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07/06/2011 10:06:48 PM · #1 |
So for this most recent 4th of July contest I took what I thought were some decent pictures of the city fireworks from several miles away on a hillside. I still think they're decent but I want my photos to be more crisp and sharp at night. I always seem to get those hazes around lights, or not enough light at all. So for those of you who are able to get those laser like lights at night, can you offer me some suggestions? In my portfolio are a few different night time motion capture shots, I would love some feedback on them if you think there's something different I could have done. Thanks!
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07/06/2011 10:11:54 PM · #2 |
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07/06/2011 10:13:52 PM · #3 |
| try closing the aperture more, they look a little too over exposed. |
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07/06/2011 10:14:05 PM · #4 |
That looks pretty darn good...
I expect that what you're looking for is the starburst effect.. Something like this:
There are two ways to get it
Filter - these suck. :)
Knock that aperture down a little, you're shooting wide open with that lens @ f/3.5, the stars are created as light passes by the notches in the aperture.
A fun side note - even numbers of blades make the same number of points, odd numbers make 2x the points of light... :) |
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07/06/2011 10:20:38 PM · #5 |
| I found for my fireworks shots that the "good" shots were created at f18-40. When I tried to stop it down and shoot it more open (7.1), the photos just didn't have that dramatic punch. They'd either underexpose everything else, or create a very stiff looking firework. I plan on taking this technique and exploring if it's true for night-cityscapes as well. |
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07/06/2011 10:29:34 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by jamesgoss:
When I tried to stop it down and shoot it more open (7.1), the photos just didn't have that dramatic punch. |
FYI, "stopping it down" means using a SMALLER f-stop, not a larger one... F/7.1 is "opening up", not "stopping down", at least as compared to f/22 for example...
R. |
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07/06/2011 11:12:09 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Originally posted by jamesgoss:
When I tried to stop it down and shoot it more open (7.1), the photos just didn't have that dramatic punch. |
FYI, "stopping it down" means using a SMALLER f-stop, not a larger one... F/7.1 is "opening up", not "stopping down", at least as compared to f/22 for example...
R. |
doh, stupid backwards terminology. |
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07/06/2011 11:21:16 PM · #8 |
Think of f/stop as a ratio, 'cuz that's exactly what it is. F/22 = 1/22, f/2 = 1/2 — make sense now?
F/stop is the ratio of the diameter of the aperture to the focal length of the lens. So a 25mm aperture on a 50mm lens is f/2, whilst the same aperture on a 400mm lens is f/16...
Nothing "backwards" about it at all, IMO... But then, I've been using the terminology (and teaching it) for nearly 50 years...
R.
In fact, come to think of it, some old-school lenses actually notate it that way: 1:4.5 = f/4.5...
Message edited by author 2011-07-06 23:22:42. |
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07/06/2011 11:28:24 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Think of f/stop as a ratio, 'cuz that's exactly what it is. F/22 = 1/22, f/2 = 1/2 — make sense now?
F/stop is the ratio of the diameter of the aperture to the focal length of the lens. So a 25mm aperture on a 50mm lens is f/2, whilst the same aperture on a 400mm lens is f/16...
Nothing "backwards" about it at all, IMO... But then, I've been using the terminology (and teaching it) for nearly 50 years...
R.
In fact, come to think of it, some old-school lenses actually notate it that way: 1:4.5 = f/4.5... |
Hey! Stop calling my 100mm Macro old! |
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07/07/2011 12:11:53 AM · #10 |
Originally posted by Cory:
Knock that aperture down a little, you're shooting wide open with that lens @ f/3.5, the stars are created as light passes by the notches in the aperture.
A fun side note - even numbers of blades make the same number of points, odd numbers make 2x the points of light... :) |
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Think of f/stop as a ratio, 'cuz that's exactly what it is. F/22 = 1/22, f/2 = 1/2 — make sense now?
F/stop is the ratio of the diameter of the aperture to the focal length of the lens. So a 25mm aperture on a 50mm lens is f/2, whilst the same aperture on a 400mm lens is f/16...
Nothing "backwards" about it at all, IMO... But then, I've been using the terminology (and teaching it) for nearly 50 years...
R.
In fact, come to think of it, some old-school lenses actually notate it that way: 1:4.5 = f/4.5... |
Two things I have been wondering about for a long time in one thread!
Message edited by author 2011-07-07 00:12:04. |
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07/07/2011 03:00:07 AM · #11 |
Originally posted by Cory:
That looks pretty darn good...
I expect that what you're looking for is the starburst effect.. Something like this:
There are two ways to get it
Filter - these suck. :)
Knock that aperture down a little, you're shooting wide open with that lens @ f/3.5, the stars are created as light passes by the notches in the aperture.
A fun side note - even numbers of blades make the same number of points, odd numbers make 2x the points of light... :) |
That's more what I'm hoping to do. Not necessarily the star points on the lights but more the sharpness and clarity. Should I close my aperture and bring up my iso? I also think the exposure times might be too long. |
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07/07/2011 04:36:55 PM · #12 |
Originally posted by Cory:
That looks pretty darn good...
I expect that what you're looking for is the starburst effect.. Something like this:
There are two ways to get it
Filter - these suck. :)
Knock that aperture down a little, you're shooting wide open with that lens @ f/3.5, the stars are created as light passes by the notches in the aperture.
A fun side note - even numbers of blades make the same number of points, odd numbers make 2x the points of light... :) |
Cory, you don't have the exposure information listed for that photo. Do you by and chance remember the shutter speed and aperture used? |
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07/07/2011 10:17:12 PM · #13 |
Aperture was probably about 7.1 and I'd guess exposure to be about 15 seconds of ISO 400..
Of course that's just a guide, adjust for your circumstances. :) |
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