Fireworks squiggly

CCoop

Happy 4th of July! ... except not so happy with squiggly fireworks! Can anyone help with explanation of why the fireworks streams are undulating, or suggestions on how to improve. Here's the shot
1.


and now a 100% crop ...
2.


Certain unchangeable things were against me:
-2 miles away from subject
-big tele-zoom at 200 mm on crop body
-rain, mist
-shot from a tall parking deck

I was on a tripod and turned OFF the IS
ISO 200
f8
2 sec exposure
remote trigger
Canon XTi, 55-250 IS (kit)

Thanks for looking!
CCoop

Sorin

I bet it is reverberations for the impact of the fireworks BOOMing.

kdog

Your camera was wiggling. Long lenses magnify camera movement and so are more demanding of a stable platform. I'll bet the entire parking deck was shaking. They shake and flex much more than you probably realize. It's also possible that your tripod isn't stable enough for that body/lens combination and that you were imparting some movement into your setup either by slightly tugging on the remote cable or by touching the camera and not allowing enough time for the vibration to damp out. Either way, using IS probably would have improved the results. IS only messes up shots when the lens has no movement at all, which clearly was not the case here. Next time shoot directly on the ground and be very careful not to impart any movement into your setup. Having a really good tripod helps too. There's a reason some of us invest $1,000+ in our tripods.

CCoop

I think you're right on two counts: my tripod is f-l-i-m-s-y to say the least. And there were lots of other people and a few cars on the deck to make micro movements. I wish I had left IS on! Thanks.

kdog

Live and learn. My first fireworks shoot looked just like yours.

pathfinder

I tried shooting fireworks from an iron bridge one year - but everytime a car rolled across I got squiggles in my shots, but not without traffic.

So car movement, or even sonic booms themselves, or both.

You really need your tripod firmly on the ground, not a manmade structure unless it is solid granite or something.

DonRicklin

Wouldn't the buildings in the first images be softer if there was that much vibration for these wiggles. Personally I thought many embers in a fireworks spiraled infight, anyhow...


Don

MileHighAko

One of mine came out squiggly too. I figured that is just the type of fireworks used.

puzzledpaul

kdog wrote: »

There's a reason some of us invest $1,000+ in our tripods.

... or even a 1/10 of that when bought used ...

pp

CCoop

This is what I got last year, shooting in clear weather, very near the fireworks launch pad, no squiggles ...
3.

Canon XTi
18-55 IS Kit lens at 18 mm
IS turned ON
ISO 100
f5.6
1.5 sec
****handheld****
No squiggles. So what I was hoping for this year was a wider view including the surrounding buildings for context.

DonRicklin

I've always done mine on a good Manfrato on solid ground and some images have squiggles and dome don't. I still think it depends on the fireworks.

: shrug

Don


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DonRicklin

Check out the series at http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=201260. Some squiggly, some not!

Don

pathfinder

Some fireworks are themselves squiggly as you say Don.

But they should look sharp squiggly, not blurry squiggly, shouldn't they?

And stationary background objects should not be squiggly. The buildings in the OP image are not sharp either.

CCoop

Thanks, all, for your comments and help. I always find this forum helpful and informative!


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