Photograph Fireworks


Is your city putting on a massive pyrotechnics display this weekend? Or maybe just your neighbor Carl? Either way, you can learn how to capture the moment in all its noisy, exploding glory with a digital camera.

Ideally, it pays to use a camera that offers some level of manual control over the settings. That way, you can dial in the best exposure, aperture and focus settings to achieve the best results.

SLR

If you own a fancy, expensive SLR camera, chances are you know what you're doing already. But if you don't shoot at night that often, or if you've never photographed fireworks, these tips should offer some guidance.

Use the slow shutter speed. This will ensure you see bright "trails" in your fireworks pictures as the flaming particles spread out and begin to fall toward the ground, burning light into the image.

Get a tripod. Leaving the shutter open means that you'll need to stabilize your camera in order to avoid any motion blur. And taking crisp, long-exposure night shots while trying to hold a heavy SLR steady with your hands is next to impossible. Find a tripod, a monopod or, at the very least, a flat, stable surface to hold your camera perfectly still.

Get a shutter release cable. These cables -- flexible and hollow with a spring-loaded plunger inside -- will let you depress the shutter mechanism without having to touch the camera at all, thus reducing any possible blur.

Set the ISO to it's lowest setting. This will reduce graininess and noise that can be introduced by higher ISO settings. (See tips below)

Set Focus to infinity. Also, be sure to turn off any auto-focus settings if your camera has them.

Tip: Try photographing multiple bursts in a single image. Leave the shutter open for 30 to 40 seconds at a time to capture multiple explosions. Just be sure to cover the lens between explosions to minimize the amount of ambient that shows up. Cover the lens with your hand, a black t-shirt or anything dark and non-reflective. Don't touch or bump the camera while you're covering it.

Tip: For a different approach, shoot hand-held without a tripod using a much faster shutter speed and a higher ISO. You'll also want to re-adjust your f/stop, otherwise your images will be too dark. You won't get as many light trails from the fireworks, but you'll pick up a higher level of detail in the actual explosion, so your shots will contain a different type of drama.

Tip: Another approach is using a long exposure time to make some trippy shots of the fireworks, just keep the camera pointed in the right direction while it is taking the photograph.


Point & shoot

Find the long exposure setting -- Some cameras call this the "night" setting, but on others it's just a manual exposure setting that lets you keep the shutter open for several seconds at a time by holding the shutter button down. If your camera has that ability, choose that mode. If your camera doesn't have that feature, choose whatever setting leaves the shutter open the longest.

Lower the ISO -- A higher ISO means the camera will pick up more ambient light, and it could introduce extra noise into the photo. Crank the ISO down as low as it goes. If your photos are too dark, bump it up and try again.

Lose focus -- Set focus to infinity if your camera allows it. If not, choose the "Landscape" mode, which should set the focus to infinity and lower the shutter speed and ISO. Turn off auto-focus.

Use "Fireworks" mode -- Some point-and-shoots have a "Fireworks" mode that sets up the camera for long-exposure night shots automatically. The manufacturer probably knows how the camera works better than you do, so at least give it a try. If you don't like the results, see if you can tweak the mode's default settings.

Stabilize -- You'll be holding the shutter open for a few seconds at a time, so it's critical to have a stable, solid surface to shoot from. Wedge your camera against a wall, the roof of a car, or a concrete pillar to stabilize it.

If you camera has a screw-mount for attaching it to a tripod, borrow or invest in a tripod or monopod. Also, a bendable tripod like the Gorilla Pod is a nice option because you can use one to mount the camera on objects like signposts, trees and fences.

Set a timer -- If your camera lets you shoot a photo after counting down on a five-second or ten-second timer, give that a try. You can set up the shot, stabilize your camera, then fire off the timer and step away. This will ensure you won't accidentally bump or shake the camera while the shutter is open.

Turn off the Flash -- There's no reason at all to use a Flash to capture fireworks. Switch it off.


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