grandpaw

How I shoot fireworks….
There are many ways to shoot fireworks and I am going to share my method and hope some members might find it helpful. First I pick a good location for viewing. Some might find having something in the foreground adds to the composition and others may just concentrate on the fireworks themselves and it is up to you to get the composition that you like best. Once this is done I set up my tripod and start getting my camera setup. Shooting fireworks can be done with almost any camera and lens and does NOT require a high ISO or FAST LENS. I use ISO 100 with an F stop around F16. The smaller F-stop will give you sharper pictures whereas using a larger F-stop F2.8 and F4 will cause the streaks of light to look fuzzy and out of focus.When the first fireworks go off I get my focus set and then turn everything to manual. As for a shutter speed setting I use between 8 and 10 seconds and this allows me to capture more fireworks in a single frame and make the photo more interesting. Once I have this set and ready to go I just press the shutter down to take a 8 to 10 second exposure and at the end of the exposure press the shutter again and keep repeating this until the show is over. With a series of 10 second exposures you will have about 6 photos per minute so a twenty minute show will give you about 120 photos to choose from when you get home. This method also allows me to actually watch the show and photograph it at the same time because I am not messing around with my camera and settings all I am doing is pressing the shutter button every 8 to 10 seconds and can watch the show at the same time. Hope this is helpful to those that haven’t shot fireworks before. The photo I have posted was taken just outside the back door of my house of one of my neighbors fireworks.

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jeweler53

I just light the fuse and run. LOL

2buckskin Loc: Wyoming

Nice capture, and thanks for the tips

Orphoto Loc: Oregon

Try using bulb and just hold the release until it feels like you have a nice balance of bursts in the frame. Depending on the pace of the show exposures might range from 2 to 10 secs. Longer exposures allow background and sky light to accumulate, if you want that. Keep apertures between 8 and 11 if you want sharpness, especially if a wide angle lense. After the first few exposures modify iso or aperture to taste based on quick look at histogram. The burst centers will often burn out like a specular highlight. A little of that is ok. Remove all filters.

Pat F 4119 Loc: Branford, CT

Great tips, thanks. Here's one I shot using a similar method in 2019.

CaptainPhoto

Pat F 4119- now that is a really great fireworks photo.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Thanks for that.

CaptainPhoto

https://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-photograph-fireworks/

https://expertphotography.com/photographing-fireworks/?FirstName=Roger&contactId=544896&Email=rcb%40sc.rr.com&utm_source=infusionsoft&utm_medium=email&utm_term=fireworks&utm_content=link&utm_campaign=blog&inf_contact_key=142fd1088f649192a5d243685be8791a16358d5485884e2f31e6019a0d26c8b0

Here are some other resources for shooting fireworks.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

Your image looks great and I am surprised that the long exposure is not burning the highlights or making the subject blur.
For those shooting with Olympus they have an exiting feature called Live Composite. The camera takes several images over the original one capturing new highlights but not overexposing them.

Ava'sPapa Loc: Cheshire, Ct.

Thanks for the tips.

franbires

Thanks for the tips. Just to clarify, are you using manual or auto focus?

grandpaw

I use auto focus to get my focus set and then turn off auto focus once I have verified a sharp photo so my focus doesn't keep changing. Actually in reality I use back button focus so once I achieve focus and release the button my focus stays the same. I put change to manual focus for those who use the shutter button instead of the back focus button so they lock in a focus for all of the photos. The main thing you want is to NOT have the focus changing each time you press the shutter button.

Vaun's photography Loc: Bonney Lake, WA

Nicely done! Thanks for sharing your tips.

gwilliams6

Exactly the way this pro also shoots fireworks; Here on the Atlantic Ocean Beach in Wildwood, New Jersey, USA . Canon 5DMkII, Canon 24-70mm f2.8 Lens, 70mm f22, 10 seconds, ISO 400. I chose ISO 400 so I could shoot at f22, both for sharp fireworks and also for the extended depth of field to keep the foreground spectators in sharp focus. I manually focused of course on the in-between lighted amusements.

And I also based my exposure time to match the exposure of the lights of the amusements, so they would not be under or overexposed. I made a test exposure of those amusements first to dial in the correct length of exposure, before the fireworks started, knowing 10 seconds would be good to stack up a few fireworks bursts. Then I just kept firing away every ten seconds. I picked the one I liked the best later.

Normally I shoot fireworks at ISO 100 for greatest image quality and less noise. Cheers

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Amator21 Loc: California

Very Nice!!