Category: Photography

If you missed the fireworks on Canada Day or July 4 or want try your hand at photographing fireworks you have another chance during the http://hondacelebrationoflight.com/ in the Vancouver area July 23, 27 and 30^th.

So here are some basic tips on how to photograph fireworks.

Try to scout out your location before the event. Know where the fireworks display will be and where you will shoot in relation to that location. Finding a location that will give you an unobstructed view of the fireworks is key. With popular fireworks shows there will be A LOT of people at the event so plan for this. You do not want to set up in a spot nice and early only to have people end up in front of you blocking your view. And it is best to get into your position as early as possible. I usually try and be at my spot at least 3 hours prior to the show starting.

As far as gear is concerned I use a Sony A77ii DSLR but you could use a point and shoot camera with manual settings or a “Fireworks” setting. No matter what camera you use, it is best to have and use a good sturdy tripod. The shutter stays open for relatively long periods of time when shooting fireworks and if you try to hand hold the camera you will end up with blurry pictures. Using a sturdy tripod can help eliminate camera shake and blurry pictures.

If you can, use a cable release to activate the shutter to take the photos. If you do not have a cable release or the camera does not support a cable release then use the self-timer function to activate the shutter. Using a cable release minimizes how much the camera moves to activate the shutter…your finger doesn’t touch the camera it touches the cable. Using the self-timer gives the camera time to settle down after your finger pushes the shutter button. Many cameras have a self-timer function that lets you delay the shutter by 2-3-4 or 10 seconds. I have used the 2 second delay with good results when I have forgotten the cable release.

The camera settings that I find work best for photographing fireworks are pretty straight forward. Most often I use shutter speeds of between 2 and 6 seconds, an aperture of between f7 and f11 and ISO of between 100 and 400. You will need to play around with the settings to see what works best for you and your situation but these settings can be used as a decent starting point. I will change camera settings during the show if segments of the show are brighter or less bright to try and get the best results but don’t get carried away with changing settings during the show.

Next tip. Shoot a lot. Especially when you are starting out. Don’t expect all your photos of a fireworks display to be award winners. If you take more photos you increase the chances of you getting some really pleasing images. Like anything else, if you keep at it and do it enough you will find that you will have more and more good images from each display you photograph.

A few words about composition. You can focus tight on the fireworks and that is perfectly ok or you can try and add other elements to the composition to try and give the photos a sense of place. If you add in your city skyline or maybe a prominent building or bridge to the fireworks photos it can really add something special to the final photograph.

There are other more “advanced” techniques to photographing fireworks but I hope these few tips help you’re your next fireworks photos a little better. Below are a few fireworks photos I have taken over the years.

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