Student Image From Loreen Wilson
Recently Pat Gee taught a fireworks workshop here at Samy’s. Pat works on the third floor of the Fairfax store selling cameras, lenses and accessories. He is also one of the Dodger’s photographers who shoots the fireworks shows. This workshop is part of our “Shoot Like A Pro” series where we have a pro photographer with a unique specialty share the secrets that they have learned in the field. The next workshop in this series is “Shoot Soccer Like a Pro” where we will shooting a private Chivas USA game on the practice field at Home Depot Center.
This workshop started in the classroom on a Sunday afternoon and then resumed in Pat’s secret spot above Dodger stadium on Friday night for the post-game fireworks display.
During the seminar portion of the workshop Pat gave these tips for shooting fireworks:
- Set the focus to manual
- Set the aperture around f:8 (smaller apertures create fat and mushy light trails)
- Set the shutter speed to bulb
- Use a tripod
- Use a remote shutter release to minimize vibration
- Frame the image to show background elements for scale
- Trigger the shutter when the fireworks are launched and hold it open for no longer than 8 seconds
- Try to capture multiple burst for more drama
- Try and get your shot early before the smoke builds up and diffuses the light
Student Image from Jerry H. Jacobs
