Capture Fireworks Like You've Always Dreamed

Fireworks displays are certainly stunning and colorful. Capturing those moments with a camera is a challenge, though. Often times, you'll end up with shaky, blurry messes that hardly resemble what actually happened. This year, get stellar fireworks pictures.Watching fireworks go off on the 4th of July is always fun to do, but photographing them can sometimes be your biggest headache. Here are some digital photography tips for shooting fireworks pictures.

Use a tripod
I know, I know, I hate carrying those things around too. But when it comes to fireworks, you need them! They make a world of difference getting rid of camera shake, especially when using a long exposure time. Also, if you have a some sort of shutter remote, use it. Anything you have that will keep the camera still will improve your photos. If you don't already have one, get some tips on "Choosing the Right Tripod for Your Digital Camera."

Find a spot
Finding an area where to set up is another major factor in how your pictures will turn out. Try to arrive early and scout the area out. If possible, see if you can find out where the fireworks will be launched. This information will give you idea of where you need to be. While looking for a good spot keep in mind to avoid obstructions and weather, especially wind. Remember that wind will blow the smoke somewhere, so try to keep it out of your photos.
Also, try to avoid where a lot of people might be joining you. I'm sure you don't want the backs of heads in your photos or someone bumping into or kicking your tripod while you're tying to work. Try to stay away from the street or city lights. They can possible cause lens flare in photos. Make sure you don' have anything sneaking into your photo. Tree branches are especially good at that "Where's Waldo" thing.

It's all in the timing
Exposure/shutter speed is something you need to stay on top of when shooting fireworks. Usually, 1 to 4 seconds is good depending on what you're trying to do with the photo. Anything shorter and you may not get the full effect or the full bloom of the fireworks and anything longer you may just end up with a washed out image. You can keep your shutter speeds down by compensating on the ISO. Try to stay in ISO 50 or ISO 100. If you go higher, you'll start to introduce film noise and grain into photographs.

Stay focused
Setting your focus to infinity or landscape mode is also advisable if you don't want to take the time to manually focus your pictures. If your camera is equipped, put the setting to fireworks mode.

See the light
Bring a small flashlight. This will save you from losing your temper while trying to fiddle with your camera in the dark.

Don't get flashed
Turn your flash off. If you're camera won't allow you to turn it off, use some tape to cover it.

Memory for memories
Bring your memory cards! You don't want to run out of memory before the grand finale. While you're grabbing the extra memory cards, you may want to grab extra batteries.

Quality is crucial
Use your highest quality setting on your camera.

With these tips, you won't just walk away from Independence Day with memories, but with memory cards packed with high-quality images.
You Stay Classy,
~CH

Apple unviels "Aperture"

On October 20th, 2005, Apple Computers introduced Aperture, the first all-in-one post production tool that provides everything photographers need after the shoot. Aperture offers an advanced and incredibly fast RAW workflow that makes working with a camera’s RAW images as easy as JPEG. Built from the ground up for pros, Aperture features powerful compare and select tools, nondestructive image processing, color managed printing and custom web and book publishing.

“Aperture is to professional photography what Final Cut Pro is to filmmaking,” said Rob Schoeben, Apple’s vice president of Applications Marketing. “Finally, an innovative post production tool that revolutionizes the pro photo workflow from compare and select to retouching to output.”

“Until now, RAW files have taken so long to work with,” said Heinz Kluetmeier, renowned sports photographer whose credits include more than 100 Sports Illustrated covers. “What amazed me about Aperture is that you can work directly with RAW files, you can loupe and stack them and it’s almost instantaneous—-I suspect that I’m going to stop shooting JPEGs. Aperture just blew me away.”


Compare & Select Photo Tools
Unique compare and select tools in Aperture allow photographers to easily sift through massive photo projects and quickly identify their final selections. Aperture is the first application that automatically groups sequences of photos into easy-to-manage Stacks based on the time interval between exposures. In an industry first, Aperture allows photographers to navigate through entire projects in a full-screen workspace that can be extended to span multiple displays, tiling multiple images side-by-side for a faster, easier compare and select.


With Aperture’s Loupe magnifying tool, portions of images can be examined in fine detail without having to zoom and pan across large files. In addition, a virtual Light Table provides the ideal canvas for building simple photo layouts, allowing them to be arranged, resized and piled together in a free-form space.

RAW images are maintained natively throughout Aperture without any intermediate conversion process, and can be retouched with stunning results using a suite of adjustment tools designed especially for photographers. Aperture’s nondestructive image processing engine never alters a single pixel of original photos so photographers have the power and flexibility to modify or delete changes at any point in the workflow.


Create Multiple Versions of Images Without Duplicating Files
As Aperture allows users to create multiple versions of a single image without duplicating files, photographers can experiment without risk of overwriting the master image or using up large amounts of hard drive space. Aperture images can also be launched directly into Adobe Photoshop for compositing and layer effects.

Aperture features a complete color-managed pipeline with support for device specific ColorSync profiles and a set of high-quality output tools for photographers to showcase their work. Print options include customizable contact sheets, high-quality local printing and color- managed online prints. Aperture provides a deceptively simple layout environment where photographers can quickly create and order custom professional-caliber books and publish stunning web galleries.

Aperture makes it easy to back up an entire library of images with a single click and streamline complex workflows with AppleScript® and Automator actions.


Pricing & Availability
Aperture will be available in November through the Apple store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $499 (US). Full system requirements and more information on Aperture can be found at the Apple Web site.

I hope to be using this program very soon to improve my workflow,
You stay classy,
~CH