B (142)

BETTER PhOTOGRaPhY

95

MaRCh 2015

While you always

need to be careful of

foreground clutter

on a stage, you can

use it effectively in

your composition.

I made this picture during the National Day

celebration in Qatar, when a whole day of festivity

ends with fi reworks in the evening.

Long before the fi reworks began, I checked the

exposure setting and kept the aperture wide open.

I underexposed my frame by two stops. I did this

because when the fi reworks start, the bright lights

would overexpose the frame if I had kept it at the

shutterspeed being suggested by the camera.

Fireworks are always spectacular on their own,

but adding a simple element in the foreground can

make them even more attractive. I decided to focus on

the boat in the frame. I chose the widest focal length of

the lens and positioned my camera accordingly.

I try to make as many pictures as I can at the

beginning of the show as the smoke ends up ruining

the background later.

— Sanjiban Ghosh

READER’S Tip

Capturing fireworks in all Their Glory

i made this picture with a nikon D5100 and a nikkor 18–55mm f/3.5-5.6G Vr at a shutterspeed of 1/40 sec.

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the artists face. You will also need a fast

shutterspeed if you want to freeze the

artist’s motion, which will require you to

shoot with the aperture wide open and at

a higher ISO.

observing helps

Before you start photographing, watch

how the artists perform for a while.

Every person will move a certain way and

will have their own postures, expressions

and signature moves. Observe these as

it will help you anticipate and capture a

great moment!

not Just the Stage

People at concerts are usually very

happy and charged at being at a live

performance. Train your lens on the

crowd and capture their highs and lows

as they let themselves go with the music.

You could capture the movement of

swaying hands or even isolate one person

in the moving crowd.

Sanjiban Ghosh

Akshay Samarth