Summer time is upon us and that means its festival and  firework season. In the United States, on July 4th, we celebrate our Independence Day. The entire country takes a break from work and comes together to celebrate our independence as a nation. Fireworks fill the night sky on the 4th of July sending a showers of sparks and  colors down from the twilight sky. Fireworks are an amazing sight to see but they can be tricky to photograph. But as long as you know some of the basics, you will be able to capture some epic shots! Lets get started.

What You Need:

Tripod: Because you will be making exposures lasting several seconds, you need to keep the camera as still as possible. A sturdy tripod will keep the camera motionless and you will have tack sharp photos.

Medium or Wide angle lens: Because fireworks fly high up into the air, a wide angle lens (16-35mm) or a medium focal length lens (24-70mm) is recommended. But remember that using a wide angle lens can make the fireworks look small in the frame. It all depends on how close you are to the action.

Remote Shutter Release: A Remote Shutter release allows you to stand back from your tripod and still be able to press the shutter release button. Not having to touch the camera eliminates camera shake and you will end up with a sharper image. I always have my Remote Shutter/Intervalometer in my camera bag, I use it all the time.

Camera Settings:

Bulb Mode: You will want to shoot in Bulb Mode. This means the shutter will remain open for as long as you are pressing the shutter button. Once you let go of the button the exposure will finish. You can hold the shutter open for as long as you would like, but if you go too long all the fireworks will blend together and become over exposed. Anywhere from 10 seconds to 30 seconds usually works best for me. If your camera does not have a Bulb mode, just set your camera for a 10 second exposure and adjust accordingly. Trying to anticipate when the fireworks are going to launch or explode will help you capture more keepers.

Aperture: Use an aperture of f8, f11, or f16. The aperture will determine how large the depth of field is and how bright the fireworks will be. If the firework is too bright, the center of the explosion will blow out and you will lose all detail in that area. You’d think that you should use a low aperture like f.2.8 or f4 because it is so dark out, but this is wrong. A high aperture like f16 works better because you will have the shutter open for several seconds and plenty of light will enter the camera even with a small aperture. Using a high aperture such as f22 will also cause any lights in the scene to have a cool star burst effect.

ISO: Use a low ISO around 100 or 200. You will have a cleaner image with less noise and plenty of light will enter the camera regardless. No need for a high ISO like 800, 1600, 3200, etc.

Turn Off Auto Focus: You will want to have auto focus off because otherwise the camera will try to focus every time you are taking a shot, and because it will be so dark with explosions going on in front of you, the camera can get confused and focus on the wrong thing. To help you to manually focus, try to find where the fireworks are going to be launched from and focus on any lights near the launch site such as street lights, or buildings. Some people say to focus to Infinity or just shy of infinity but whenever I have tried that, I get slightly out of focus fireworks.

White Balance: Turn off auto white balance. Fireworks are all different colors and can confuse the camera when deciding on a white balance. I set my camera to Daylight White Balance and that usually gives the scene a good color that isn’t too blue/cold or orange/warm. Because I always shoot in RAW, I can always adjust the white balance later on in Post Production.

Get all of your settings set before the show begins to make sure the shot looks good this way you are not messing with the settings during the show and missing the shots.
But make sure to check the photos after the show has begun to make sure they look correct and you don’t need to make any adjustments.

Get there early Firework shows are extremely popular and there will be lots of people there. Make sure to get there early and claim your spot. All the other photographers will be trying to get all the best vantage points so make sure you are there early to claim your spot.

Composing Your Shot:

There is a lot that goes into composing the best shot. You want to tell a story with your photos. It is easy to just have a picture of a firework, but these shots are boring. I try to tell a story of what is happening at the show. There is a reason they are shooting off the fireworks and I try to convey that through my photos. In the United States of America, fireworks usually mean its the 4th of July. It is a time of celebration in America and I want that to show in my photos. I want to have people in the foreground of my shots celebrating and cheering the fireworks. Some people will be waving American flags and have sparklers. The fireworks will be high in the sky raining down a shower of sparks and colors above the cheering crowds.

Check the wind direction: Checking the wind direction is the first thing I will do when shooting fireworks. This determines where I will set up my tripod. Fireworks produce a lot of smoke, and I mean A LOT! So much smoke that the fireworks become obscured in the smoke and become hard to photograph, and hard to even see. You want to be upwind from the fireworks so all the smoke blows away from you and your shots will be crystal clear plus you wont have to breath in the sulfur smell.

Use Reflections: If there is any water around, I try to incorporate the water into my frame. The fireworks are bright and they reflect off the water and adds interest to the shot.

People: I try to have people, and especially kids in the foreground on my frame to add interest to the shot and to tell a story of what is going on. Kids are memorized by fireworks, they see the world as a magical place and I want to capture that in my photos.

Buildings: If there are any buildings in the background of the shot, It gives the viewer a sense of place. People will recognize the buildings and help them understand what is going on.

Get Up High: Try to get up to a higher vantage point, This will let you see more of the foreground and background and add interest to the shot. A higher vantage point also lets you get a better reflection of the fireworks off of the water.

Other Tips:

• Bring water: It can get hot out there when waiting for the show to start, make sure to bring some water so you are not dying of thirst and you can better enjoy the show.
• Bring earplugs: If you have problems with loud noises, bring a pair of earplugs. Fireworks are very loud.
• Bring a flashlight: Firework are usually set off just after sunset during the blue hour. Bring a flashlight incase you drop something, or you need to find something in your camera bag. I always have a small flashlight in my camera bag for the very reason.
• Bring a chair: Because you are arriving early, you might be waiting for a while. Bring a small lawn chair or something else to sit or kneel on, Your feet will thank you.
• Have fun and enjoy the show! Fireworks are awesome, make sure you enjoy the show and not just focus on your camera settings or composition.

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Happy Shooting!