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LEARN SHARE DISCOVER P H OTO G R A P H Y THINGS TO DO IN JULY
JUNE 16– JULY 4: SUMMER FEST AT THE RIVERFRONT JULY 11: 2ND ANNUAL ALL BRITISH CAR SHOW AT CANADIAN TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM JULY 16 - JULY 17: 8TH ANNUAL WALKERVILLE ART WALK, WALKERVILLE BIA
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Monthly feature: Photographing Fireworks, an article by Garry Black GARRY BLACK is, for the most part, a self-taught photographer. That meant a lot of trial and error and that was back in the days of film, which unfortunately he wasted lots of. He had started photography as a hobby, but in 1986, he decided to devote his time and energy to photography on a full time basis. He had discovered that with photography he had found a medium that enabled him to express his creative abilities. He has been teaching photographic workshops since 1984 and today is regarded as one of Canada's leading creative
photographers as well as one of the top selling stock photographers. Garry and his wife Valerie live in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada - that is when they're not off on a trip somewhere. We always have a list of new places that we have to see. As we visit one and cross it off the list, there always seems to be many more new ones on the list. It never ends, the more we travel the more we realize that there's a lot more to see. His travels have taken him from coast to coast in Canada and the United States, as well as the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, Asia and Africa. He teaches various photography workshops and presents seminars, slide programs on a limited basis. (See article on pages 2-3)
Upcoming Events: June 2010
JULY 10 - JULY 25: THE WINDSOR FRINGE ARTS FESTIVAL, DOWNTOWN WINDSOR
The 52nd Annual Target Fireworks
Come and see us on Thursday, June 24th from 7pm to 10pm for Mosaic. Bring your camera!
Monday, June 21st, 10:06 pm
JULY 17 - JULY 18: ALL CAR CLUB WEEKEND SHOW AND COUNTRY DANCE, CANADIAN TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM
For tips on how to shoot fireworks please see article on page 2– 3 from Garry Black.
Monthly meeting Join us in our new home at Escape Café, 1521 Riverside Drive West on Monday, June 28th at 6:30pm Bring your prints for show and tell.
Photos courtesy of Malcolm Campbell
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Photographing Fireworks
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There is nothing like experience to gain a better feel of what your pictures will look like when photographing fireworks. Some of them just don't photograph well, either because of the pattern they create or because of their brightness - they end up being over exposed. I have photographed many fireworks displays, here are some helpful recommendations which I have come up with, that should increase your odds of capturing that perfect shot. Remember that every shooting situation is unique and contains its own set of variables. The best advice that I can give you is to go out to a location that has regular displays of fireworks and shoot lots of film. That way the next time you go back to that location you will have learned from your mistakes and Garry Black, Fireworks
‘Go out to a location that has regular displays of fireworks and shoot lots of film. That way the next time
successes. THE BASICS Tripod Don't leave home without it! Typical exposure times will run anywhere from 2 to 30 seconds or even longer. If you find yourself at an event that ends off with an unexpected fireworks display and you don't have your tripod, forget about hand-holding, bracing the camera against something solid or using a monopod. I've tried it a couple of times, it just doesn't work! Instead just watch and enjoy the fireworks. But if you are really compelled to try, I would suggest that you shouldn't try to keep the camera still. Instead, since you are going to have camera movement anyways, then you should make the camera really move. Try zooming during the exposure, or moving the camera in a circular motion, or moving the camera up and down, or even panning the falling light trails.
