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Making fireworks photos with your point-and-shoot camera

Photo enthusiasts often assume that it takes a high-end, professional camera with a broad range of manual settings -- and a tripod -- to make those cool, long-exposure images of fireworks and naturally-lit nighttime scenes. But with the quantum leap of technology and affordability in point-n-shoot cameras, most newer models have some sort of slow-shutter speed or fireworks mode that, with a few simple tricks, can accommodate your uber-creative photography needs.

All the photos you see here were shot on a pocket camera, a Canon s90 Powershot -- at night in low light conditions -- using shutter speeds ranging from 2 to 15 seconds. I was careful to stabilize the camera on whatever surfaces were available, without a tripod. The end result is a kind of painting-with-light effect, an altered perspective boasting super-saturated colors, surreal light bursts and unusual blurs.

Here are five tips to help in successfully shooting time-exposures on a pocket camera:

1) Find a slow-shutter setting on your point-n-shoot -- sometimes called "Fireworks," "Low Light" or "Night Scene." If your camera has manual shutter speeds, the slower the better.

2) Set your ISO to its lowest setting, usually 80 or 100. This may sound like contradictory advice, since ISO determines how sensitive your camera reacts to light; a lower number usually means your are shooting brighter, day-lit scenes. But the lower ISO -- in addition to producing better color and quality -- will force your camera's shutter speed to slow down, which is a good thing for time-exposures.

3) Turn off the flash. Again, that might sound confusing since it's a night scene. But remember, in time-exposures you are using the available, ambient light to illuminate your scene, not the camera's flash.

4) Stabilize your camera. No need to lug around a tripod, just make sure your camera is perfectly still on whatever surface you can find. A wall; the top of a car; the ground; whatever works as long as your camera has zero movement.

5) Set your camera to self-timer. Not to be confused with the shutter speed setting, the self-timer tells the camera to fire on a delay after you push the button. This can be crucial in minimizing blurring caused by vibration or shaking of the camera during a long exposure.

Finally, the most important tip for attempting point-n-shoot, night time-exposures: Have fun!

jburbank@tribune.com Follow Joe Burbank on Twitter @joeburb. Like us on Facebook: Orlando Sentinel Photography.

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