Can someone please tell me what it means when people say to use a hat to cover the lens when taking photos of fireworks? Wont it show it a hat in the picture? how would I take good long exposure photos of fireworks using just an olympus digital camera?
the first rule is to control light.
get out of the city. too many light sources there.
find a fireworks show in a rural area with as few spectators as possible.
position yourself away from other people and dont put them in the background either. having them behind you and off to one side works best.
all of this simply reduces potential sources of light that will interfere with your photos.
beyond that…. you just have to learn to get your camera out of auto and other preprogrammed modes. use aperture and shutter speed to your advantage. using a lens hood can help. dont use filters that limit available light from the subject. use a tripod for long exposures. make sure you have a great lens!
good luck.
You really can't take good photos with a point and shoot. You cannot control shutter speed. To get the nice streaks, the shutter has to be open for longer. take a look at my fireworks photo here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28882854@N0…
The shutter was open for 3-4 seconds… and it was on a tripod. (Without a tripod, the photo would be really blurry)
With regard to the hat, there may be a trick into making the camera think there is less light, and thus, holding the shutter open for longer. However, I do not know what it is as I shoot with film.
How do i take good fireworks photos using a basic point and shoot digital camera?
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