With Canada Day just around the corner and outdoor plans for the summer kicking into high gear, many of us will likely be watching photographing fireworks celebrations across the country at some point this season. Fireworks photography can be one of the more challenging photography assignments because it requires some technical ability combined with a little luck.
Photography is both a creative and technical craft that is made up of three creative aspects: subject, lighting and background.
When it comes to fireworks photography, while you often have little control over the creative factors of the fireworks themselves, you can still be creative and take interesting shots. You can do this by including a person or object in the foreground of the shot. When choosing a photo location, be careful to position yourself upwind of the fireworks so you can get a clear and unobstructed view and shot of the fireworks even after they explode and the smoke swirls around.
The trick to photographing fireworks is to first set your camera to Manual Mode. Shooting in this mode will allow you to have complete control over your camera’s functions.
Some initial camera settings to consider:
- Alow ISO (200 ISO)
- Auto or Sunny White Balance
- Manual Exposure Mode (M) of 4 to 10 seconds
- Aperture f/5.6 to f/11
- Image Stabilization Off (when using a tripod)
- Manual Autofocus
- Note: The settings will vary widely depending on the length of the fireworks show
Equipment you’ll need:
- A camera and wide-angle lens (a kit lens will work just fine)
- A sturdy tripod
- A cable release (this could also be an Infrared shutter release)
- A flashlight – you will need this to see the camera and so you can easily make adjustments between exposures
On the night:
Arrive early at the location and choose a place that has some structure in the foreground. This will help to give your photographs some added interest. For instance you could use the audience watching the show, a bridge or even city skyline. When setting up your tripod, try and anticipate the arriving crowd interfering with your shots or your chosen composition.
Remember that fireworks frequently change in colour, intensity and motion and they explode quickly in the air, so you always have to be ready with your camera. Another consideration when photographing fireworks is to use a long shutter (4 to 10 seconds) to capture the fireworks trail exploding into a colorful light show. Too long of a shutter speed (30 to 60 seconds) and you’ll gather too much light; too fast of a shutter speed (1/125th of a second) and you will only see little specks of light.