With the fourth coming up pretty quickly, I wanted to jump on the “help new photographers take fireworks photos” crowd. So, at the risk of being just another voice in the noise, here we go.
What tools do you need?
Well, first and foremost, you need a camera that you can control the shutter speed on. Without that, getting the results you “want” will be pretty tough. I’m not saying you can’t, but you just won’t have the control you really need. Obviously I am going to suggest an SLR or mirrorless, but a high end point and shoot, or even a good cell phone with an app that gives you manual control. I have Moment on my iPhone, and it works pretty well.
Ok, maybe this one is actually the first. You need a tripod of some sort. It can be a little baby one, or a big behemoth. You need to be able to keep your camera steady. You’re going to be working with longer exposures, so any camera movement will make you images blurry. I technically use a DJI Osmo OM3 with my phone, and my trusty Manfrotto 3001 BPro. Sure, it’s an antique at this point, but it works well for me right now.
Next, this one is not “required”, but I strongly suggest it. A remote of some sort. I use a cable on my Nikon gear. Hopefully you listened to me and got a tripod, but just touching the camera to push the button can introduce a bit of camera shake. A remote/cable will help eliminate that motion. Yes, using the self-timer will as well. I just really prefer my cable because you can kinda get a feel for when things might happen and click the button. With a timer, you’re stuck with what you set.
Alright, now you’re ready to start shooting.
Settings
Alright, it’s dark. Your camera is on a tripod, and you’ve got your remote. We’ve got a couple ways to go here. I’ll give you my preferred method and why.
I use manual mode and manual ISO. This gives me complete control, which is scary if you don’t use it frequently.
Shutter Speed
There is a lot of variability here. I generally go with the pick a longer shutter speed like 2-6 seconds. It depends on the show. If there is a lot going on, you want a little shorter. If things are a bit slower, you want to stretch that out a bit. Heck, even 10sec plus if you’re bold. You also need to consider if there is a foreground in the picture. The shutter speed will determine how much motion blur there is there as well of course.
Aperture/F-Stop
If you know photography basics, you know that each of these three settings affect how much light is in the image. But…. the fireworks themselves are only in the shot for a portion of the exposure. The aperture (and ISO) will control the brightness of the fireworks. I generally start at around f8 or f11. Depending on the kind of fireworks, you will need to adjust this. Also higher numbers, while darker, will give your a little more color.
ISO
This is how sensitive your camera is to light. Higher numbers will be brighter, but you technically will get a noisier image. Though, newer cameras don’t struggle nearly as much with that issue. Plus, noise reduction software is pretty good now. I still suggest shooting as low as you can get away with, so start around 400 and slide up or down from there.
ISO will change the ENTIRE scene. So, a higher ISO will brighten up the non-fireworks as well, so you can raise the aperture to darken the fireworks back down. It’s a fun balance game we get to play.
A slight variation on shutter speed
Most cameras, when you use manual mode, have something called “Bulb”. It harkens back to the days of mechanical shutters where you could use an air bulb to trigger a shutter. What it allows you to do is hold the shutter open for however long you want. As long as your finger is pressing the button, the shutter is open. This allows you to press the button and capture an amount of fireworks in the shot that you feel is good. When you are happy, you let go. Let’s say you wanted 3 explosions in the shot. Using a set time may not give you what you want. This will.
It’s another handy tool, and honestly that’s kind of what photography is about. There are a ton of ways to capture images. None are specifically right or wrong, it’s what you as the photographer decide will work for the image you want to create.
So get out there and play. Make sure to grab your bug spray, and maybe a chair, and enjoy the show!