Fireworks Outside Our Condo

It’s a good thing that Eliot keeps his cameras ready on his desk for any action that happens outside our windows. He has captured fires, car accidents, new cruise liners, low-flying sea planes, and boating accidents. Tonight without warning, we had a magnificent fireworks display. 

We see a multitude of fireworks every New Year’s Eve and Fourth of July. Tonight was different. Someone planted a barge right in Biscayne Bay next to the MacArthur Causeway to produce a private celebration. It was spectacular. We have no idea what the celebration was for, but we enjoyed the spontaneous show. Thank you, whoever you are. 

A Smartphone Camera Tip

Steve Greenberg, the Innovation Insider, read my post the other day about how to take the best fireworks photos. Steve quickly called me to say that he has taken some great fireworks photos with his iPhone and wanted to offer a suggestion. I bet this holds true for Android as well.

“When taking a picture with an iPhone, it’s important to understand that the
shutter snaps the image when your finger is REMOVED from the button NOT when
you touch the button– so for the ultimate photo control, set up your
picture with your finger resting ON the shutter button– then when you see
that perfect picture in the view finder, REMOVE your finger from the
button– SNAP– you’ve got the perfect picture.”

Thank you Steve for sharing.

How To Shoot Fireworks

Eliot finally gave me some of the pictures of the fireworks that he took from our balcony on the 4th of July in Miami Beach, FL. While it is not very difficult to photograph fireworks, you have to know what you are doing in order to capture them without a blur. Sometimes you can get lucky and get great shots. Most of the time, your photos come out fuzzy or dark.

The most important thing you have to do is keep your camera steady. It is very difficult to take pictures holding your camera. The camera should be on a flat surface or preferably a tripod. Using a flash sometimes gives you good results but you have to be close enough to the action to make it work.

One more suggestion: adjust your camera shutter speed. Most digital cameras have this feature. All you have to do is set the exposure time between three and five seconds. This will capture more of the action and the results will look a whole lot better.

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