How To Shoot Fireworks

The year is quickly coming to a close and many of us are thinking about shooting fireworks. Here are some tips that have served me well over the years.

First, be on a tripod. You need slow shutter speeds to get the light trails, so unless you want your photographs to come out like impressionist art (which can be quite nice), you’ll want to make sure your camera is rock steady.

Consider a cable release or remote trigger for your camera. You need to see the pattern and trajectory of the rockets, and your field of view is extremely limited if you’re looking through the viewfinder.

Also, even on a steady tripod, there’s always a chance you’ll cause some vibration when your finger releases the shutter, particularly with slower shutter speeds.

You need a zoom lens (200m or better) if you want tight shots of the flares and trails. On the other hand, if you’re looking for shots of fireworks with prominent features in the foreground, like city lights, you need to go wider.

Set your camera to Manual Mode for maximum exposure control. You need some good depth of field—around f/11 should do it. Set your shutter speed to 3 or 4 seconds. Take a few test shots and adjust the speed as necessary to avoid overexposure. Set your ISO to 100 or 200 to avoid noise. Turn off the autofocus so the lens doesn’t “hunt” and set the focus to infinity.

The rest is positioning and timing. You need to anticipate where the rockets are going to explode and when to release the shutter to get the flares and trails. Check your LCD to make sure you’re getting the composition and exposure you’re looking for.

My preference is to shoot in “Bulb” mode, where you can hold the shutter open manually for as long as you want (all the more reason to have a cable release). This gives you full control over your timing—press just before the rocket explodes, release after the light trails fade. Again, take test shots and adjust as necessary.

Wishing everyone a fabulous and safe New Year. See you in 2010.

Tagged as: fireworks, new year