Thursday, July 2, 2015

Fireworks | How I Capture Them

With the 4th of July just two days away, I thought I might share how I capture the beautiful, bursting, sparkling, lights. It's not hard, though I thought it would be, and there really are no rules! Have fun! That's what fireworks are all about, right?!?

None of these pictures are edited. You can see them completely as I took them... I also will be posting some of my bad, blurry pictures, because everyone takes a bad photo sometimes, but there is always a reason. And I will tell you my mistakes.
I haven't been photographing fireworks for very long, but here are just a few things that I've learned!

Location
I think the hardest thing is trying to find a good spot to set up. You'll want to make sure there aren't any street lights or anything to interfere with the light of the fireworks. It's a lot of light to handle! I know you can't change where the fireworks are, but sometimes changing your stand point can help a lot.
Because an awkward, yellow, glow in the corner of a photo isn't very conducive to a dramatic, exciting firework.

 Definitely a bad photo.  See how the light in the corner just made it worse? But that's not the only thing. My settings weren't right ( we'll talk about that next) and the moon kinda threw me off, too. I can't change that, though.

Settings
This is probably the most important part. There are so many parts that contribute to a good photo, and I recommend going completely manual. Scary! I know. It was for me, too. But you'll love yourself for it.

Shutter Speed
In the picture above my shutter was way to slow. It was at a 1/80 so it looks really streaky.
In the picture below my shutter is faster, so a little better. I suggest you keep your shutter speed around 1/100 or higher. Just remember, the faster the shutter speed, the lesser the light.


ISOBut it also looks a little grainy. Which sometimes is just how it is. But the reason is because my ISO is pretty high. The ISO is the sensitivity your camera has to light. The higher the number the harder your camera works for light, which is nice in dark situations, but you still get "noise" or grain. In this picture it is at 6400, the highest my camera will go. I recommend you keep it a little lower. Probably around 1600 or 3200.  

Aperture
Aperture controls the area in focus. A smaller number makes the background more blurred and also lets in more light. This helps a lot with the light, but won't matter to much for background in this case because it's only darkness. (Now I'm singing Batman's song...)
Just keep it around 5.6 or lower.




Just remember I didn't edit any of these. I always like to lighten my firework photos when I edit them. But I know I really did keep my ISO too high. Oh, well.


Keep it Steady
I used to pretty much hate tripods. They were a bit of a nuisance. But they really, truly are important! I didn't use one on any of the pics above. Therefore, a bit blurred. If you don't have a tripod on hand just any steady service will help.
The pics below are from last year. I used a tripod. It helps.



Bokeh
This is the best. It's really fun and the result is so cool. You'll always want to keep your camera on manual focus when photographing fireworks or sparklers, but especially when taking bokeh shots.


 This ones my fave...


I can't wait to do more firework photography! It will be so much fun! I hope you enjoyed these tips!
Good Luck!
Love,
Hagen



Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Bits of Spring

There are so many flowers blooming, birds flying, seeds in the garden sprouting.


 There is so much color and warmth and life.
                                        It's beautiful.
 I feel alive in Spring.
 There's so much to see, so much to do.

 Spring and Summer are my seasons. It's so refreshing coming out of cold, colorless winter and into a new realm of adventure and golden hues.


"That is one good thing about this world... there are always sure to be more Springs."
L.M. Montgomery


Love,
Hagen

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Oh, Dear Spring

Oh, dear Spring, I have waited for you for many long and dreary days.
 Are you finally here? Here to stay?
I see little daffodils popping up.
    Ladybugs coming out of hiding.


 SUNSHINE. Lovely sunshine.
             Blue skies.
                  Rain! Not snow, but rain.


I doubted you ever coming back again. Especially because of the sleet and brisk wind that swept up to us the moon of yesterday.



 But the sunshine has returned, and the birds are chirping once again.


 
Yes, I do believe you, dear Spring, are here to stay awhile.
Love,
Hagen

Monday, March 23, 2015

Odd & Ends {No.9}

Just a few bits of my life right now...

Guess what.
             The snow has all melted away!
                           I mean it. It is really gone!


I can see the grass again!

The sunshine. It is so warm.
          I thought I'd never see it again....
More pictures of Spring will be up soon....

One more thing, I've seen a lot of photographers name their cameras. It inspired me and I wanted to do so, also. So here is my dear camera's new name...
              Felicity.
I've always loved that name! Especially because Mrs.Fox from Fantastic Mr.Fox is named that.
       It means happiness, bliss.
It just seems so peaceful...


Whada ya think?
Love,
Hagen

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Snowy Days & A New Watermark

Winter decided to come late here in Missouri.
At least the sun is shining! 

The sparkling snow is beautiful. Especially in the evening sun.



Pops of color in the snow fall.



Have you noticed my new watermark? I felt like I needed something a little more professional and grown up.
Plus it matches my hand-made business cards, so its a win win.
 
What do you think of my new watermark?
Love,
Hagen

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Lovely Old Summer Days

The weather is dreary and cold.
I am sitting by the fireplace dreaming of the days of old.
(I'm a Poet, and didn't know it!)

As I sit, memories of Summer drift back to me.

 Dew drops, glistening in the sun...

 Butterflies, bees and dragon flies...




 Lovely sun-rays and sunsets...



All my recent photos are to grey to edit today.
I will count this as a New Year's post and this is the Recap of 2014.
      Pretty lousy recap... Oh well.

Love,
Hagen

Monday, January 5, 2015

Christmas// Lights

I love the way they twinkle.



 The way they glow




 How they set the tree aglow in a merry splendor.


 The way they blur into little, luminous globes.







How they reflect their beacon of radiance.

Merry (belated) Christmas.
With Love,
Hagen