A Guide to Firework Photography

Fireworks make a great photographic subject. They are beautiful to watch, create wonderful streaky patterns, and often bring back memories of a special occasion. But they can also be difficult to photograph successfully. The following advice will ensure your firework photos are sharp, interesting, and bursting with colour.

Get There Early

Firework photograph

Arrive early to get an unobstructed view of the fireworks. Image by Yelley.

This is very important, especially if you expect the firework display to be busy (which they usually are). Arriving early gives you time to have a good look around and choose the best place to shoot from. It also gives you time to set up your camera well before the first firework is set off.

Stay upwind of the fireworks if possible, to avoid smoke blowing towards you during the display and ruining your photos.

Find an Interesting View

Find a spot with an unobstructed view of the area where the fireworks will be. I also like to include some interesting scenery, to provide the photo with context. Good examples are the surrounding landscape, nearby buildings or the watching crowd.

When framing your shot, try to picture in your mind where the fireworks will be exploding. Of course this can be very difficult, so if you are in any doubt, use a wider angle than you think is necessary. You can then crop the photo down to size later, which is much better than missing out on a great shot because you chopped off half the firework.

Keep Your Camera Steady

Firework photograph

Use a tripod and a remote shutter release to keep your firework photos sharp. Image by Will Scotton.

A tripod is absolutely essential when photographing fireworks - you will be using a very long exposure (usually a few seconds), meaning that camera shake is a real problem.

A remote or cable release might also be a good idea to further reduce camera shake. Using your camera's self-timer would have the same effect, but it's hard enough timing firework photographs normally, and the added lag of a self-timer makes it almost impossible.

Shoot in Manual Mode

Fireworks are a difficult subject to photograph, and your cameras automatic mode just won't be able to cope. Switch to manual mode and try the following settings as a starting point, adjusting as necessary:

Firework photograph

Manual mode will give you the best results. Image by nep.

Aperture - fireworks are very bright, and if your aperture is too wide you'll lose colour and end up with washed out streaks. Use a fairly narrow aperture (say f/8) - this will also help to keep more of your scene in focus.

Shutter speed - you'll need a few seconds of exposure to capture the movement of your fireworks. If possible use bulb mode so that you can open the shutter as the firework is going up, and close it after it has finished exploding.

Focussing - manually focus about one third of the way between you and the fireworks. This will give you maximum depth of field, keeping your whole scene as sharp as possible. (This is based on the idea of hyperfocal distance).

ISO - use a low ISO to reduce digital noise and prevent washing out the colours of your fireworks.

Flash - some cameras will automatically activate the flash due to the darkness, but it will have absolutely no effect on your photo other than to wash out the foreground and annoy people, so turn it off.

Use Trial and Improvement

Firework displays usually last a long time, with the most spectacular fireworks saved for the end. This gives you plenty of time to review your results as you go along, and make any necessary adjustments to your camera's settings.

Experiment With Multiple Exposures

You can give your firework photography more impact by capturing several firework bursts in a single frame. To do so, set your camera to bulb mode and open the shutter for a long time. Then hold a piece of card in front of your lens to block out the light between fireworks, removing it every time a new firework explodes.