Showing posts with label ohnostroj. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ohnostroj. Show all posts

fireworks creatively (again!)

You know already that shooting fireworks is my specialty and this year's New year I couldn't resist to pick the camera and shoot it again - right after the midnight kisses and glass of sparkling wine with all my beloved ones, of course!



In the small village where we were spending our end and beginning of the year there was no lack of fireworks, so it was easy to point and shoot.
I have written a post about how to shoot fireworks differently few years ago (see here), but this creative way is actually very easy:

  1. manual mode, time between 1 to 2 seconds, aperture f/5.6, ISO 200 
  2. turn off auto focus
  3. point at the (expected) epicenter of the explosion
  4. hit the shutter and at the same time rotate your focus ring on the lens
That's it! You should play with the exposure settings and change ISO depending on the intensity of the explosions. Important is to use focusing ring (and not zoom ring!), so you will be "defocusing" while taking one second exposure. And there is no difference on which side you will start - from sharp to totally blurred or other way around.

This time I have used 70-200mm lens as explosions were a bit far away, but I worked in the past with 24-70mm lens too.

Wait for your next fireworks and go to enjoy it!
Patrik






















Už asi viete, že fotenie ohňostrojov je moja špecialita a tento Nový rok som znova neodolal a zobral foťák von si to nafotiť znova - samozrejme až potom ako som sa vybozkával a štrngol si sektom s mojimi drahými!

Koniec a začiatok roka sme trávili v malej dedinke a miestni sa naozaj vyšantili a vyhádzali do vzduchu množstvo pyrotechniky, takže o farebné objekty nebola núdza.
Už pred pár rokmi som napísal článok ako fotiť ohňostroje ináč (viď tu), ale kreatívne nastavenie je naozaj veľmi jednoduché:
  1. manuálny mód, čas medzi 1 až 2 sekundami, clona f/5.6, ISO 200
  2. vypnúť auto focus
  3. namieriť na (očakávané) epicentrum výbuchu
  4. stlačiť spúšť a zároveň otáčať kolieskom ostrenia na objektíve
A je to! Pohrajte sa s celkovou expozíciou a možno zmeňte ISO, v závislosti od intenzity výbuchu. Dôležité je používať ostriace koliesko na objektíve (nie zoomovacie!), takže vlastne budete "rozostrovať" počas snímania sekundovej expozície. A nezáleží na tom, z ktorej strany začnete - od zaostreného ohňostroja do úplne rozmazaného - alebo naopak!

Tentokrát som používal tele objektív 70-200mm, nakoľko bolo výbuchy trochu ďalej odo mňa, ale minule som fotil aj s 24-70mm a fungovalo to tiež v pohode.

Tak si počkajte na nejaké oňostroje a choďte si to vyskúšať!
Patrik

project 52 | week 22 - strawberries (fireworks again!)

And I did it again. Used the firework opportunity (Vive la France!) during our recent trip to Burgundy and shoot fireworks during the explosion and "defocused" at the same time. I have used this technique already two years ago (see here), but I still had a lot of fun! All pictures were taken with 24-70mm street-zoom lens at 70mm and I was again amazed what a fantastic creation I was getting right out on my screen! How to do that?
Nikon D800, Nikkor 24-70mm, f/8, 1/2sec.
No editing whatsoever, output straight out of the camera.

It is actually very simple. Technique is similar to the "zooming" one, but this time during a one second exposure you are rotating with your focusing ring on your lens.
1) find a firework in your area ;)
2) use a medium size telezoom lens (somewhere between 70-120mm)
3) go manual exposure and turn off your automatic focusing
4) set up an exposure to f/8 and shutter speed for 1 second. (Here you can play with shutter speed between 1/2 to 2 seconds, longer exposure can give you a longer strikes, but you might get a lot of light into a frame.)
5) aim the camera to expected center of the explosion
6) in the moment of the explosion push the shutter button and at the same time - during the 1 second exposure - rotate your focusing ring from one side to another

And that's it! This time versus my previous attempt I haven't used the tripod and found it much easier and faster to aim for the center of the explosion. And still think that the "explosion roses" are as beautiful as previously.
That easy! So go on, find your firework and share what you have captured! ;) I'm looking forward to it.

PS: Still fits into the project 52, the image above looks a bit like a strawberry, right?



A znova sa mi to podarilo. Využil som príležitosť francúzskeho národneho sviatku a s tým neodmysliteľného ohňostroja počas nášho nedávneho výletu do Burgundska. Fotil som ohňostroje počas explózie a súčasne som počas trvania expozície "rozostril" samotný záber. Túto techniku som už vyskúšal pred dvoma rokmi (výsledky sú tu). Všetky zábery boli nafotené s mojím obľúbeným street-zoom 24-70mm objektívom a znova som bol už počas fotenia úplne nadšený, keď som videl aké krásne kreácie sa mi ukazujú na displeji. Takže ako na to?



Je to vlastne fakt jednoduché. Technika je podobná "zoomingu", ale tentokrát počas jedno sekundovej expozície otáčate zaostrovacím "krúžkom" na tele objektívu.
1) nájdite si ohňostroj v blízkom okolí
2) ideálny je stredný telezoom objektív (niekde medzi 70-120mm)
3) nastaviť manuálnú expozíciu a vypnúť automatické ostrenie
4) nastaviť expozíciu na clonu na f/8 a rýchlosť uzávierky na 1 sekundu (Smelo experimentujte s rýchlosťou medzi 1/2 až 2 sekundami, čím dlhšia uávierka, tým dlhšie budete mať čiary...)
5) mierte objektívom do očakávaného epicentra výbuchu
6) v momente výbuchu stlačte spúšť a zároveň - počas tej jedno-sekundovej expozície - otočte čo najviac zaostrovacím krúžkom na objektíve

A to je všetko. Tentokrát som na rozdiel od predchádzajúceho pokusu nepoužíval statív a musím uznať, že bolo oveľa jednoduchšie a rýchlejšie zamieriť na epicentrum výbuchu. A pritom si myslím, že ohňostrojové "ruže" sú stále krásne... Celkom ľahké, však? Tak nájdite si vlastný ohňostroj a nezabudnite sa podeliť s vaším výsledkom. Už teraz sa na to teším!
PS: Stále to spadá pod projekt 52, tá prvá fotka vyzerá ako jahoda, však? ;)








fireworks differently ("defocusing" during exposition)

As summer fireworks season is approaching (think 4th of July), here's a one cool photo technique tip I would like to share with you folks. Before you'll head out to find a best spot and try to capture this beauty same way as last years, consider to try something new this time. I had to wait whole year to try it, but finally, my wait was over - last Friday city of Ballwin was celebrating their Ballwin days! Hooray!


So what is this buzz all about? It's actually simple. Put your camera on tripod, set up exposure to have shutter speed at 2 or 3 seconds and then try to aim to the epicenter of the explosion.
Then while having your shutter open, rotate your focusing ring (hence "defocusing fireworks") from infinity where the fireworks is sharp to a minimal focus distance your lens will allow you (or vice versa, play!). The full focus ring rotation has to happen during those two seconds. It is a very similar method to "zooming" technique, which Bryan Peterson maybe taught you in his books, workshops or online school. But instead of rotating zooming ring, you'll be rotating focusing ring.


Couple of things you need to take into a consideration for your setting: