How to take the perfect photo of New Year's Eve
It's that time of year again, the turn of the year is just around the corner. Do you already have a plan for how you're going to spend New Year's Eve? A big party, a city trip or would you rather spend it in the comfort of your own home? In any case, New Year's Eve is the perfect time to photograph the fireworks. Poor lighting conditions and a fleeting subject: photographing fireworks is a bit of a challenge for amateur photographers. To make sure that nothing goes wrong with your photo, we have collected some tips and tricks for you in this article so that you can take a magnificent picture. The teaser photo in this article was taken by our photo trainer Eugen Kamenew during the fireworks photography workshop. The other fireworks pictures come from: Erwan Hesry, Daniel Olah, Zuza Galczynska, Ian Schneider and Warren Wong.
Tip 1: Location and framing
Before New Year's Eve, think about where you want to photograph the fireworks from. A successful fireworks photo not only shows the colorful lights in the sky, but also incorporates the surroundings and reflects the mood. Select the image section so that, for example, well-known buildings or bridges can be seen. For all D?sseldorf photographers, the Rheintum, one of the Rhine bridges or the Tonhalle are suitable motifs. These reference objects also create a size comparison with the fireworks. (scale shot) When choosing a location, also make sure that there are no distracting stray lights in the picture. Expert tip: Is your chosen subject illuminated? All the better, but be careful! The exposure of the fireworks can be so long that your subject becomes too bright. Trigger the shutter several times: Once so that the exposure of the reference object is correct and again with a slower shutter speed for the fireworks. You can combine the two photos later in Photoshop
Tip 2: Leave your smartphone behind
Anyone can make Instagram stories and yes, it's probably New Year's Eve for everyone else too. Switch your smartphone to flight mode so you can still write to your friends and family the next morning. Of course, smartphones can also take good pictures, but they quickly reach their limits in poor lighting conditions. The camera you use should allow you to manually adjust the aperture, shutter speed and ISO value. When shooting in the dark, it is best to use a digital SLR- or System camera.
Tip 3: Make sure you have a stable surface
With a camera that has a very good image stabilizer (for example Olympus OMD), you can also take a snapshot at night freehand.
Long exposure times often lead to blurred shots. To get a good photo at night, you should use a tripod. Depending on the subject, it may make sense to use a particularly large or small tripod. If you don't want to carry a tripod around with you, find a stable surface on which you can place your camera.
Tip 4: Use the self-timer
To prevent camera shake, it's best to use the camera's internal self-timer or a remote shutter release. There are many different variants. Some cameras support a wireless remote shutter release with infrared, but a classic Remote shutter release is also suitable. Many newer cameras also support remote control using a smartphone. This variant has the advantage that you can also check your photo on your smartphone.
Tip 5: Keep the ISO value as low as possible
If you want to take a picture of fireworks, you have to contend with a dark environment and a long exposure time. As always, the lower the ISO number, the better the result. A low ISO reduces the image noise, but increases the exposure time. How high you can set the ISO depends largely on the camera you are using and should be tested beforehand.
To ensure that as much light as possible hits the sensor, you should open the aperture. Depending on the image composition, values between F 1.2 and F 8 are suitable
Tip 6: Choose the right exposure time
There is no perfect exposure time for a fireworks photo. With a long exposure time, you can conjure up longer light trails of the rockets in the picture than with a short one. However, a few seconds can be enough to capture a single firework. It's best to try out what you like beforehand. With the bulb mode, you don't have to commit to a time before shooting, but can determine the length of the shutter release depending on the situation or use the mode to find the ideal time. Expert tip: Some Olympus cameras have the "Live Composite" function. This gives you the opportunity to see how the image is developing on the screen during shooting. All you have to do is release the shutter when the photo is correctly exposed or the light trails look good.
Tip 7: Use the continuous shooting function
As you can't know when the fireworks will light up most magnificently, it's difficult to find the ideal moment for the photo. Therefore, use the continuous shooting function on your camera for faster shutter speeds. If you take several pictures in succession, there is a good chance that you will get a great snapshot. Some cameras have other helpful functions to find the perfect moment, such as "pre burst". The camera then shoots before you press the shutter button.
Tip 8: How to get your photo in focus
Night is the enemy of autofocus. When things need to be done quickly, older cameras in particular cannot find a focus point. Therefore, focus manually on the subject of the photo. Illuminated buildings are perfect for this. Use the magnification (magnifying glass) to check the sharpness. If you do not have a reference object in the photo, it is usually sufficient to set the manual focus to infinity.
Tip 9: Don't trust a display.
Especially with night shots, the photo often looks better on the camera display than later on the monitor or in print. It is therefore best to zoom in to check whether you have selected the right focus point, the sharpness is correct and there is not too much noise. You can check the exposure with the histogram. Pay particular attention to the left edge, as this is where the dark areas of the image are shown. You can check the result even better if you have connected your camera to a smartphone or tablet and check the quality on the larger display.
Tip 10: Fireworks aren't just in the sky
Anyone who thinks great fireworks pictures can only be taken in the sky is mistaken, because touching moments can also be captured on the ground. You don't necessarily need a tripod for this, but rather an open aperture Lens. A 50mm fixed focal length is perfect for this
