Fireworks

[Sierra Aero Recon]

I have searched the other threads on photographing fireworks but can't seem to get a consistent answer on camera settings. I have been hired to capture images of a firework show tomorrow night with my M2P. I am afraid that shooting in 4k and grabbing frames is not going to give me the resolution I want or produce the best images. I have seen suggestions to shoot in manual anywhere from f3 to f11 iso from 100 to 1600 and a shutter of 1" to 3". This is my first firework shoot and don't want to come out of it with unusable images. I have a night filter as well as polarized filters but am not sure if any are needed. Any help or guidance would be great!

 

[dozzn]

Unfortunately, I do not have an exact answer but I wonder if you could practice with some sparklers , tonight,?

 

[Sierra Aero Recon]

Unfortunately, I do not have an exact answer but I wonder if you could practice with some sparklers , tonight,?

I wish, unfortunately all fireworks are banned where I live in CA. No place to do something like that. Now that I think about it though, I could take my firehouse strobe and place it some distance away and then work on photographing it and seeing what settings work the best.

 

[dozzn]

That would definitely be a good idea; a good starting point!

 

[MaviCam]

Image 1 is a frame of video from a Spark. Everything on auto(exposure,focus,etc.) 6,000 ft from fireworks.
Images 2, 3 and 4 are frames from video on a Mavic Pro. Everything on auto(exposure,focus,etc.) 5200 to 6000 ft from fireworks.

 

[Sierra Aero Recon]

Image 1 is a frame of video from a Spark. Everything on auto(exposure,focus,etc.) 6,000 ft from fireworks.
Images 2, 3 and 4 are frames from video on a Mavic Pro. Everything on auto(exposure,focus,etc.) 5200 to 6000 ft from fireworks.



View attachment 131500View attachment 131501View attachment 131502View attachment 131503

Thanks, thats good to know. I am hoping to get some images that I can later have printed in large scale. I think for the best resolution I am going to be shooting stills but may grab some short videos as well for fun.

 

[ColinJE]

I work for a firework display company and am often asked to photograph the displays when I'm not needed during firing. Haven't used a drone yet - that will come later this year hopefully - but have used DSLR and video.

With DSLR the settings I use to record both the trail and burst are:
ISO 100
Focus Manual at infinity
Shutter 5 seconds
Aperture F16
White Balance Auto
Cameras set to record RAW and JPG

These settings may be transferrable to drones, they will certainly be my starting point when I test later this year

I normally use two cameras both on tripods; one is set to take a photograph every 6 seconds, the other I operate manually when I know I want a photograph - it helps that I have a copy of the firing order and timings. I would suggest you try and talk to the crew beforehand to get an idea of where the firing site is, how high the fireworks will burst, what the display will look like and also check everything in daylight to plan flight.

I have tried screen grabs from video - the camera is a "professional" one - they work for standard size prints but they are not suitable for large scale photographs

If flying behind the firing site to include the crowd make sure you are clear of the fall out area, some of what goes up does come down. If photographing from the crowd side make sure you are clear of them and have clearly identified primary and secondary TOALS

Good Luck and have fun

 

[Sierra Aero Recon]

I work for a firework display company and am often asked to photograph the displays when I'm not needed during firing. Haven't used a drone yet - that will come later this year hopefully - but have used DSLR and video.

With DSLR the settings I use to record both the trail and burst are:
ISO 100
Focus Manual at infinity
Shutter 5 seconds
Aperture F16
White Balance Auto
Cameras set to record RAW and JPG

These settings may be transferrable to drones, they will certainly be my starting point when I test later this year

I normally use two cameras both on tripods; one is set to take a photograph every 6 seconds, the other I operate manually when I know I want a photograph - it helps that I have a copy of the firing order and timings. I would suggest you try and talk to the crew beforehand to get an idea of where the firing site is, how high the fireworks will burst, what the display will look like and also check everything in daylight to plan flight.

I have tried screen grabs from video - the camera is a "professional" one - they work for standard size prints but they are not suitable for large scale photographs

If flying behind the firing site to include the crowd make sure you are clear of the fall out area, some of what goes up does come down. If photographing from the crowd side make sure you are clear of them and have clearly identified primary and secondary TOALS

Good Luck and have fun

Thanks for the settings. I can set an ISO of 100 and focus to infinity and adjust shutter speed to 5 sec but the top of my aperture is f11. I will grab some shots with these settings and then some with a lower aperture or maybe a higher ISO, maybe around 400. I am shooting in RAW but will also add JPEG so that hopefully I can review some of the images on my phone and make adjustments as needed.

The display company is aware that I am going to be operating a drone during the display and the area that I will be operating in. I will be about 4,800 feet away with a lake in-between the drone and the firework launch location. I am expecting burst between 200 and 400 feet agl. I have scouted the area with the drone in both daylight and at night to ensure obstacle clearance and best camera angle to hopefully get some nice reflections of the fireworks off of the water. I have found flying at a max altitude of 395 feet agl will work the best for the location.

 

[66427cobra]

I have not photographed fireworks with a drone but have done so with a DSLR on a tripod. With long shutter speeds, the camera needs to be stable in order to capture the trails without them looking wavy. I have tried handheld without a tripod and they are awful.

I would be concerned that, even with the position corrections the drone can make, the camera will not be stable enough for stills. You might get lucky with a dead calm evening. Or you could have windy conditions that will really mess things up.