you go back to that location you will have learned from your mistakes and successes’
Garry Black Fireworks
Camera and Cable release I normally use 2 or 3 camera bodies with motor drives when shooting fireworks. With the motor drives advancing the film it allows you to keep you eyes on the fireworks rather than being diverted for several seconds as you otherwise would be manually advancing the film. It might not sound all that crucial, but as you gain more experience in shooting fireworks, you will realize that it is. Each one of the cameras that I use has a different focal length lens on it, that way I can get a variety of shots. Locking cable releases are essential. Even with your camera on top of a tripod, if you only use your finger to keep the shutter open, you run the risk of camera movement. Lenses My recommendation is to use zoom lenses. The focal length of the lens that you use, depends on where you are in relation to the fireworks and the composition you're looking for. When setting up your camera, aim it in the general direction of the sky where you figure the burst will occur. Focus your lens at infinity and then back it off a little. When the first burst goes up, focus on that burst and use that focus throughout. (continues on page 3)
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(continued from page 2)
1. If you're relatively close and what you're looking for are full framed shots of the bursts, then a telephoto in the 80mm to 200mm range is what you should be using. A word of warning here, this is probably the most difficult of all shots. You must have the head of the tripod loose enough so that you can follow the tracer through your viewfinder, but not so loose that the camera has no support from the tripod head. As it explodes, release the shutter and wait until all of the twinkling has disappeared before finishing your shot. 2. If you want to include most of the fireworks or an overall view of the scene, then a 28mm to 80mm lens will do the trick. Another word of warning here, take a good look to make sure that there are no buildings or any lights that may be behind the fireworks distracting from them. 3. If you want to include something in the foreground, such as people being silhouetted, then you'll want to use a wide angle zoom or even a prime wide angle, such as a 20mm to 35mm. You'll achieve a sense of perspective by including a landmark, it doesn't have to be famous, just something to give scale or depth to the image. Capturing the reflection of the fireworks over water is also another interesting approach. One last word of warning, make sure that you haven't left a filter on your lens, such as a polarizer, it has happened before - make sure it doesn't happen to you. Skylights or UV filters are OK. Film It never fails, every time that I have shot fireworks, someone always asks me "You must be using very fast film". That is probably the greatest misconception about photographing fireworks. I use Fuji Velvia (50 ISO) or Provia (100 ISO). I prefer Velvia due to it's contrast, which eliminates most if not all of the smoke that is created. Always load a new roll of film in your camera before you start photographing, I have found that for a "normal" fireworks show I will shoot between 25 and 36 exposures per camera body. You don't want to take a couple of minutes changing your film, the fireworks will be over before you know it! Exposure settings Set your shutter speed to BULB. Set your f/stop to the following: ISO 50 film . . . . . f/5.6 or f/8 ISO 100 film . . . . . f/8 or f/11
Garry Black, Fireworks
Exposure Times This is where experience really comes into play. A very rough guideline is: the wider the lens is that you are using, the longer the shutter should stay open. Basically if you have a full framed burst the exposure time will be 2 to 6 seconds, capturing several bursts 10 to 30 seconds. This might sound a little ambiguous but there are so many variables that there is no definitive answer. Some displays fire up bursts in rapid succession while others launch one at a time. What is the effect that you are looking for? You can easily overexpose your film by including too many bursts on one frame, as the fireworks overlap one another. If you only have a few bursts and they are small and lost in the frame, then your image will have little impact. With experience you will fine tune your technique and be capturing the effects that you are looking for!
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Become a better photographer Welcome to our monthly ‘How to’ series. A little know-how, top tips for great pictures
LOCK THE FOCUS * Lock the focus to crate a sharp picture of the off-centre subjects : centre the subject, press the shutter button half way down, re-frame your picture (while still holding the shutter button), finish by pressing the shutter button all the way. MOVE IT FROM THE MIDDLE * Bring your picture to life simply by placing your subject off-centre * Imagine a tic-tac-toe gird in your viewfinder. Now place the subject at one of the intersections of the lines * Since most cameras focus on whatever’s in the middle, remember to lock the focus on your subject before re-framing the shot KNOW YOUR FLASH’S RANGE * Pictures taken beyond the maximum flash range will be too dark * For many cameras that’s only ten feet - about ten steps away. Check your manual to be sure. * If the subject is further than ten feet from the camera, the picture may be too dark. WATCH THE LIGHT * Great light makes great pictures. Study the effects of the light in your pictures. * For people pictures, choose the soft lighting of cloudy days. Avoid overhead sunlight that casts harsh shadows across faces. * For scenic pictures, use the long shadows and color of early and late daylight. BE A PICTURE DIRECTOR * Take and extra minute and become a picture director, not just a passive picture taker * Add some props, rearrange your subjects or try a different viewpoint. * Bring your subjects together and let their personalities shine. Then watch your pictures dramatically improve.
Links for Things To Do in June cont’d from pg 1 Summer Fest Windsor 2nd Annual All British Car Show 8th Annual Walkerville Art Walk The Windsor Fringe Arts Festival All Car Club Weekend Show and Country Dance
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