LENS CAPTURE

Vol. 1 No. 28
With Independence Day upon us, opportunities to photograph firework displays should be many. Capturing fireworks takes a little thought. But you might be surprised by the wonderful images that can result.


©Tom Dowling

Follow these steps and you are sure to capture the moment.

Use a tripod - Since you will be using a slow shutter speed of several seconds, you need to keep the camera steady. There's no way you can hand-hold the camera and capture a sharp fireworks image. Instead of a tripod you could use a small beanbag, or a ledge to steady the camera. You need a solid platform to keep the camera steady.

Set your camera's sensitivity - To reduce noise from long exposures, set your camera's ISO to its lowest setting, such as 100 or 200. If it is set higher, your images will contain distracting artifact (noise).

Long Exposure NR - If your camera has a long exposure noise reduction feature, use it. Your camera's sensor heats up during long exposures. This feature will help to eliminate the resulting noise. Expect to wait a little longer between image captures since it takes longer to process and save the images in the camera.

Aperture - I prefer f/11 - f/16 for more depth of field and better exposure of the bright explosions. This will also intensify or saturate the colors of the rocket bursts.

Focal Length - A normal to wide lens I find to be the best. Bursts from the fireworks can be rather large. A longer focal length will result in the cropping of these spectacular displays.

Camera Orientation - Your choices are portrait (vertical) or landscape (horizontal). In most cases, you are best to have the camera in the portrait orientation since this provides the vertical room needed to capture the firework's trajectory.


Frame you image - Try and include the crowd, or landmarks to give the images a sense of scale. Adding foreground or background objects will definitely add more interest to your images.

Use flash - only if you want to expose nearby bystanders. Make sure you set the flash to rear curtain so it only fires at the very end of the exposure to allow the ambient light from the fireworks to be recorded. This might take some practice. Otherwise, make sure the flash is set not to fire.

Other steps to ensure a sharp image - use the self-timer or a remote shutter release. Pressing down on the shutter release will result in camera shake. If you are shooting with a digital SLR camera, you should use a remote shutter release and the mirror lock-up mode. This mode will reduce and/or eliminate any vibration caused by the mirror swinging up out of the sensor's way during image capture.

Set your shutter speed - How long should you set the shutter to remain open? I usually count how long it takes a mortar (the fireworks) to leave its firing point, to the time the rocket burst blossoms fully. I then take a few shots using that amount of time. This usually ranges anywhere from 2 to 5 seconds. If you have a shutter setting called "bulb," the shutter will remain open until you depress the shutter release a second time. Only use this setting if you have a remote shutter release cable or wireless remote. Otherwise, depressing the shutter release button on the camera will result in camera shake and a blurry photo.

Catching multiple bursts - This is pretty simple. Leave the shutter open longer. Shutter speeds of 10 to 20 seconds will capture several exploding rockets.

Manual works best - If your camera is set to auto-focus, it will hunt continuously for a target. Instead, focus on an object relatively the same distance from the camera as the exploding fireworks. Then set the focus to manual and leave it there for the remainder of the display. This technique is called pre-focusing.

Remember - The great thing about digital cameras is you do not have to wait to process your images to view the results. Check your LCD often to see if you are getting the images you desire. If not, experiment with your settings. There's no additional cost.

The New York Institute of Photography has written an excellent article titled Shooting Fireworks with a Digital Point-and-Shoot Camera.

Be safe and leave the fireworks display to the professionals. Enjoy the show!

Happy 4th of July!


-30-