Filming Fireworks

[sdyates2001]

I have search the web for filming fireworks and get nothing but photography.

I have a 70D. I have three lenses: 50MM 1.2; 100MM 2.9 and 18-135MM STM.

I plan to use the STM lens.

The first year I left auto focus on and auto much everythign on and got pretty good results most of the time when the camera wasn't trying to auto focus.

The second year I turned off auto focus and everything was blurry. I find it hard to focus well using manual through the small view finder.

I am looking for advise on how to set up the camera for filming fireworks. I have a tripod. I'd appreciate any advise you can give me, or any links to documentation on how to film fireworks.

Thanks,

S

[diverhank]

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@sdyates2001 wrote:

Okay, then what would you recommend? I see a few options.

1) Wait til fireworks start, then start recording

2) Set exposure manually to a value

I am sure everyone would recommend the second option. So how do I make these changes. For a photo, I set up Av mode, but when I switch to video, I do not see these settings. How are video settings handled? Once I find exposure, should I pick 0?

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You almost have to wait until the fireworks start to make adjustments.  There are a few things that you can pre-set to speed up the process...

1.  Set up on a sturdy tripod.  I'd try to get some interesting foreground and background and not just the fireworks.

2. It is too hard for the camera to Auto Focus so I'd switch over to Manual Focus and prefocus it to Infinity then back off 1/16 of a turn (just a tad).  This will get you to the ball park.  When the fireworks start, you should be able to make minor tweaks to the focus.

3. I'd set the ISO to 400 and at the start of the fireworks, change from here - hopefully down to 100 depending on how bright the fireworks are.   For me, it'd be perfect if the lighting will enable me to see the foreground and background a little bit (dark but viewable) in relation to the bright fireworks.  Complete black view then bright fireworks is not as good imho.

4. I'd set Aperture to f/8 to start out...f/11 and f/16 might cost you too much ISO.  If too bright then bump Av up to f/11 or f/16.

5. I'd set the Shutter speed (Tv) to 1/100 and go from there.

Here is the procedure for setting in video - in M you cannot set exposure compensation.  I'd practice setting these until you can do it in the dark (no pun intended) since you don't want to be fumbling when the action starts.

[logavanig]

Filming fireworks can be one of the more difficult events to record with your GoPro.  The darkness and remaining smoke will both be working against you.  With the right settings and a few accessories you’ll have a much better chance of getting usable footage while enjoying the show.

Since you’ll be recording at night and from a distance adding light isn’t an option.  Instead you’ll want to adjust some settings within the camera.  The resolution we like best is 1080, shooting at 30 frames per second.  This will slow down the shutter speed a little and allow as much light as we can get to enter the lens which helps reduce blur.  Depending on your location in proximity to where the fireworks are being detonated you’ll probably want to use the Wide angle setting to make sure you capture everything.

Next you’ll go a little deeper into the settings and change the White Balance to 3000K.  Different fireworks are going to emit different hues and intensities of light, setting the white balance to a specific kelvin (K) instead of Auto will help reduce noticeable light changes in the footage.  While on the topic of color, we recommend using Protune.  Protune will help capture more detail in the bright highlights of exploding fireworks.  Finally, limit the ISO to 400.  Typically you would increase the ISO in dark settings but we don’t want the increased grain when the firework exploded and fills the sky with light.  The smoke will also look more grainy with a higher ISO so it’s best to set it low.

On to accessories, really the only thing we consider a must have is a way to mount your camera in a fixed position.  You can do this with any tripod, a suction mount, or just placing the camera someplace safe and sturdy.  It all depends on your location but steadying the camera goes a long way in reducing blur.

 gangboard

[RobertTheFat]

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@logavanig wrote:

Next you’ll go a little deeper into the settings and change the White Balance to 3000K.  Different fireworks are going to emit different hues and intensities of light, setting the white balance to a specific kelvin (K) instead of Auto will help reduce noticeable light changes in the footage. ...

 gangboard

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I have to say that I find that advice puzzling. 3000°K is well down in the incandescent range, and I believe that's a lot redder than most fireworks are. If I'm right, that setting will shift the light generted by the fireworks strongly in the blue direction. If that's what you want, fine. But I don't think I'd do it unless the scene contained incandescent lights and, for whatever reason, I wanted those lights to appear white.

[mounika]

Where I live, we have weekly fireworks displays so in the below video I tested some of the above ideas. However, I could not get reaction shots since I went alone and did not want to be arrested for being a creeper with a huge camera and lens directly pointed at some stranger’s cute little kid. . . Although on a side note, in the United States it is legal to film people without their permission as long as it’s in a public space. Think paparazzi and TMZ. They would cease to exist if it were illegal. The below video is the result of my attempt at this homework project using a Canon 5D Mark III. I apologize for the blurry footage in the beginning. Remember, I’m just learning as I go and hoping to take you all along for the ride so that you can learn as well:

https://youtu.be/CmKAoypNW7M