Starting the New Year with a BANG!!!

Vicki and I took time out to head down to Zilker Park to attempt to shoot some of the Austin fireworks on New Year's Eve. This was our first try at shooting fireworks and we learned a few things. First, we were very lucky to find a place to shoot without doing any on the ground location scouting. I took a look at Google Maps and found a place to try. We wanted to have the skyline in the background with the water in front to reflect the fireworks. When we arrived we realized it would be a pretty great place but we were late and there where already about 5 or 6 photographers there. As we walked up one of then said, "Here, let me make some room for you that tree can get in the way over where you are." How cool was that? Come to find out it was a local Austin photographer, Jerry Hayes. Thanks Jerry.

 Second, you have to be ready. Those fireworks start and just keep going. There is not really a lot of time for camera adjustments. Most shows are only about 15-20 minutes and you don’t want to miss that great shot. Also, you have to have an idea of what you are going to do with your camera settings and maybe a couple of minor adjustments and that is it. To select my starting point I had done some research online and started with an ISO of 100, an F-Stop of 8.0 with a 2 second shutter speed. I tried some shots at 1 second but thought the buildings came out dark and I had a hard time timing the shutter and the fireworks burst. I wish I had tried some longer exposures with a smaller F-Stop but that will have to wait till next time. Cool experience. Let me know what you think.

So the tips are 1) Scout your location in advance. 2) Show up early, especially if it is a big event. 3) Have a plan for your camera settings. I may even take 2 cameras next time but that would be hard to manage. 4) Keep vibration to a minimum. Use a tripod and a remote trigger for your camera and if your camera has it you should consider locking your mirror up. 5) Shoot a lot. Timing the bursts is hard and you never know when that great one is going to pop up. 6) Finally, don’t forget to watch the fireworks and have fun. Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.