Do you have any liability if you have no end product to deliver...or the client deems it unacceptable? CYA and do everything possible to test it out. Even if it means buying a few illegal fireworks yourself.

 

[Sierra Aero Recon]

I have not photographed fireworks with a drone but have done so with a DSLR on a tripod. With long shutter speeds, the camera needs to be stable in order to capture the trails without them looking wavy. I have tried handheld without a tripod and they are awful.

I would be concerned that, even with the position corrections the drone can make, the camera will not be stable enough for stills. You might get lucky with a dead calm evening. Or you could have windy conditions that will really mess things up.

Do you have any liability if you have no end product to deliver...or the client deems it unacceptable? CYA and do everything possible to test it out. Even if it means buying a few illegal fireworks yourself.

Will try shorter exposures. Maybe just 1-2sec and stack photos in post. No liability. I have not collected payment so if it does not turn out I just won’t. Winds are forecast for 1kts so should be very calm. Maybe I will get lucky.

 

[Joe Herrera]

I'm not worried so much about the photography as I am about the physical movement and safety of the drone. I have yet to fly it at night and I am worried about the sensors and how much city lighting I'll need around the drone for it to fly correctly. Any suggestions?

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

I would have thought even a 1 second shutter might create blurred fireworks ?
Surely you need open aperture, lower shutter speed, and a little faster ISO (but only just high enough) ?

Just had a look through YouTube tutorials, found this one . . . he recommends night filter and 1 sec shutter.

Might be something in there you can take away.

 

[Sierra Aero Recon]

I'm not worried so much about the photography as I am about the physical movement and safety of the drone. I have yet to fly it at night and I am worried about the sensors and how much city lighting I'll need around the drone for it to fly correctly. Any suggestions?

I flew the area in daylight so that I could come up with an altitude that would keep me clear of obstacles and plan on keeping my area of operation very small.

 

[DavidT_ NZ]

I have searched the other threads on photographing fireworks but can't seem to get a consistent answer on camera settings. I have been hired to capture images of a firework show tomorrow night with my M2P. I am afraid that shooting in 4k and grabbing frames is not going to give me the resolution I want or produce the best images. I have seen suggestions to shoot in manual anywhere from f3 to f11 iso from 100 to 1600 and a shutter of 1" to 3". This is my first firework shoot and don't want to come out of it with unusable images. I have a night filter as well as polarized filters but am not sure if any are needed. Any help or guidance would be great!

This pilot has achieved some excellent footage on the Mavic Air 2 (that I fly, also) and he has some excellent editing tips, as well …….

I shall try some myself. Always good to learn! ????

 

[Robert Mitchell]

I’m a professional photographer and have photographed fireworks for years. Colin above, is correct. F16 or 11 is best, iso100, and enough time (5-10) seconds to record the burst. No filters should be used, they only cut the already limited light. Here’s the tricky part. Unless you only want to record the burst, without foreground or background reference, you will be getting other landscape/objects recorded in addition. It is the balancing of those other things which is a challenge. Depending on the remaining ambient light, time of evening, etc, you will need to adjust your shutter speed to accommodate those ambient conditions. Take a few test shots near showtime to establish a baseline exposure. If your shutter speed is then long enough to capture your intended bursts you should be ok at the aforementioned aperatures Remember, fireworks are quite bright (thus the small aperture and iso) but they trace their path across your sensor thus not over exposing. If you are only interested in the actual burst without regard to any background, these settings should give a good exposure, and sufficient time for a burst or two. It is a balancing act to be sure. Good luck snd let us know how it goes.

 

[Robert Mitchell]

I'm not worried so much about the photography as I am about the physical movement and safety of the drone. I have yet to fly it at night and I am worried about the sensors and how much city lighting I'll need around the drone for it to fly correctly. Any suggestions?

Obviously you will need to scope it out in daylight, determine your required minimum altitude. The drone will fly fine without sensors but obstacle avoidance will be useless, and can be fooled by the bursts, so disable it. Remember your strobes, ensure that you have strong satellite coverage and you will be fine. Orientation will be tricky, so trust your screen.
Also remember the rule regarding flights over people and plan your flight paths over buildings and wooded areas to avoid this.

 

[Robert Mitchell]

I would have thought even a 1 second shutter might create blurred fireworks ?
Surely you need open aperture, lower shutter speed, and a little faster ISO (but only just high enough) ?

Just had a look through YouTube tutorials, found this one . . . he recommends night filter and 1 sec shutter.

Might be something in there you can take away.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, long exposures do not blur the fireworks. They are recorded by tracing a path across your sensor as the burst progresses. As long as the camera is reasonably steady, you’re good. Fireworks are actually quite bright, thus the lower iso and aperture required. More than a second or two is needed to ensured burst capture.

 

[Slade]

Check out You Tube. Lots of helpful videos on using drones.

 

[66427cobra]

Contrary to conventional wisdom, long exposures do not blur the fireworks. They are recorded by tracing a path across your sensor as the burst progresses. As long as the camera is reasonably steady, you’re good. Fireworks are actually quite bright, thus the lower iso and aperture required. More than a second or two is needed to ensured burst capture.

Yes...but I think movement of the drone will. Have to pray for no wind.

 

[Robert Mitchell]

Yes...but I think movement of the drone will. Have to pray for no wind.

You will be amazed how steady the M2P is even with some wind. Remember, you are already shooting a “moving” subject. Unless you are also recording a dimly lit stationary object, this wont be an issue. Drones actually make pretty good tripods, due to the exceptional gimbal stabilization.