Photo Tip: How to Photograph Fireworks

Ahh it is that time of the year again. The air is warm, as the soft breeze blows in the dark night. The lights glisten as the explosive sound erupts before the stars in the sky. It is that time of the year to start photographing firework celebrations. Whether it is for an awesome parade and lightshow or a show after a game, or to celebrate some exciting event. It is time to take those blurry memories and turn them into great beautiful photographs. Here are some tips to taking photos of those amazing firework light shows

Scout your shot

It is important to know the best place to take the photos. I remember setting up my camera and realizing that I was completely in a bad angle to take photos. It is also important to check out when environment/landscape around the to see what else you can pick up in the photograph. Sometimes it is nice to capture the bridge. people or nature around the fireworks. It puts a sense of placement to the photograph. Also be aware of the wind conditions. You would not want to the smoke to block the shot you want.

Sylvan Lake Fireworks by Alan Paone, on Flickr

Use a tripod

During the night time you will you need a use a tripod. Your camera will take slow shutter speed photos. With out a tripod your photographs will come out blurry from the all the shake. Using a tripod will help reduce the shake that will occur when hand holding the shot. Do not have a tripod? Invest in one. It does not have to be too expensive, you can pick up a very cheap one from any chain box store. A cheap tripod can range from $30 to $120. Things to make sure to be aware of is that the tripod can tilt up and can withstand the weight of your camera.

Get out Auto Mode

Shooting in auto mode will make photographing fireworks painful. If you stay in auto mode you will find that the fireworks will be bright white or the background might be too dark. Very common since the camera does not know what to make dark and bright. So now it is time to get out of auto mode. The best mode to shoot in is Manual mode. This will allow you to have the most control of your camera during. Your camera does not have an manual mode? Then look for the SCN or scenario mode and see if you there is a fireworks mode. This will make things a lot easier.

Let say you want to get a bit more artistic with you camera or you don’t have a fireworks mode. Then set the camera to Manual.

Eröffnungs Feuerwerk Volksfest Aschaffenburg 2014 by Carsten Frenzl, on Flickr

Aperture Setting

If you are using manual, the next thing to do is set the aperture value. Because fireworks are bright lights a wide open aparture of 2.8 might be too much. Funny because you would think that fireworks need a fast fast aperture to capture the explosions. Like I said if you open the lens too much you will have TOO much light coming in. Since fireworks have movement to them, it is nice to capture the movement as well. Setting the Aperture to ƒ/8 to ƒ/16 would be ideal. ƒ/8 cuts down the light and ƒ/16 isn’t too closed to pick up things undesired (like dust and dirt).

Set the ISO

ISO is usually set really high in dark environments. If your camera is in auto, what will happen is that it will pop up the ISO really high. This will cause two issues. One issue it will cause is that the fireworks to be way to bright. The other issue being that the picture will have a lot of noise, or colored pixels through out the image. Reduce the ISO down to it’s lowest possible ISO setting, usually this is 100 ISO. Some cameras may not allow you to set your ISO so low or at all. If that is the case, the world will not end.

Shutter Speed

The shutter speed will be different for each situation. It can be anywhere from a half a second (kind of long compared to most photography) to a very long exposure of 30 seconds. Mind you the longer the shutter is open the more light is being exposed. There is not correct answer to what to put the shutter at. Is best to try the settings out. The longer the shutter is open, it will create more streaks of motion making the lights smoother. I would suggest starting with short smaller shutter speeds and work your way upwards to see how they work out.

Long exposure fireworks by Randi Deuro, on Flickr

Using a remote

Using a remote is advised. This will prevent from accidentally shaking the camera as you try to take the photo. Less shake there is, the less likeliness for blurriness of the photo. Also if you have a remote you can put your camera into a mode called BULB MODE for your shutter speed. This will allow you to choose when the shutter opens and with another click you can choose when the shutter closes. This will be great to control the shutter speed much more efficiently compared to changing the settings every time. Even better if your camera also has a live view option to see the exposure as you have the shutter open, you can see the perfect timing on when to close the shutter again.

Lastly

Lastly, have fun. Enjoy the environment, the people and the celebrations going on. It is important to enjoy the moment. Do not get too caught up if the photos are not coming out how you envisioned them, sometimes they are perfect, but what your expectations may have been different. When you are just having fun, perfection just comes naturally. Enjoy the moment.

So how did your photos come out? I want to know how they come out. If you have any questions at all before hand feel free to ask. Send me your photos or Leave a comment below, send me a tweet on twitter, or post on my facebook. Heck even send us a message. Let me know so I can help. Subscribe to our newsletter to gain even more tips. Happy travels

Erick Redcloud

A partially blind Graphic Designer, Freelance Travel Photographer, Artist, Buddhist and Vegetarian who loves to travel. Erick loves traveling by being with the locals and going off the beaten path. He is the founder and owner of Pathlesstravels and loves inspiring others to follow their dreams, whether it is to travel or something completely different. He started Pathlesstravels to hone is photography skills and to meet amazing people, and to help a friend break into journalism. Check out his photography at his link.

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