Fireworks Photography Tips #1 - Slow Shutter Speed When you photograph fireworks, it is very important that you set your camera to a slow shutter speed.
Since slow shutter speeds will be in need, you will also have to ensure good camera support.
This will make sure that the pictures taken will turn out looking steady and clear.
Fireworks Photography Tips #2 - Ensure Camera Stability No doubt, one of the best ways to ensure camera stability is to use a tripod.
Nonetheless, if you do not have a tripod, you can opt to brace yourself against a building, or maybe a tree.
Otherwise, you can have your camera placed on wall.
When you use DSLRs, you can use the shutter release cable or self-timer function.
Using any of these 2 options will release the shutter without any camera shake.
Fireworks Photography Tips #3 - Do Not Use Flash Don't use flash when in attempt to photography fireworks.
Flash will not help capture fireworks at a distance.
Nonetheless, flash does help lit subjects; be it objects or even people in the foreground.
A perfect example of this is when photographers shoot portraits with fireworks as the background; they will often use flash to illuminate their model.
Fireworks Photography Tips #4 - Set To Manual Fireworks photography is definitely special photography genre where you will have to be brave and enter into the world of manual settings.
Both your lens focus and exposure must be set to manual.
Adjust the focus ring so that it is set to infinity focus.
The symbol for infinity is similar to the number eight figure, except that it is turned sideways.
A vast majority of lenses have distance scales imprinted onto them.
Fireworks Photography Tips #5 - Exposures One thing that you should do is to experiment with long shutter speeds.
This includes a shutter speed that is anywhere between 1 second and 16 seconds, about ISO 100.
The shutter speed that is suitable varies depending on the amount of ambient light as well as the amount of fireworks in the sky.
Why use relatively long exposures to photography fireworks? This is simply because long exposures can capture the burst of fireworks, producing moving streaks against the dark sky.
Using long exposures will indeed produce stunning fireworks photography effects.
There really isn't any perfect shutter speed.
All you need to do is to try different shutter speeds and get the sort of fireworks photography you are after.
Another thing you should do is to dial in a low f/stop.
Anywhere between f/8 and f/16 will be good.
Doing this will prevent the scene from being overexposed during the long exposures.
Despite that, using low f/stops will also help refrain from light blooms that come from the explosions of fireworks in the sky.
Firework Photography Tips #6 - Use One Long BULB Exposure With one long BULB exposure, you can combine a few fireworks together into one picture when you hold the shutter open for half a minute or longer.
Adjust your camera settings so that it is set to manual, and use the top-mounted Main Dial.
The shutter speed will then be set to BULB.
As long as you the release is remained depress, the shutter will also be kept open.
This will allow you to photograph a few bursts of fireworks in one picture, rather than just one burst of fireworks.
While you're at this, remember to block off the lens and sensor in between the bursts of fireworks.
Doing this allows you to refrain from facing problems such as skies looking muddy grey in pictures.
Yes, the sky can look muddy grey if it is continuously being overexposed while you wait for a few bursts of fireworks to occur.