How To Photograph Fireworks with DSLR Camera

It's that time of year, Fourth of July and lots of fireworks, since college one of my favorite things to do is photograph them. When I was in college, photography school, my first year when it was close to the Fourth of July  my teacher taught us how to photograph fireworks... it wasn't at all how I thought you would do it, but since then been doing it that way and getting great pictures.

What do you need; a DSLR Camera (Digital Single Lens Reflex or in simple terms a camera with removable lens and manual mode) and a Tripod (doesn't need to be a big expensive one, but sturdy and strong enough to hold your camera). Once you find a good spot to watch the fireworks show, level and with a clear view, then set up your camera on the tripod. Now for the settings on the camera....

Camera on Manual Mode

1st - put your camera on Manual Mode, M on the settings dial.
2nd - Shutter Speed, set your shutter speed to "Bulb", on my Nikon do that by pressing the shutter button part way down, then when the shutter speed and F-stop shows up on your top screen use the thumb toggle to change the shutter speed. Bulb is normally the last or close to the last shutter speed setting. The bulb setting means the shutter stays open as long as you hold the shutter button down.

Camera Shutter Speed set on Bulb

3rd - F-stop, I like to have it on
F-5.6 or something close to that.
4th - ISO, the best ISO is 200 (most cameras default to that). You may be thinking low light need a high ISO, but not the case this time. ISO 200 will get you more vivid colors and very little grain or "noise" then the higher ISOs. (ISO is International Standards Organisation and it measures the sensitivity of the image sensor.)
5th - Focus on infinity, you will have to turn your auto focus off. Infinity on the lens is when the focusing ring on the lens is all the way twisted to the right, at the end of the numbers on your lens there is an infinity symbol (sideways 8), when you get to it you are focused on infinity.

Now you have your camera set on all the right settings and on the tripod, the show is about ready to start now what... Watch the fist one go up through you view finder and make sure you camera is pointed in the right spot. When a fireworks starts going up click the shutter button and continue to hold it down till after the firework goes off and starts to fade away. This will get the tale of the firework going up and the entire boom and full effect of it. You can also hold it down for more then one firework to get multiples in your photo. Try not to bump the camera or move around too much while holding it down, this is why you need a tripod to help with keep it steady. Once I know I have the camera aimed right at the show I normally stand behind my camera and tripod with my finger on the shutter button and watch the show, as one goes up I click down and then let off when it is done, no need to look in the view finder each time because it will black out and you will miss the explosion (and I wouldn't recommend using the back screen for this either, for those that you can).

That's it, hope that I explained it well, first time I have tried to explain it in writing... have fun taking firework pictures!

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