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.

I sold my Nikon D750 and have been eyeing over new camera. I was not interested in a mirrorless camera and while the new Nikon D850 seems to be all the rage as of late, I could not justify spending $2500+, photography is a hobby and I am not a professional. So, I have been bidding my time and finally the deal I was looking for dropped into my lap. The owner of a local camera shop called and informed me he had just acquired a mint condition Nikon D810 with less than 5000 shots in the box. (Actual count is 4738). I went and checked out the camera and you would never know this Nikon D810 was not brand new out of the box. After shooting some photos was amazed. When compared to my Nikon D750, the camera is heaver, shoots quieter, image clarity and color are far superior. I am very happy. The Nikon D810 may not be the Nikon D850 but for me, it is a winner.