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Fireworks are difficult. I'd taken 264 snaps and I'd say only 60 were worthwhile. And even then, many of them were too "busy".
Forget the throwaway point'n'shoot cameras and don't get me started on those grotescue Advantix cameras... (Advantix' negatives are less than 1/2 the size of 35mm. Even Advantix panoramic pics (4x10") are visibly grainy, meaning they can't be enlarged and remain looking nice. And if the loading mechanism jams, you'll lose the film in the process. Don't forget, Advantix allows you to process some film, expose it, and use the rest later. It's a nice idea, but in our throwaway cheaply-built society, it's not worth having.)
Nothing less than a SLR camera is needed, especially if you're a distance away (e.g. 1/2 mile away). Preferably one with a lens that'll cover wide angles and close distances, but you want something that'll get the flares and maybe the ambient background scenery if it's regal enough. (that cathedral is regal enough, though why they didn't aim the fireworks to appear over the capitol building is beyond me...)
And if you're near cars or street lamps, put on the lens attachment that blocks out light from the angles. I forgot what it's called, but the attachment is round and extends out at least 1 inch. Glare is bad! :-)
Don't use a flash, ever! That'll do nothing at best, and create a gray background at worst. I had a few pics, fortunately very mediocre ones anyway, ruined because a person 20 feet from me used a point'n'shoot camera with flash. Although I could correct the gray, it's better to have an ounce of prevention over a pound of proverbial cure that may not work anyway.
The key is to use a slow speed film (ISO 100 or 200) with a lower f-stop (f8 for ISO 100, f11 for ISO 200). Don't use a fast film (ISO 400, 800, 1600) with a higher f-stop (<8. The lower the # means the greater amount of light goes through the lens, which in turn overexposes the colored light and makes it all white.)
Add in good timing (starting ideally when no fireworks are launched and taking a mental picture at the same time and guessing when to close the shutter).
And get a manual REMOTE shutter release, not to forget a tripod to keep the camera sturdy on... wobbling with an open shutter is the problem here.
It can get very expensive, mostly because of timing and angle. (also use Fuji film to capture blues and greens; Kodak puts emphasis on reds and skin tones... slide film also works the best but costs MUCH more to buy and MUCH MUCH more to develop. Top quality 35mm film plus Photoshop to enhance the colors works best. Also note, these images came from prints. I am going to re-scan the negatives and do better color correction/enhancement...)
To see all the pics, go to www.thermodynamic-online.com/photography for the main menu. (I do need to look at all the categories and weed out the worst pics... Mixing the mediocre with the good isn't exactly helpful... :D )
But I'm not an expert yet. I had done some photos of my parents' cats. I had to use the flash because the interior light was awful and faster film (ISO 800 or 1600) is just too grainy for my liking. I found that removing kitty red-eye (or yellow-eye depending on how the cat's eyes are) is virtually impossible to do convincingly.
Good luck!
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