How To Shoot Fireworks Display - Pictures Of Fireworks

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How To Shoot Fireworks Displays

8 Tips to Help You Take Great Photos Of Fireworks Displays

Fireworks are a great American tradition. The only problem with them is that you only get to see them a few times a year (for most people, it's just on the fourth of July). That is unless you can capture them on film to enjoy all year long. Taking shots of fireworks may seem complicated, but it’s fairly easy to pick up if you follow a few simple steps.

The most important thing to do when you’re shooting fireworks is to have your camera set properly. You can (and should) play around with them a little during the show, but if you’re not in the ballpark when the show starts, you’re probably going to get very few useable shots by then. Here are some general rules to follow when choosing your camera settings.

Don’t use auto focus
Many cameras take so long to focus, you’ll miss some great shots just sitting there waiting. Plus, the action is so far away; not much focusing is really required. If you can manually focus your camera, set the focus to infinity. If you don’t have this option, try the landscape mode (or fireworks if you have it).

Slow shutter speed
If your shutter speed is set too fast, you may only catch part of the firework’s blast and not capture the full effect. Just don’t leave the shutter open too long or you’ll catch more smoke and the ambient light in the sky. Usually a one or two seconds is best.

Small aperture
It may be dark out, but fireworks are still pretty light. If you have “shutter preferred” mode, try that. If you are using manual mode try a few smaller aperture settings until you find the right light balance.

Use a tripod
Since you’re using a fairly long shutter speed, any movement of your camera is going to make your image blurry or streaky. The best way to stop this is to set up a tripod or find a stable surface to set your camera on. If your camera has a remote, it will help to use that too. Although, if you want to try a different look, you can always try picking up the camera and seeing what you get.

Even if the show you’re shooting isn’t that crowded, you’ll still want to show up early to ensure you’ve got a prime spot. Here are a few things to look for in the perfect location:

Nothing blocking your view
Know exactly where the show will be so there’s nothing to get in the way of your shots.

You’re not in anyone else’s way

Framing
While fireworks themselves are beautiful, adding other things into the shot, like buildings, lakes, and even spectators, will make your shots all the better.
Smoke
Remember that where there’s fire, there’s smoke. Try to stay downwind and at an angle where you won’t pick too much up in your shots.
Keep trying different things. Change your framing, shutter speed, zoom, whatever you think might make a better picture. Just don’t change things too often. The more time you spend changing settings, the more shots you’re going to miss.

You don’t have to wait till the big show to start experimenting; in fact, you’ll probably get better shots if you practice ahead of time. Wander around the neighborhood before the 4th of July and New years and look for neighbors setting off small fireworks (or just do your own). Not only will this help you get started, some of the best close up shots I’ve seen are from fireworks set off by local kids.

The most important thing about photographing fireworks is to keep trying. If something doesn’t work, write down the settings and that it doesn’t work, then move on to something else. Eventually you’ll find something that does, and it will definitely be worth it.

And if you'd like to see pictures of a fireworks show, here is the Lincoln, Nebraska display taken July 4, 2007 at Oak Ridge Lake. These photos were taken with a Casio Exilim EX-Z850 with the camera set on it's "Fireworks" mode (yes, it has a setting dedicated to fireworks) and since I didn't have a tripod with me, I didn't use one and they still turned out pretty good.

And since I get questions from people asking me if they can use these pictures of fireworks for the backgrounds on their computer, feel free to do so, you don't need to ask.

One word or warning - these fireworks pictures are HUGE. Big enough that they'd look good on people running dual monitors, so if you're on a dial up connection, these photos are going to take forever to load. Each picture is over 3mb in size.

fireworks display 2007 - dusk with fireworks on the horizon