No more struggling with how to photograph fireworks displays. Fireworks are a beauty to behold as they light up the night sky with color and light. They start off with a bang and end with a large explosion of color and lights. If you always wondered how to capture these wonderful works of art that only last for seconds, you have come to the right place. These tips and a little practice will get you going.
Tip #1–Exposure
You must use a slow shutter speed that will allow the shutter to say open long enough to capture the full event of and movement of the fireworks. As you probably know already, there are two very important factors to consider when doing any type of photography. First the aperture, which determines the amount of light that enters through the camera and hits the film or digital sensor. The next is the equally important shutter speed which determines the amount of time that the shutter will be open to let the light come into the camera. These two elements work together to bring the right amount of light for the right amount of time to create the best exposure. We will discuss both here, and start with the shutter speed.
Using a digital camera takes some getting use to if you are use to shooting light with negative film. In either case, (film or digital), you want to make sure that you do not lose the color and detail in the highlight areas of the image, otherwise, producing an overexposed image. If you overexpose an image with a digital camera, it means that you have let too much light hit the digital sensor. You will have images that are too light and they will have very little detail in the highlight areas of the scene. When using negative film, overexposure would mean dense, or dark negative, resulting in a print that has lost detail in the highlight areas of the scene.
Of course, when you think about it, fireworks are highlights! So, set your camera on a tripod, use a long shutter speed, anywhere from 1 second to B (Bulb). Now this will take some practice. For example 1 second may or may not be long enough to catch the full blast of the fireworks. If the shutter closes too fast, you may miss the peak of the fireworks. Using the B(bulb) method may work best, because you want to be able to leave the shutter open long enough to capture the beginning of the burst and also close it when it reaches it’s peak. As I said, you will have to practice, because different cameras and lens may require a different amount of time for the shutter to be open in order to capture the full burst.
Keep in mind that a tripod is necessary when using such slow shutter speeds. Even if you think your hands are study, don’t chance it. You have two choices here, use your tripod, or end up with very blurry images.
Tip #2–Think Twice Before Using a Wide Aperture When Shooting Fireworks
The aperture,(f-stop), you use will depend upon the ISO setting you decide to set your camera at. The ISO setting lends additional brightness in low light situations. But be careful with the ISO setting, because too high of an ISO setting will mean that your image will end up with ‘noise’ if shooing digital or what is better known as grain if shooting film. Experiment with using an ISO setting between 200-400, to keep the grain away. It is not necessary to use a high ISO setting in this case because you will have the shutter speed open for a while, letting the light flow in. Besides, using a higher ISO setting tends to wash out colors.
Since you don’t want to overexpose your colors and highlights, it would help to use an smaller f-stop. Using a f-stop in the range of 11-22 will not only let in enough light, but will help to keep the highlights sharp and crisp, providing you are using a tripod to help with the slow shutter.
Also you may be wondering how to photograph fireworks displays while using a flash. But contrary to what most photographers think, using a flash is not necessary. The fireworks will give off enough light, so turn your flash off. This is a time when you will be operating your camera in more of an manual mode rather than auto.
Tip #3–Focal Length
You won’t need to use a long lens, unless you are quite a ways away from the event. If that is the case use a longer lens to shoot the fireworks displays. But for this most part, using a normal or somewhat wide angle lens will work out fine.
You can make the subject your little more interesting than just a burst of light, by including some of the foreground into the bottom of frame, such as a building, or a tree. Also consider leaving some room at the top of the frame, so that the burst of light does not take on the whole frame, but still shows off the fireworks displays nicely. These two suggestion will help improve your composition, and make the subject more interesting.
Tip #4–Use a Cable Release
Don’t forget the cable release. Having your camera on a tripod does no good if when you hit the shutter release with your finger to close it, and the camera moves. You can use a remote shutter release. A remote shutter release does not attach to the camera and is hand held. You also have the option of using a manual shutter release, which is cable that you can attach to the shutter at the top of the camera, and it allows you to depress the shutter without actually touching it with your hands, thus eliminating camera shake. Also remember to bring an extra memory card and batteries, just in case you have to do lots of practicing before you get that perfect shot.
Follow these tips on how to photograph fireworks displays and you are well on your way to shooting some breathtaking shots.
Return from How to Photography Fireworks Displays to Photography Tips and Resources
