NikonGear'23

Images => People, Portraits, Street, PJ & Cityscapes => Topic started by: Akira on August 15, 2015, 14:47:23

Title: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: Akira on August 15, 2015, 14:47:23
This annual firework festival is held on August 15th.  It started as requiem for all the victims of the WWII.  My apartment offers a very good view of the larger fireworks, so shooting them has also become my annual event.

This time, the weather condition was just fine.  And the wind was just right: it is strong enough to blow the smoke away but tender enough to let the fireworks keep their shapes as designed.

The new "dehaze" function of Adobe CC2015 worked admirably to eliminate the smoke, which is an added bonus.
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: Fanie on August 15, 2015, 15:11:12
That's beautiful Akira, amazing combination of patterns and colors.
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: RobOK on August 15, 2015, 15:55:49
Nice, i like when the foreground is silhouetted, like the second and last.  Nicely done on all of them.
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: Akira on August 15, 2015, 15:56:25
Fanie, thanks.  The advanced technology of fireworks is amazing.  They now have fine control of not only the shapes but variety of color.  They are really beautiful and exciting.  :)
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: Akira on August 15, 2015, 16:00:19
Rob, thanks.  Every year I've used lenses of different focal length, but I've found a 200mm lens can offer better balance of view angle and composition from my place.  As you say, the tower and the building offer a very nice foreground.
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: Jakov Minić on August 15, 2015, 16:05:51
Akira, spectacular!
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: David Paterson on August 15, 2015, 18:13:18
Amazing colours, beautifully shot.
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: elsa hoffmann on August 15, 2015, 18:15:07
beautifully captured Akira
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: Frank Fremerey on August 15, 2015, 18:15:14
Perfectly executed shots of wonderful performance. Thank you
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: Jacques Pochoy on August 15, 2015, 19:06:56
Really nice shots ! A "bouquet" of fiery flowers  :)
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: Peter Connan on August 15, 2015, 21:30:32
Beautiful photos Akira!
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: Olivier on August 15, 2015, 21:34:30
Anemones in the sky!
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: Akira on August 16, 2015, 01:46:34
Thank you so much every body, for kind words.  Glad you enjoyed the images!

This time, the wind was modest, and the fireworks exploded fairly in the constant position.  So, the framing was less challenging.

They look indeed like beautiful flowers, and can inspire different things according to each personal sense of art, which is the reason for the attraction of fireworks, methinks.
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: Akira on August 16, 2015, 03:20:21
Some more...
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: armando_m on August 16, 2015, 05:05:54
Really terrific captures Akira! Thanks for sharing them
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: Mikes on August 16, 2015, 05:54:10
Spectacular captures, Akira. Great timing, and the colours are wonderful.

I am sorry that I missed Tokyo's fireworks this year - I have been enjoying the hot Tokyo summer from Sydney. Back there shortly.

Where were the fireworks located this year?
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: Akira on August 16, 2015, 05:54:52
Armando and Mike, thanks!  Glad you like them.
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: Anthony on August 16, 2015, 09:10:06
Really good firework images - not an easy subject.
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: stenrasmussen on August 16, 2015, 09:11:46
These are wondergood! Da A-man surely knows how to capture exploding things  :D
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: John Geerts on August 16, 2015, 09:31:46
Marvelous done, looked like you really had the front-row there ;)
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: Akira on August 16, 2015, 10:56:24
Anthony, thanks.  The fireworks are fun to shoot and experiment!

Sten, yeah, getting on the groove is da key!

John, thanks.  The tower and the buildings indeed give a nice sense of scale.
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: Roland Vink on August 16, 2015, 11:34:30
They are beautiful fireworks, very colorful. I remember taking a lot of fireworks pictures on film over several years. Mostly shot on Velvia, I set the camera to bulb and lens to f8, then just point in the right general direction, squeeze the shutter and hope for the best! A lot were duds but I managed to get some nice shots. Most were hand-held, and with exposures of a few seconds there was "camera shake" due to my pulse, but since the background was just black sky it did not matter and imparted a slight waviness to the fiery streaks which looked quite nice. You obviously used a tripod which was obviously the best choice in your situation - well done!
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: Rick Waldroup on August 16, 2015, 11:54:07
These are some of the best fireworks shots I have ever seen.  The use of the foreground buildings really make the shots as it gives them some scale and depth.  Great stuff.
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: Akira on August 16, 2015, 12:44:05
Roland, thanks.  I've never shot fireworks on films.  Needless to say, but that should be way, way more challenging than on digitals.  And yes, I did use a tripod!

Rick, thanks for kind words.  There was virtually no choice of shooting position.  So, I was just lucky to have a nice tower and some buildings in the foreground.
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: chris dees on August 16, 2015, 12:50:43
Roland, thanks.  I've never shot fireworks on films.  Needless to say, but that should be way, way more challenging than on digitals.  And yes, I did use a tripod!

