How to: Photography and nightime fireworks

• Published July 4th, 2011 by Ron Ragan
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Let's face it, there are few things more traditional to Americans than fireworks on July 4th. As a photographer, capturing all those colorful sparkles, explosions and swooshes  can can be pretty cool.  But, photographing at night presents its own set of challenges.

Let's start with what equipment you need to pull it off. These tips are from our online partner Lifepics.

Bring a camera, tripod and flashlight to the fireworks display. It's dark and you'll need longer exposures, so use the tripod to avoid blurry pictures. The flashlight will help you adjust your camera settings in the dark.

Set your camera to Fireworks mode (if you have that feature), which will automatically take care of the settings. If you don't have Fireworks mode, set your camera to Manual mode: ISO 200, aperture f/8, and shutter speed between 5 and 15 seconds. After you take a few pictures, take a look at how they are turning out and adjust the shutter speed accordingly (leave the ISO and f-stop alone).

Take a lot of pictures! You can take over 100 pictures and only keep 2 great ones. The more pictures you take, the greater chance you have of capturing the perfect shot. Be a ruthless editor; you only need one or a few photos to frame and share!

Remember that fireworks come fast and furious during the finale of the show. Therefore, you may need to decrease your shutter speed. 15 seconds will likely be overexposed during the finale. Try 5 seconds instead.

Include a landmark in the photo, such as a statue, stadium, park, lake, or whatever the surrounding area includes. As the fireworks explode, they will light up the landmark beautifully.

If you really want to try your creativity, swirl your fireworks and look at the results.  By swirling, I mean, move the camera in circular motions or pan the camera as the fireworks are going off.  It takes a lot of practice, but the results can be stunning. I have included some examples below that I personally took in Grandbury, Texas on July 4th several years ago.

Enjoy!