Get Great Pictures of FireworksWhen I was younger, I took some bad pictures of fireworks. It was before the age of digital photography. There was no way of seeing what you were getting. I made lots of photo mistakes. Now, it's so much easier to discover how to take photograph fireworks. Here are the 5 most important tips for great photographs. 1. Use a tripod This is by by far the single most important tip. You can try a few hand held photos, but you will probably be very disappointed. When you are doing any kind of night photography your shutter speed will be several seconds long and you will want to avoid motion blur.Along with a tripod, you may want to have a shutter release cable. Even when your camera is on a tripod, it will move slightly when you depress the shutter button using your finger. Another trick you may be tempted to use is the self timer. It will keep your pictures sharp for taking night photos, but for fireworks, it will make it very challenging to time you picture right because of the delay in getting your exposure. 2. Shoot Manual Focus and Manual Exposure These are a must with fireworks photos too. Use Manual focus and set it to a far distance or "infinity". Your auto focus will struggle when it searches something in the dark sky to focus on.Camera exposure meters get fooled easily when shooting in such unique lighting situation. You might get lucky with auto setting, but you have better control for getting great pictures of fireworks by setting your exposure settings manually. You get the best lens sharpness by setting an aperture in the middle range of your camera settings, usually around f8. You can set your shutter speed for a few seconds or, if you can, use the "bulb" setting. Squeeze your remote shutter button just before the explosion and release it when the colorful streaks have fully expanded. You'll get the best results by quickly looking at the playback view on your camera and making any adjustments. One common photo exposure mistake with this kind of photography is to over expose. You want you photo to look like a night photo with a dark sky and you want your colors to be saturated and not overexposed. 3. Bring a very small flashlight. This may seem like an odd one. If you are in a dark place, waiting for the fireworks display, a pen type of miniature flashlight may be very helpful. You may need it to make quick camera setting or tripod adjustments during your photo shoot.Your cell phone or one of those "glow sticks" might work instead. Just remember not to let your light disturb others around you while they are watching the show. 4. Shoot a variety This includes zooming in and zooming out to include less and include more in your fireworks photos. Also take some vertical and some horizontal photo compositions.Try a few that might include the scenery if it attractive in your photo. Also, if it does not interfere with other people's enjoyment of the display, try moving your position to another vantage point for your pictures of fireworks. 5. Turn off the Flash Your camera's flash will not light up the fireworks. It will light up anything close to you and that is an unwanted distraction. If there are any close objects to your camera, your flash may overexpose them.Three additional quick digital photo tips for any photo shoot, not just fireworks photography: Remember the memory: It's a big mistake to have a full memory card or not have an extra card with you. Come Energized: Charge your batteries before your shoot. Bring extra camera batteries. Long exposures and frequent use of your digital display use up power quickly. Know your camera: Know how to set your camera settings before you take your photographs. Take a few minutes to read the camera manual and take a few practice photos the night before. Learn what your histogram is here: Photography Definitions and how to use it. More than anything else, Enjoy the show. Don't get so wrapped up in your photography that you forget to enjoy the moment and the amazing beauty and technology of fireworks! Back from Pictures of Fireworks to How to Photograph...
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