Rick, thanks for kind words.  There was virtually no choice of shooting position.  So, I was just lucky to have a nice tower and some buildings in the foreground.

Beautiful images!
What lenses/settings did you use? (Exif is stripped).
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: Akira on August 16, 2015, 18:19:46
Beautiful images!
What lenses/settings did you use? (Exif is stripped).

Thanks, Chris.

I used a mint Ai-converted Nikkor QC 200/4.0 on D7000.  The basic setting is ISO100 and f11.  The shutter speed is, along with the timing, an essential factor for the shape of the light trails created by the stars of fireworks rather than the exposure value.  This time I selected 8sec. which can or should be varied according to the size of each firework.

The EXIF data are stripped when I "save for web" in Adobe CC2015.
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: chris dees on August 16, 2015, 19:37:08
Beautiful images!
What lenses/settings did you use? (Exif is stripped).

Thanks, Chris.

I used a mint Ai-converted Nikkor QC 200/4.0 on D7000.  The basic setting is ISO100 and f11.  The shutter speed is, along with the timing, an essential factor for the shape of the light trails created by the stars of fireworks rather than the exposure value.  This time I selected 8sec. which can or should be varied according to the size of each firework.

The EXIF data are stripped when I "save for web" in Adobe CC2015.

Thanks Akire.
I don't know in PS, but in LR it's a setting.
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: Akira on August 16, 2015, 19:51:41
Thanks Akire.
I don't know in PS, but in LR it's a setting.

Thanks, Chris.  I'll look into the setting of CC2015.  I never used LR, but the new "dehaze" in CC2015 works great to eliminate the smoke that marrs the fireworks.
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: elsa hoffmann on August 17, 2015, 00:45:02
.....but the new "dehaze" in CC2015 works great to eliminate the smoke that marrs the fireworks.

interesting..... That has me interested in CC.
How worth while do you find this specific feature?
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: Akira on August 17, 2015, 02:20:13
interesting..... That has me interested in CC.
How worth while do you find this specific feature?

Elsa, this is a comparison to show the effect of "dehaze" slider.  The only difference between these is the dehaze value.  The upper one is the same one as posted as the last image in the first batch, and its dehaze value is +60.  The lower one is the same image with no dehaze (value 0).

Notice the residual smoke is effectively removed.  I'm going to see if the "dehaze" can also remove the light pollution that always marrs the sky of night cityscapes in Tokyo.
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: elsa hoffmann on August 17, 2015, 02:29:51
Akira - thank you so much for posting the comparison shots.
I do think its very worth while - I have been contemplating going over to CC for the past 2 years - and here I am still sitting on PS6.
I am sure there are features I will enjoy - eg the de-haze and ACR as a filter -
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: Akira on August 17, 2015, 03:17:44
Akira - thank you so much for posting the comparison shots.
I do think its very worth while - I have been contemplating going over to CC for the past 2 years - and here I am still sitting on PS6.
I am sure there are features I will enjoy - eg the de-haze and ACR as a filter -

Elsa, I'm not advocate of any company, but CC2015 (to me, the photographer option) turned out to be very reasonable.  I also like the fact that the pre-existing functions keep being improved (like Photomerge, for example) whenever updates are ready.  Now that ACR has stopped supporting CS6, the move would be worthwhile.
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: elsa hoffmann on August 17, 2015, 08:37:37
Quote
Now that ACR has stopped supporting CS6, the move would be worthwhile.

I had an update to ACR earlier today - I think it was for newer models - but I was under the impression they weren't even going to do that for CS6.

Be it as it may - I believe you are right.
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: Akira on August 17, 2015, 08:42:07
I had an update to ACR earlier today - I think it was for newer models - but I was under the impression they weren't even going to do that for CS6.

Be it as it may - I believe you are right.

If the ACR is 9.1.1, then this is the last version that supports CS6, unfortunately.
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: Erik Lund on August 17, 2015, 11:55:49
Fantastic colours very well captured!
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: Akira on August 17, 2015, 12:39:51
Thanks, Erik!
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: ColinM on August 17, 2015, 22:39:36
I also like the fact that the pre-existing functions keep being improved (like Photomerge, for example) whenever updates are ready.

This is on the face of it a good thing. I guess like with any other type of new release, this can trigger the task of going back to older images and re-running RAW conversion & other PP.

When the updates may be happening more frequently (i.e. Adobe don't have to save them up for a release once or twice a year) does anyone feel this makes this reprocessing opportunity easier to miss?

Ok, yes this is a 'first world problem'
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: Akira on August 18, 2015, 04:06:15
Well, I would not be too demanding.  But so long as Adobe keeps the current price/service balance, I wouldn't complain.
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: Jørgen Ramskov on August 18, 2015, 12:32:30
Wow - these are fantastic!
Title: Re: Fireworks in Tokyo
Post by: Akira on August 18, 2015, 12:36:29
Jørgen, thanks!