ahead of time.

The main thing is to prioritize what you want to achieve and then balance the other two.

Aperture
Option 1: Focus on Everything (f11-f16)
i.e. Say showing a child watching the fireworks next to you while the firework is going off 100-300 yards away.

Option 2: Something specific (f2.8-f5.6)
i.e. Just the face of the child with the reflection of the fireworks in their eyes.
       You can use faster glass, but your subject is likely to shift position.

Be Aware! The lower the aperture, the faster the shutter speed, meaning... the shorter the time, the less you'll capture from the trail of the fire work. Not good, not bad, just keep it in mind.

Exposure / Shutter Speed
Option 3: Show the full trail (6-10 seconds)
i.e. From launch to explosion to sparkle.

Option 4: Isolated Bursts (1.5-3 seconds)
i.e. Just one stage

ISO
Option 5: Lowest noise possible (ISO 100)
Believe it or not, ISO 100 works amazing, fireworks as you’ve probably noticed, are incredibly bright.

Option 6: Whatever works (ISO 400-600)
This is an effective way to bring out the details of the context where the firework was set off when using low apertures and short exposures.

#2 Subject: What are you going to photograph?

It’s a simple question, but why are you going to shoot fireworks? There are a million photos of them out there, so why does the world need you to take them?

A couple of answers.

• 1. They’re a pretty addition to anyone’s personal collection.
  2. You could turn them into prints for family, friends, or if they’re great, sale.
  3. Perhaps you want to sell them commercially, maybe the city or the pyrotechnics crew.

Here’s another option.
How can you see fireworks differently? Try to tell a story. What is the celebration? Who’s celebrating? What are their reactions? Can you find a unique location?

#1 Scout: What do you mean there’s no fireworks?

Once you’ve decided on a focus. Try to find out as much as possible about the fireworks your going to shoot.

  Where are they going off?

    If you know where they’re being fired and perhaps how high, you can look for the best vantage points. Try to find out how high they're going to be. If you have multiple nights of the same show, you can go back. If you only have the one occasion, this can make or break you.

When are they going off?
    Give yourself enough time to set up and settle into your location

I recommend at least an hour before show time. Know what you're going to use, and make it easy to access it

BIG TIP: Be sure to make sure the economy hasn’t canceled the fireworks that have been a tradition for 30 years. (You'll read more about that later.)  

How long is the show?
    Most shows are only 20-30 minutes long. If you’re going to shoot more than one type of subject decide how long you want to spend on each.

Review (I’m set up to see a quick preview right after recording. But look down only once every 5-10 shots. Don’t miss the show or more opportunities. 

Are there restrictions about where you can set up? 
    Get permission (if neccessary), and follow the rules. They're there for a reason.  

Just because you can sneak onto the train tracks over the river where the fireworks are going off, doesn't mean there won't be a train comming in the middle of the show to escort you swiftly into the river below.

I only hope to capture some of that feeling in you with this series where I was fortunate to catch three nights of fireworks in a row.

Click the links to the photo galleries to explore the full collection from each night. 

Part 1 - Exploring Technique:

All about what I found helpful as I learned about shooting fireworks.

Part 2 - Night 1 Target Field:

My first shoot and the challenge of learning you have only 30 minutes to get to a completely different show.

Part 3 - Night 2 Summer Fete:

Images from the 2010 Bloomington Summer Fete Fireworks.

Part 4 - Night 3 Getting Creative:

What to do when you are stuck in a “bad” location.