Fireworks Displays are something that evoke a lot of emotion in people as they are not only beautiful and spectacular to watch but they also are often used to celebrate momentous occasions

One of the most difficult parts of photographing fireworks is working out where to aim your camera. The challenge you’ll face in doing this is that you generally need to aim your camera before the fireworks that you’ll be photographing goes off - anticipation is key. Here are a few points on getting your framing right.

Check out the location before hand. Planning is imperative with fireworks and getting to the site early in order to get an excellent, unobstructed spot is important. Keep in mind what is in the foreground and background of your shots and ensure you won’t have people’s heads popping up into your shots. Also think about what effect you’ll have on those around you.

Try to determine in what area the fireworks are being set up and into what area of the sky they will most likely to shot into. Check with those who are organizing or setting up for the event if possible for this information if you cannot tell yourself. Also decide on what focal lengths you might want to use and select the right lenses now as opposed to during the firework show.

Keep an eye on the horizons. Always consider if your camera is even or straight in its framing when lining up your firework shots. This will be especially critical when shooting with a wide focal length to include other background elements into your shot. When getting your camera on your tripod make sure it’s level from the time you set up.

Vertical or Horizontal? - There are two main ways of framing shots in all types of photography, vertically (portrait) or horizontally (landscape). Both can work in fireworks photography but I personally find a vertical perspective is better - particularly as there is a lot of vertical motion in fireworks. Horizontal shots can work if you’re going for more of a landscape shot with a wider focal length of if you’re wanting to capture multiple bursts of fireworks in the one shot - but I don’t tend to go there that often.

Keep your framing in mind. Since I find myself watching the sky directly more when photographing fireworks instead of looking through my viewfinder, it is important to remember what framing you have set and watch that part of the sky. This will help to raise your level of anticipation of the shot as you will see the light trails of unexploded rockets being launched into the night.

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Flexibility is abundant in the Photoshop CS2 Program. With the wide range of features this program has to offer, it can rise to meet any demand you could give it. Not only can Photoshop CS2 offer great effects for your images, you can also transform text from the ordinary to the extraordinary.

Photoshop’s Warp Text feature enables you to wrap or bend text around an object in your image to make eye-catching, customized banners or headlines. Additionally, you can warp text in either the horizontal or vertical direction to give your text a distinctive look and feel. There are many ways to manipulate text in Photoshop images, but this will give you a place to start, especially if you’ve never worked with Photoshop’s text features before.

First, open an image to which you want to add text. Choose the horizontal text tool from the toolbar and click the image near to where you want to position your text. Type in the text you would like to add. You can also add the more traditional style enhancements such as bold, italics or underline to your text while in text mode.

Once you’ve finished adding text, select and right-click it to open the contextual menu. Select Warp Text…to open the Warp Text dialogue box. Within this box, you can select from a number of pre-defined text warps using the Style pull-down menu. Select the warp that comes closest to the effect you’re trying to achieve. If you’re not sure about the kind of warp you want, you can try some out to see what effect they have on your image text.

There will be several sliders under the Style pull-down that will allow you to make fine-tuning adjustments to the warp effects. You can change the horizontal and vertical distortion and the text bend here. An option to using the sliders is to enter a percentage value for these properties. Once you have reached the effect desired, simple click OK and the Warp Text effect will be applied to your image.

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Fireworks Displays are something that evoke a lot of emotion in people as they are not only beautiful and spectacular to watch but they also are often used to celebrate momentous occasions

Figuring out where to aim your camera can be one of the most complicated factors in photographing fireworks. The difficulty lies in that you will typically need to aim the camera prior to the fireworks to be photographed go off. Anticipating the moment is essential. Note the following tips to get your framing right.

Know the locations included in where the fireworks will be held. Planning is vital with fireworks and arriving to the site early will provide you the chance for the best, unobstructed view possible. Remember to think of what will appear in both the foreground and background of your shots. Make sure that people’s heads will not be an issue and be considerate of your impact on those around you.

Be aware of where the fireworks will be launched from and into what are of the sky the will be shot to. If possible, ask those who are preparing for the show for information on what the event will consist of. Also consider what focal lengths you might want to use and select suitable lenses at this time as opposed to in the middle of the show.

Watch your Horizons - One thing that you should always consider when lining up fireworks shots is whether your camera is even or straight in it’s framing. This is especially important if you’re going to shooting with a wide focal length and will get other background elements in your shots (ie a cityscape). Keeping horizons straight is something we covered previously on this site and is important in fireworks shots also. As you get your camera on your tripod make sure it’s level right from the time you set up.

How do you choose vertical or horizontal? There are two main ways of framing shots in all types of photography, vertically (portrait) or horizontally (landscape). Although both can be used in fireworks photography, I myself find a vertical perspective is better, mostly because there is a lot of vertical motion in fireworks. Horizontal shots will work if you are aiming for more of a landscape shot with a wider focal length or if you want to capture multiple bursts of fireworks in the one shot.

Keep your framing in mind. Since I find myself watching the sky directly more when photographing fireworks instead of looking through my viewfinder, it is important to remember what framing you have set and watch that part of the sky. This will help to raise your level of anticipation of the shot as you will see the light trails of unexploded rockets being launched into the night.

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