Tips for Photographing Fireworks

Fireworks can make for some amazing photos but shooting them can be tricky, especially since there’s not much time to practice! Here are a few tips to help get you started:

If you’re not familiar with the settings on your camera, get it out ahead of time. It’s much easier to set up at home in the light than when you’re sitting in the dark and the fireworks are starting.

Tripod: If you have one, use it. If you don’t, find something solid to set your camera on like a ledge. This is important for any type of camera, even a cell phone. The slightest bit of camera shake and you’ve got a blurry photo.

Flash: Turn if off!

Settings for point & shoot/compact cameras

- If your camera doesn’t have manual settings, check for a Fireworks scene setting. Turn the dial on the top/back of your camera to SCN and check your LCD menu for a little picture of fireworks.

- If your camera doesn’t have one, select the Landscape mode on your dial (the mountain). This will give you a wide setting and set your focus to infinity so that the camera doesn’t try to focus in the dark.

Settings for dSLRs/cameras with manual settings

ISO: Set your ISO number to the lowest number (50,100). This will lessen the noise (grain) in the photos. Do not use the auto setting – because it’s dark, your camera will automatically select a high ISO.

Aperture: Even though the sky is dark, the brief flash of fireworks will be relatively bright so your aperture doesn’t need to be very wide. Try f/8 or f/11.

Focus: Use manual focus and set it to infinity (there should be a designation on your lens using the infinity symbol). The camera can have a difficult time trying to autofocus in the dark and you will often miss the explosion.

Shutter speed: Your shutter speed can vary anywhere from 1-15 seconds. If your camera has a Bulb mode (B on the dial), select that. In Bulb mode, the shutter opens when you press down the trigger button and closes when you release it. You can use this to tailor each shot to the specific length of the firework blast.

If you don’t have a Bulb mode, experiment with different speeds. If your photos are too dark, increase the amount of time. If they’re too bright, decrease it. You can also try setting even longer exposures to capture multiple blasts of fireworks. If you do this, you may want to cover your lens with a cap or black piece of paper in between the explosions so that you don’t capture too much ambient light.

Remote shutter release: These help reduce camera shake and work especially well with Bulb mode. If you don’t have one and are worried about camera shake, you can also try using a 2 second timer setting.

Composition: Trying experimenting with different compositions. Shoot close up. Shoot with a wider angle. Include other elements in your photo like boats, bridges, the back of people’s heads.

Try it at home: Sparklers are a great way to experiment with long exposures. Set your camera on a tripod or a table, set your exposure to 10+ seconds and practice drawing things with sparklers.

Take some really great fireworks photos? Stop by the Glimpses of Soul Facebook Page and share! Looking for a place to view fireworks? Check out Metromix fireworks roundup.