HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH FIREWORKS
by
Heather Shimmin
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Photographing fireworks is easier now than ever with digital cameras because you can see the results immediately and make the necessary adjustments. Shooting firework displays is exciting because you really never know what you're going to get. Here are some tips on how to go about it.
USE A TRIPOD
Using a tripod is a must when shooting fireworks. Because of the limited amount of available light, you will be using a slow shutter speed. Any movement on your part will produce a blurry image. You want to produce a crisp image. This is impossible if you don't use a tripod.
SHOOT IN MANUAL MODE
All of those fancy, automatic features on your spiffy camera are useless when shooting fireworks. You need the precision and control of shooting in manual mode.
FOCUS MANUALLY
Autofocus is one of those fancy features on your camera which are pointless when shooting fireworks. Your camera can't focus on a black sky. In fact, it won't be able to focus on the ever-changing fireworks, so you'll have to do it manually. I recommend you set the focus to infinity ಯಯ(), just to be sure everything will be in focus.
APERTURE
How far away you are from the action will determine your aperture, however, I recommend use don't go larger than f11 (by larger I mean aperture diameter) to insure a large depth of field so that everything will be in focus.
SHUTTER SPEED
One of the beauties of firework shots is the long exposure time, the streak of light which follows the path of the exploding fireworks. If your slowest shutter speed still isn't giving you the effect you want, you may have to use the bulb (B) setting. This setting keeps your shutter open until you manually close it. You could leave it open for five minutes if you wanted to.
ISO
Shoot with a low ISO. This will allow slower shutter speeds and your images won't be grainy. I would suggest an ISO of 50 or 100.
TURN OFF THE FLASH
Shooting with a flash in this scenario is pointless. The light from the light will not make any difference because the distance the light from the flash can travel is only a few feet. Shooting with a flash will also make the camera think it needs to use a fast shutter speed.
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FRAME THE SHOT
Arrive early to set up and frame your shot. Examine the foreground and the background. Are there going to be people around you? You don't want someone's head popping up and ruining your shot. Locate where they are setting up the fireworks and what part of the sky they are mostly likely going to go off.
When you are framing the shot, be mindful of the horizon. Position it in either the top third or bottom third of the frame. Placing the horizon in the center cuts your image in half (an all around no-no, not just for shooting fireworks).
EXPERIMENT AND ADJUST ACCORDINGLY
Now that you're all set up, experiment. If the fireworks haven't started yet, take a few frames and look at your composition. See how the lights around you are being recorded. Do as much adjusting and refining as you can before the firework display begins.
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