My dog is not a fan of fireworks--every Independence Day, she cowers in the corner as my neighborhood erupts with pops, bangs, and explosions. But the rest of us look forward to days like July 1 (in Canada) and July 4 (in the U.S.) for bright, joyous fireworks. And there are few subjects more rewarding to capture on film. In the past, I've given you some tips for shooting fireworks, and this year I've rounded up even more.
Prepare Your Camera
While you can take fireworks photos with pretty much any camera--point and shoot or digital SLR--you'll get better results with an SLR. Fireworks are nighttime photos[, and darkness means using longer shutter speeds, manual exposure control, and a tripod. (Read "Take Exciting Photos at Night" for more tips.)
To begin with, make sure that your camera is set to its lowest ISO, which is usually about 200. If you set the ISO higher (or let the camera choose an ISO automatically), you'll get a noisy, overexposed sky.
You should also set the white balance to tungsten or incandescent for the most accurate colors. If you shoot with your camera's RAW mode, white balance is irrelevant, and you can tweak it afterwards on your PC. But for typical JPEG photography, set it ahead of time.
Does your camera have a noise reduction feature? I suggest that you turn it off. You'll get better results, because the noise reduction software in your camera will tend to reduce the clarity of the fireworks. The tradeoff? Your shots might look somewhat noisier.
Finally, here's something most people don't think about very much: If your camera has a screw-on filter, remove it. A lot of photographers put a Skylight, UV, or haze filter on their camera to protect the lens from scratches and to provide better color balance. But that filter will increase the chances of lens flare and stray reflections in your shots. Also, if your lens comes with a hood, put it on to help reduce lens flare.
Setting Up the Camera
When you're ready to take your photos, I strongly recommend using a tripod. You'll be shooting very long shutter speeds, ranging from 1 to 8 seconds or so. It's impossible to get a sharp, steady image even at a half second. For extra stability, some folks drape a weighted bag--like a bean bag or a small bag filled with sand or pellets--across the top of the camera to dampen the vibration caused by taking the photo.
If you have one, I recommend attaching a remote shutter release to your camera. Some cameras accept a wired remote, or are compatible with wireless infrared remotes which you can use to snap the picture without touching--and therefore jiggling--the camera.
Making the Exposure
Ready to take some photos? As I've said before, night photography is more art than science. There are a range of exposure settings you can use to get a great photo, and you should experiment to see what you like. The playback feature is handy to see if you are under- or overexposing your shots, so you can correct the exposure on the next photo.
In general, you'll probably want to use a shutter speed between 1 and 8 seconds. Shorter shutter speeds will give you crisp snapshots of the fireworks, while longer exposures will give you longer, more fluid light trails. If you set the ISO to 200, start with exposure settings of 1 second and f/5.6, or 4 seconds and f/11. If the colors are overexposed, close down the aperture (with a bigger f number) in your next attempt. Likewise, if the fireworks are anemic, increase the exposure by one f-stop.
And remember that the sky will get brighter as the show goes on. At first, you'll only see a couple of fireworks in the sky at any particular moment, but as the show builds towards a climax, the sky will be filled with more and more bright, dramatic explosions at the same time. That means you'll want to close down the aperture more as the evening progresses, or you'll end up with badly overexposed photos. If you were shooting 4 seconds at f/11 at the start of the fireworks show, you'll need to shoot 4 seconds at f/16 or f/22 towards the end.
Hot Pic of the Week
Get published, get famous! Each week, we select our favorite reader-submitted photo based on creativity, originality, and technique.
Here's how to enter: Send us your photograph in JPEG format, at a resolution no higher than 640 by 480 pixels. Entries at higher resolutions will be immediately disqualified. If necessary, use an image editing program to reduce the file size of your image before e-mailing it to us. Include the title of your photo along with a short description and how you photographed it. Don't forget to send your name, e-mail address, and postal address. Before entering, please read the full description of the contest rules and regulations.
This week's Hot Pic: "Angel" by Jessica Mavin, Miami, Florida
Jessica radically reimagined this photo of her daughter in Photoshop CS3, adding water effects, reflective surfaces, and even a pair of wings.
This week's runner-up: "Bald Head Island" by Gordon Williams, Greensboro, North Carolina
Gordon took this photo with a Canon EOS T1i. He says that he captured this scene of his kids playing on Bald Head Island near sunset, and made no changes to the photo.
To see last month's winners, visit the May Hot Pics slide show. Visit the Hot Pics Flickr gallery to browse past winners.
Have a digital photo question? E-mail me your comments, questions, and suggestions about the newsletter itself. And be sure to sign up to have Digital Focus e-mailed to you each week.
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