5 Quick Tips on How to Photograph Fireworks

5 Quick Tips on How to Photograph Fireworks

1 – Use a Tripod. I can’t stress how important this is. Fireworks are best shoot with a slow shutter speed, and as a result, the camera will be sensitive to any movement. Also, the tripod will help to shoot over people’s heads, if necessary.

2 – Set up early and upwind. As the fireworks continue, the sky will get cloudy and picture quality may suffer. The sharper shots are usually the early shots. Shoot upwind to avoid having to shoot through smoke filled, reddish skies.

3 – Use a wide angle lens. This will give more latitude in the framing. There won’t be time to frame the fireworks for every shot, so the camera should be set up on the tripod before the fireworks go off. Use the first few displays to check the framing – verify the fireworks are in the frame, the composition is good, and there are no distracting elements. After that, just be ready to click the shutter at the appropriate times.

4 – Shoot Manually, not on auto. The fireworks are brighter than you may think. Wide open apertures and high ISOs are unnecessary. Start with f/16 and ISO 100. Slower shutter speeds capture more of the falling streaks of light. Faster speeds will just capture little specks of light. Try different speeds throughout the display. Start at 1 second and add time (consider using the bulb setting for longer exposures). When shooting digitally, preview the shots and adjust accordingly. Do not use flash.

5 – Bring extra batteries and memory cards / film.