Summer is nearly upon us and with it comes festivals, fairs and other outdoor activities which often include a fireworks display. If you have never photographed fireworks before they may seem complicated but, in reality they are very easy once you have the settings. I usually get to the location early and scope out a good place to set up my camera for the evening display. It’s much easier to get all set up in the daylight than at night and I find that I have to select my spot as it does get crowded.
I begin by setting my camera in manual mode> BULB setting. I set my ISO to 200, aperture to f8, focus to manual and set it to infinity, white balance set to Auto (I sometimes like the warmer look of cloudy too). I set up my tripod, attach the camera with a 24-70mm lens mounted (the lens you use depends on how close you are to the fireworks display) and a remote release plugged in. I compose in the general vicinity of where I think the fireworks will be and sit back and enjoy the festivities around me while I wait for darkness. Once the fireworks begin, I click the shutter down and hold it open for several bursts, release and review the image.
If I need to make any exposure adjustments and composition changes and then I simply click the shutter using the remote release, hold it open for several bursts, release the shutter and click again. I play with the number of bursts to get multiple displays in one frame and the long exposure allows me to capture the trails of the fireworks. It’s as simple as that! So, when your local community has a fireworks display this summer, give it a try.
