Photo courtesey of vernon-ct.gov
Few photographic subjects frustrate me more than fireworks. No matter how hard I try, I am never quite able to capture more than one or two photos of fireworks that I am proud of.
One of the places I turned to while looking for advice on snapping professional-grade fireworks photos was a wiki.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a wiki simply as “a Web site that allows visitors to make changes, contributions, or corrections.”
And that’s essentially what it is — something a community on the Web creates and updates. Like anything else on the Internet, however, I remind you the information on a wiki is only as good as its sources and managers.
The most well-known wiki is Wikipedia, a collaborative encyclopedia.
When I worked as a news editor at NBCNewYork.com, all of our style and troubleshooting guides were available in a wiki. It is a very practical and interactive tool I encourage you to at least try.
But I digress…
The best wiki I discovered for this particular subject was from Wired.com — which also happens to be among my favorite technology-related Web sites.
In a nutshell, the wiki suggests:
- Using a slow shutter speed
- Using a tripod
- Get a shutter release cable
- Set the ISO to its lowest setting
- Dial in a low f/stop — specifically somewhere between f/8 and f/16
- Set focus to infinity
For more details on the points listed above, and for more tips, I encourage you to check out the wiki.
And, please, have a safe and enjoyable Independence Day weekend!
