Photographs of July 4th fireworks at Medford’s Freedom Park taken by Louis Dallara
July 4th fireworks celebrations are back this year!
The earliest documentation of fireworks dates back to 7th century China, where they were invented. The fireworks were used to accompany many festivities. It is a part of the culture of China and had its origin there, eventually it spread to other cultures and societies.[1] Important events and festivities such as the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) and the Mid-Autumn Festival were and still are times when fireworks are guaranteed sights. China is the largest manufacturer and exporter of fireworks in the world.[2]
Here’s a rundown of common adjustments
made in the Fireworks Scene Mode: Fireworks
Technical specifications
These setting were used on a Nikon D700
Shutter speed is set to 3.1 seconds, which helps capture the streaming trails of the fireworks.
Sets the ISO to 200 and the f-stop to f11.
Sets the White Balance to 5300K
Sets the color to Vivid, the Saturation to High and the Contrast to Hard, all of these changes help enhance color.
Sets the Sharpness to Soft, which uses minimal sharpening in anticipation of post-processing.
Link to another how to shoot fireworks.
Fireworks-displays-at-longwood-gardens
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4 Comments
Great photos, Louis! I like the second one in the list, the best, I think. I like to add some idea of the location into my Fireworks photos – I didn’t take any this year, but last year I took some hand held ones in Pittsburgh, but in previous years I was on the hill above the city so that you could see the river, city buildings and the fireworks in one image: https://backyardsilver.com/photographing-firework-displays/
Just one technical comment – if you set the shutter speed and the aperture manually, then the exposure compensation doesn’t actually do anything does it? I thought that it over-rides what the meter is saying, but you are over-riding that with the manual settings.
I think you are correct, sounds right. I haven’t shot fireworks in years. Furthermore, I usually google it before I go out, to refresh my memory. I found this link. I don’t know if it helps.
capture-brilliant-fireworks-photos
Beautifully executed photos!
Ron, Thank you for the help