grandpaw

How I shoot fireworks. Hope this may help some of you shooting fireworks for the first time.
Things you will need…. A camera that will shoot in manual mode, A tripod, Flashlight,and the knowledge of how to change shooting modes and settings on your camera. Don't wait until you get to the show and it is about to start to try and figure out how to change the settings on your camera because it is too late at that point.
I have been taking fireworks photos for many years and if you follow my instructions I guarantee you will come away with a bunch of exciting and colorful images even if it is your first time.
Choosing your location… Do you want to capture just the bursts of fireworks in the air or add a foreground element, such as some trees or buildings. Once you have made that decision we can work on getting the settings where you need them on your camera.. Whether you are near or far from the action of the fireworks they will cover a very wide area so make sure you bring a wide enough angle lens to capture as much of the color and excitement as you can. It is easier to crop out dead space than cut off half of the fireworks.
These are the settings that I use and they never fail to produce great images. Manual mode, ISO 100, F16 and a 10 second exposure on a tripod. When the first blast goes off I take a shot at maybe 1/30 of a second and check to make sure my focus is spot on. At that point I switch to a 10 second exposure and what that does is allows me to get several blasts in one image, making it more interesting and colorful. I press the shutter down and at the end of ten seconds when I hear the shutter click I just press it again and start my next exposure, and repeat this during the entire show. This will give you about five exposures a minute so if the show is about 20 minutes long you will end up with approximately a hundred images.
Using ISO 100 will eliminate the grain and give you the best color. Using F16 will give you much more definition in the streaks and bursts. Using a 10 second shutter will give you more blasts in each image and eliminate you having to time your shots. Remember this is all done on a tripod.
There are many methods that work, this is not the only way but it will guarantee you nice shot even if it is your first time shooting.

uhaas2009

👍👍👍

2buckskin Loc: Wyoming

Thanks for your in depth procedure, I'll try this if the weather holds around here.

tcthome Loc: NJ

Thanks.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

It is also important to avoid overexposing the bursts. Since the light trails are your source of light, the inverse square rule applies as far as aperture and ISO are concerned. Being close to the fireworks will require lower ISO/smaller aperture compared to being at a considerable distance. I get my best results when I use an ISO/Aperture combination that would look underexposed to most when viewing the unedited image.

Also, I've found that using a headlamp with a red light option is more practical than a white-light flashlight. The red light is enough to see your camera and settings, will not cause temporary blindness while the eyes become accustomed to the darkness, and leaves both hands free.

D800, 24-70 2.8, 10 secs, F16, ISO 64

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D700, 24-70 F2.8, 1.2 secs, F22, ISO 200

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gwilliams6

Here two shots of fireworks over the Atlantic Ocean beach of Wildwood, New Jersey, USA. Canon 5D Mk II, 24-70mm f2.8 lens, IS0 400, f22, 10 seconds, on a tripod.

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rdemarco52 Loc: Wantagh, NY

Excellent advice. I plan to photograph fireworks for the first time tonight.

Greg from Romeoville illinois Loc: Romeoville illinois

I use a match to shoot my fireworks.

kb6kgx Loc: Simi Valley, CA

Thank you for this info. It's really quite simple, although I was hit-and-miss in previous attempts, trying to find that magic combination. This year I didn't bother (we had our fireworks LAST night because our city waited too long to secure a contract for the 4th), and we just watched from our back yard. Maybe next year, I'll try your "formula". What would you recommend for a lens/focal length?

grandpaw

Naturally it depends on the distance you are away but I tend to use more wide angle lenses. You can always crop out any dead space but if you cut off part of the burst you can't put it back in, so I lean toward the wide angle lenses myself.

B4TRO Loc: New Jersey

When I bookmarked this post I came across a very similar post you made in June of 2021. Good information is worth repeating so thanks for the great advice.

gwilliams6

As a pro shooting fireworks for 48 years, as far as exposure is concerned, if you have any foreground objects, set your exposure to give you ten seconds or longer exposure, with a small aperture, that will properly exposure your foreground objects.

Since bursts will vary in brightness , there is no single exposure rule that will work for all fireworks . The best things is to set your camera and lens for a small aperture for sharpness, low ISO for less noise, and as wide as lens as you have so as not to cut off any bursts, and start with 10 second exposures.

Then when fireworks start, shoot some first test exposures and check to see if they are under exposed or over exposed, and adjust the ISO and/or the aperture. You still will want a long enough exposure to capture multiple bursts in the same shot. Multiple bursts will fill out your shots and look better than a single burst.

In my shot above that has the lighted amusements also on the beach in Wildwood , N.J. USA, long before the fireworks started I determined the correct exposure for the amusements was 10 seconds , ISO 400, f22. I left the camera and lens set to that exposure because I did not want the amusements to be under or over exposed.

I made multiple shots at that 10 second, ISO 400, f22 setting (f22 because I wanted to keep the foreground people in focus as well as the background and distant amusements and fireworks) .

Then just check your first few exposures and adjust exposure settings if needed. In this case I didn't need to adjust as the fireworks were a close match to the lighted amusements.

Then later I chose the ones where the stacked bursts were a match for the exposure on the amusements.

There is no way to use any auto exposure settings when doing fireworks. Just shoot lots of 10 second shots, until the fireworks end, checking them and adjusting composition and/or exposure (ISO and aperture if needed) . And of course you can keep shutter open for longer than ten seconds and get even more bursts if they are spread out across your frame. Too many overlapping bursts in SAME SPOT in the sky can tend to overexpose your shot.

Cheers

Fred Frank Loc: Roanoke Alabama

If I'm shooting across a portion of a lake, how well would a wide angle lens work?

usnret Loc: Woodhull Il

I like using a remote trigger and shooting in bulb mode. That way I get to enjoy the show more while shooting it. However, your method is also a surefired way to produce splindid pictures.

grandpaw

You might want a 70-200mm I would take both just to be covered.