Photographing Fireworks
Canon R6 • Canon RF24-105mm f/4L (@105mm) • ISO 100 • f/10 • 0.9 sec (Bulb Mode)
Looking for some incredible pics from your next fireworks show? Follow these simple tips:
Arrive Early. Stake out your spot. You’re looking for a location with minimal lighting between you and the fireworks. This will provide a nice dark surrounding and the most flexibility in post-processing the image.
Use a Tripod. You’ll typically want to take the photo in portrait orientation (versus landscape) in order to capture the fireworks that illuminate on their way up. Note that a remote shutter release is optional. The photos on this page and others on my Instagram feed did not use a remote. They were all taken using Bulb Mode (Step #3 below) and a finger press.
Use Bulb Mode. For most modern cameras, this will enable you to open and close the shutter manually by simply holding down the shutter release. Given the contrast between the illuminated fireworks and the dark background, there’s no need to make any other compensation for the lighting. Bulb Mode, coupled with an aperture setting of F8 to F12 and an ISO of 100 will capture the image clearly.
Use Manual Focus. Your camera will not be able to focus using the automated settings. Change the focus to Manual, and then pre-focus on something near the expected distance of the fireworks. Another advantage of Bulb Mode with modern mirrorless cameras like my Canon R6 is that the camera can artificially illuminate the viewing screen to make manual focusing easier (along with manual focus tools inherent with your particular camera).
Optimize Shutter Timing. Once the target firework is expected, press the shutter release button and hold it ONLY until the firework reaches its optimum expansion. What I mean by this is, you don’t want to extend the shutter release into the period of expansion when the colors start to fall and fade. Otherwise, the latter will continue to be captured by the sensor, resulting in a poor image. The photo below shows a little bit of this. You can see the tips starting to fall, along with some remnants of the prior firework. The photo at top is a nearly perfect shot, The tips are starting to fall slightly, but they contrast well against the rest of the colors in the image.
Wait for the “Right” Fireworks. Fireworks that overlap can appear cluttered and sloppy, particularly if some of them are starting to “fall” and violate the guidance of Step #5 above.
Fire Away! The nice thing with modern cameras is that you can take as many pics as you want and simply delete the duds. Take a few pics quickly at the start and quickly evaluate your focus (zoom in). Other than a minor focus adjustment, if any, you should now be able start taking continuous shots. Remember, you don’t need 50 “good” shots, but it may take 50 shots to get the 5 or 10 good ones you’re looking for.
Adjust in Post. I use Lightroom to adjust my photos. In doing so, I find the auto-adjustment feature gets me pretty close. From there, I may adjust exposure, white, black, and noise to get some consistency across the photos. I also may use the Dehaze feature if I notice some haziness from the smoke.
Canon R6 • Canon RF24-105mm f/4L (@105mm) • ISO 100 • f/10 • 5.0 sec (Bulb Mode)
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