Five Tips to Capture Beautiful Fireworks Photos
Its Independence Day weekend and if you’re in the US, it means spending time with friends and family, but above all, fireworks! They can be one of the most rewarding and challenging things to shoot. Here are a few of my tips to help make your photos pop.
1// Watch the Weather, Focus on the Wind
When you’re deciding where to go, watch the wind. The thing that can ruin your shot the fastest is the smoke blowing towards you. On the 4th, watch the wind all day. Is it changing direction constantly? If it is, you may want to have a backup location. You want the wind blowing from you to the fireworks or perpendicular to your angle of view. If its blowing towards you, you’ll have only a few minutes before the shots start to fade away in a cloud of smoke.
Canon 60D // 85mm // f/16 // 1/2 sec // ISO 200
2// Bring the Right Gear
Bring a sturdy tripod. There’s nothing worse than the tripod sagging and ruining your shot as the camera slowly moves during a shot. Make sure your adapter plate and head are tight.
Fireworks are an unpredictable beast. Each year, the show designers try different things. Height, width, and density of the fireworks vary. You want to be ready to adjust your composition to fit the show. In my opinion, using a zoom lens prevents you having to change lenses in the middle of the show if its bigger or smaller than you expected.
Before the show starts, find different wider and tighter compositions you like so that you can be ready to change compositions quickly with the size of the fireworks.
Use a wireless shutter release. The last thing you want to be doing is touching the camera to trigger it. You don’t want to loose 2 seconds to the shutter delay. You’ll miss tons of the show.
Canon 60D // 85mm // f/16 // 1/2 second // ISO 200
3// Camera Settings
Shutter Speed // If you read nothing else here, read this: Longer shutter speeds are not always better. Its really easy to set your shutter speed for 5 seconds, thinking you’ll get some amazing trails. You can get some amazing, and creative shots, but I have found you’re likely to end up with something a little messier. The image below of the Marine Corps Memorial is an example of that. There’s a lot going on there. I recommend something between 1/2 and 2.5 seconds. Especially as you get toward the finale and the density of the fireworks grows.
ISO // this can be a little counter-intuitive. You want to be higher than your camera’s base ISO. Depending on your camera, somewhere between ISO 200 and ISO 400. Yes this means slightly more noise, but it also means the trails of the fireworks will be stronger. If you shoot at your camera’s base ISO - typically ISO 100 - the trails may be thin and weak. Pumping this up a bit will help create strong, crisp trails.
Aperture // This is less important for fireworks. You want to be in the sweet spot for your lens and balance against your target ISO and Shutter Speed.
Canon 60D // 57mm // f/16 // 5 seconds // ISO 200
4// Be Flexible
You’re trying to capture an image of a fleeting thing. There are so many variables that can impact your photo. Have a backup location in mind in case the wind changes direction. If you can’t change location, think about doing something different and more creative. This photo by Kevin Wolf is a great example of capturing fireworks in a unique way.
Take advantage of the weather conditions. The photo below was on a day with a low cloud bank. I loved the way the light of the fireworks lit up the clouds and added some amazing atmosphere to the photo.
Canon 5D mk III // 135mm // f/8 // 2.5 seconds // ISO 200
5// Relax and Have Fun
Don’t put pressure on yourself. If this is your first time shooting fireworks, don’t expect magic. All the images you see in this post are after years of shooting the fireworks on the National Mall in Washington. I started shooting in in 2010 and have shot every single summer since. It wasn’t until 2014 that I started getting images I felt good about.
Bonus Tip// Spray and Pray
Shoot continuously through the entire show. Don’t look at your images until the show is over. Focus on maximizing the 20 minutes of fireworks you have to capture as many images as possible. Make sure your memory card is empty before you start.
