Thanks to some tips from this forum, I got a couple of decent shots tonight. Used a monopod and my k100d



28mm Kiron, f8, 4 seconds



50mm M 1.7, f8, 4 second



50mm M 1.7, f8, 4 seconds

[brecklundin]

In your shots, the fireworks are exposed, but everything else is black, use longer shutter speed to brighten surroundings.

First that is NOT my photo so I have not idea what you are thinking there as you are replying to me not the OP. Next, you assume your personal preference is the way all shots must be taken. I personally feel the way a shot is setup is dictated by the venue or location. In many cases the foreground can be uninteresting, ugly, or not illuminated require extremely long exposures which would ruin the rest of the shot. But I guess as long as the foreground is to your personal liking the shot will be a good one.

You have to take the shot that is there not the one you wish was there....learn it, love it....live it.

More photos (not mine, found on google) which demonstrates better how to use surroundings to improve comp.

Not sure about the forum rules of using another person's images in your post, even if you do cite and credit the photographer. So I left them out of the quote.

Anyway, the images you used illustrate my point exactly...they have INTERESTING foregrounds worthy of inclusion. Yet at the same time a busy foreground can distract from the geometric interest in the pattern generated by the fireworks explosion. It all comes down to what a person is trying to show in a shot...and in that light, there is no right or wrong, only opinion. And this case my opinion is you are not thinking the issue through enough but are parroting something you read somewhere. Kind of like the "...if it is on TV is must be true..." applied to reading about photography. So all fireworks shots must show all of the foreground no ifs ands or buts.

Please start a thread with your shots of fireworks or other similar scenes so we can see the 'correct' way to take all shots. In fact why not approach the mods asking to write a whole article on the right way to shoot. I imagine it will be illuminating to say the least.

[mediaslinky]

Back to the original topic, I found one of last years attempts, which I thought was pretty good back then...



It doesn't hold a "candle" to this year.

Thanks again for the advice shared in this forum.

This is another from the other night. Not my favorite, but shows the water in the foreground. 28mm Kiron, f8, 4 seconds. ISO 200 on all these from this year by the way.

[Cosmo]

Wow, some people on this place are really on edge.

Sorry, I thought you were the thread started.

I know you don't always get to shoot in the perfect environment, like my photo I posted, it was literally a field, a crowd and some fireworks, so I did the best I could with what I had, and I like the results. There's always something to work with.

I'm no expert on firework photography, I don't read up about it, I've done it once. I looked at the OP photos, thought about them and posted how I thought they could be improved. I didn't mean for it to sound like it was the definitive way to shoot fireworks. I was trying to leave constructive comments to help the OP improve. You have a different opinion, you can leave your own ways to help the OP improve his/her photos.

EDIT: To brecklundin