Grasstree Photography is proud to announce we will be running a Fireworks Workshop on September 3 in front
of the magnificent Brisbane Riverfire Festival.

David and Kane have photographed Riverfire on numerous occasions, they know the best place to get that priceless shot.

“Dump and Burn” by David de Groot

We will guide you through the necessary settings and techniques to photograph fireworks – not just at Riverfire, but anywhere.

What You Get

• Experienced photographic help on hand to help you get that magic shot – there is a 30 minute window of fireworks, we will help you snap beautiful fireworks shots.
• Optimal vantage point for getting the best shots.
• Some food and drinks provided.

Cost

$250.00 per person (4 students maximum).

“The Waterfall” by Kane Gledhill

You should be able to arrive between 1pm and 3pm. Any later and access will be difficult, so plan on spending 7 hours on site.

“The Waterfall” by Kane Gledhill

Minimum Equipment Requirements

Shooting fireworks requires a DSLR camera. Your camera must fit into at least the following range of cameras:

• Canon 300D to 550D, 1000D
• Canon 10D to 50D
• Canon 7D, 5D, 1D/1Ds
• Nikon D40 to D90, D100 to D300s, D700, D1 to D3 (including s, x and h variants)

If you are unsure if your camera will be suitable please contact us before making a booking.

While it is possible to get excellent results with a film SLR, this is not offered due to the lack of immediate feedback.

You will need:

• A sturdy tripod. “Video” tripods are not recommended.
• A remote release, either wired or infrared.
• A small torch is highly recommended as the location is quite dark after the event and very busy. A torch ensures you leave with all the gear you brought with you.
• A wide angle lens. This means for the most part, a lens in the range of 10mm to 24mm for most cameras (or 16 mm to 35mm for full frame cameras – if you don’t know if you have a full frame camera, assume you don’t).

Missing any of this equipment? Contact us early and we may be able to arrange a hire for the day (at extra cost to you).

And, of course, there is more to Riverfire than just the fireworks…

“The Roulettes” by David de Groot

Mother Nature puts on an amazing display during the night while most of us are indoors asleep or watching TV. With our ‘Star-trails and Night Photography’ workshop you will learn how to shoot long exposures, and capture the brilliant colours of the night sky and stars, using the moon as the main light source. You do not need to be an expert to attend! We will walk you through each stage.

Topics Covered/Techniques

• Camera settings – where to start.
• Focusing in the dark.
• Avoiding lens fog.
• Understanding the night sky and finding key star formations.
• Learning how to use the moon as your light source.

During the night we will cover the two main techniques to shooting star trails (Image stacking, and long exposure). We will show you the difference between the two techniques and help you decide which will work best for you.

Time

This workshop runs for approx four (4) hours, including setup, shooting and a post production example. Depending on how the shoot is going and the conditions shooting time and subject may vary.

Locations

We have searched high and low to find great locations for night photography. The hard work is done! Because the stars and night sky look best away from the city some travel is required to attend this workshop. Exact workshop location will be advised closer to workshop date (please allow up to 1 hours driving time between Brisbane and workshop location).

Equipment Required

• Torch (a head torch is fine).
• Folding chair.
• Warm clothes and sturdy closed in shoes.

Star trail and night photography is considered an advanced subject, which means you need to have a fairly decent camera (almost any camera will work, but the best results are achieved with the following range of cameras)

• Canon 400D, 450D, 500D, 550D, 1000D, (xxxD, xxxxD)
• Canon 30D, 40D, 50D, 7D,  5D or 1D, (xxD / xD)
• Nikon D300 (Dxxx)
• Nikon D700, D3,  (Dx)

It is also recommended that you have a wide or ultra-wide lens with a distance scale on it (usually a small window on top of the lens with distance markings in it). Focussing at night can be tricky without one.

Contact us if you have questions regarding your equipment. Please make sure your camera has full manual control, including the ability to:

• Change your camera ISO settings
• Set a fixed f/stop
• Allow you to shoot in bulb mode.

You will also need a bulb release cable, which will allow you to control the length of your exposure – if you don’t have one let us know as we have a number of spares and may be able to accommodate you.

Student to Instructor Ratio

We want to make sure you get the most out of our workshops, so we are committed to keeping this class size to no more than four (4) students. This means we can spend more time with you one on one. There are times when we will give group instructions and times when we work one on one.

Feedback

We are photographers, just like you, and your feedback is always valued. Feedback helps us provide a better workshop.

Timing

The timing of this course is variable – because it is weather dependant, we run it on a night with a clear sky.
This means it may be run a couple of days either side of the advertised date – after you book, we will keep you up to date with plans in the week prior to the course.