How To Photograph Fireworks

 With the 4th of July just days away we thought it would only be appropriate that we give some hints and tips on how to photograph fireworks!

Fireworks are an extraordinary beautiful display and normally are used to celebrate an occasion. With them only happening certain times of the year, you may only get several chances to capture a photograph. The 4th of July and New Years are two large occasions where fireworks are always seen.

There are things that you can do to improve your firework photographs:

1.) Use a Tripod

One of the most important tips that I can give is to make sure that your camera is secured to something, mostly likely a tripod. With a longer shutter speed you’ll want to make sure that there is no shake in the image which will cause blurred lines. You are looking to capture the movement of the fireworks not the movement of your camera. If you don’t have a tripod, you can also use beanbags to put your camera on to ensure no movement (make sure to put beanbags all around it!)

2.) Remote Release

So you have your camera on a tripod, but you’re at the  4th of July fireworks celebration! Who’s not excited?! In your moment of excitement you may be proned to hit the shutter button hard or repeatedly which will cause the camera to move! We suggest using a remote shutter release or the self timer so that your hands are not the camera at all! With the self timer, though, you may not be able to anticipate shots and it’s more of a hit and miss method.

3.) Focal Length

If you have tried photographing fireworks before, you know that focusing in the dark sky is one of the hardest things to do. It’s even harder if you are using a longer focal length and are trying to shoot a tight, cropped shot. Typically, I shoot a little wider and attempt some cropped photos throughout the night. Using a zoom lens will allow you to do this easily. Always keep in mind that you can always crop in later during post production to get a similar effect.

4.) Location

Another hard part in photographing fireworks is deciding exactly where you are going to aim the camera and if you want anything else to be included in the photograph. Being able to aim your camera before the fireworks helps. Here are some tips to help get the perfect framing.

• Get to the location early – Being able to plan ahead is very important while photographing fireworks. Getting to a good, unobstructed location can lead to magnificent photos. Be sure you know exactly where the fire works will be going off at to ensure you are positioned in the right direction. Many 4th of July fireworks have a map (example of Boston map) of the designated launch point. Using this will ensure that you’ll be in the right place at the right time. Try to consider what you would want in your foreground and background of the photo. Find a place where you know that there will be no heads or children on dads shoulders in front of you.
• Horizontal or Vertical? – Most people think vertical is the way to photograph a fireworks show. Fireworks are tall and skinny so vertical works well. Horizontal can work too if you are going for more of a landscape photograph with a wider focus. Another good reason to use a horizontal framing is if there are multiple fireworks being shot off in a row.
• Horizon Line – You may not think about it but the way to get a GREAT fireworks shot is to make sure your horizon line is straight. This is something that you can fix in post but along with having a straight horizontal line, if you can aim your camera straight at the fireworks without having to tilt up it will make it more dramatic.

5.) Aperture

I find a very common question around photographing fireworks is “what should my aperture be?”. Many people think that since you are shooting at night that you’ll need a very fast lens (2.8-1.2) in order to capture the fireworks. Keep in mind how bright the light is that the fireworks emit. Anywhere in the f/8-f/16 range tends to work.

6.) Shutter Speed

Something even more important than aperture is the shutter speed. As fireworks are moving ‘objects’ the best results are photographs capturing this movement. A nice long exposure will create this effect. So how do you know what the best shutter speed is? A technique that I learned along the way was to shoot in ‘bulb’ mode (can most likely be set on your camera by turning your shutter speed beyond 30 seconds) . This mode will allow you to keep the shutter open as long as you are holding the shutter button down (or remote if you are using a shutter release!). Using this technique will allow you to hit the shutter as the firework is about to explode and hold it down until it is finished or the desired look as occurred. This is generally a few seconds.

You can experiment with varied shutter speeds to see what works but generally the bulb mode works unless you’re holding the shutter open for a very long exposure. Being that is it dark out for firework events you think that because it’s dark you can leave the shutter open for as long as you like. The problem is that fireworks are big and bright so it is very easy to over expose them. This is especially true if you have the shutter open for multiple bursts in one area of the sky. The only way you’ll find what ‘suits your eye’ is to experiment!

 7.) ISO

Try to shoot at the lowest ISO possible. Just like any other photo, the higher the ISO the more noise there will be in a photograph. To get the cleanest shots go as low as you can.

8.) Flash

Don’t quite think the fireworks are bright enough for you? The fact is that using your flash (on camera or off) has absolutely no effect on the fireworks and actually tricks your camera into thinking there is a short exposure time. Your flash will only reach a few meters away which could end up shining light on objects you don’t want lit (heads, backs of shirts, etc.) Be sure to turn your flash off.

9.) Shooting in Manual Mode/Manual Focus

Having control of your exposure is the best option. Shoot in manual mode so you can control the aperture and shutter speed. Using the auto focus can be very hard in low light and many camera can’t focus quick enough before the shot is over. If you come ahead of time, you can set your focus and switch over to manual focus so the focus does not change. Always remember that if you are to change your focal length you’ll need to adjust your focusing.

10.) Experiment, experiment, experiment

Thankfully most 4th of July firework shows are not only a minute long making you stress that you NEED ‘the’ shot quick. With a longer show you have the ability to experiment and see what you like. Another great thing is that you can see exactly what is happening on the back of the screen! I generally take a couple shots at the beginning and then check to see if I like what I am doing. Try not to check after every shot or you are likely to miss the action. Do check in occasionally to ensure you are getting some good images but don’t take the time to look at them in detail.

Try experimenting with longer and shorter shutter speeds, a wider angle, incorporating landmarks and building into the scene and silhouettes if you are around people. Remember that though the show is in the sky there are things around you that can tell a lovely story as well.

Some more helpful tips we found:

• Be sure to find out the direction of the wind. You’ll want to shoot upwind (shooting in the direction the wind is going) so that the smoke from the fireworks is in the background. If you shoot downwind (shooting with the wind coming at you) your photos could look hazy.
• Remember that we are in the digital age (most of us anyways!) and that you can take as many photos as you would like. Take more photos will give you a better chance of getting that “perfect” shot.
• Shoot from a little further back and with a little more lens. You can then set the lens to manual focus, focus it at infinity and not have to worry about it after that. 
• If you have VR or IS on your lens be sure to turn it OFF. When on, the lens suspects there is motion and therefore components starts moving inside and you’re photo will actually end up not as sharp as it could be because of the movement!
• Bring a small flashlight so that you are able to see the buttons on your camera in the dark if you need to change settings. DO NOT bring a nuclear powered sun flashlight as it will annoy those around you trying to watch the show.

Have a tip on how to photograph fireworks? E-mail it to Meg at meg@lensprotogo.com so we can share the advice!

Thanks to team members Mike and Ben for the photos!