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SALT LAKE CITY — With the Fourth of July upon us, you may find yourself entranced by the beautiful explosion of fireworks above you. You may even want a photograph to immortalize the moment.
Taking good pictures of fireworks is seen as a challenge, but with a little planning and foreknowledge can be easy. Use these five tips to capture the splendor of fireworks in all their elegance.
1. Use a tripod and remote shutter control
Without a tripod and remote shutter control, it will be very difficult to take a good picture of fireworks. Due to the slow shutter times needed to photograph fireworks, any movement of the camera will cause blurriness. Even slight vibrations from depressing the shutter button will ruin your shot.
For best results, mount your camera to a sturdy tripod. If no tripod is available, you can prop your camera up on something sturdy, like a folding chair or some stairs. Without a tripod, though, it will be hard to properly frame your shot.
If using an iPhone as a camera, plug in your Apple headphones and use the volume up button to activate the shutter. This acts as a remote shutter control and prevents vibrations and movement of your phone when the picture is taken. Similar solutions are possible on an Android.
2. Find a good vantage point and frame your shot
When photographing fireworks, it's best to shoot from an elevated position to the side, and not directly underneath the fireworks. This allows you to capture more of the fireworks.
Decide which picture orientation you are going to use. Fireworks are one of the few things that look good shot in portrait and landscape orientations. Landscape draws focus to the firework itself, and landscape can capture multiple fireworks in one frame.
When photographing fireworks, it's best to shoot from an elevated position to the side, and not directly underneath the fireworks.
Also consider the backdrop — are you catching the corner of a run-down building in your shot? Can you include a city skyline? With the long exposures you will be using, light from other sources will show up just as well as the fireworks, so be sure you identify all light sources that could be in your shot.
3. Put your camera on manual
Very few cameras have a good fireworks mode. For best results, set your camera to manual. Set your aperture between f/8 and f/16 (start with f/11 and adjust from there), and use ISO 100.
To capture a single moment of a firework, use a shutter speed of about one-half second. This lets just enough of the firework be captured in the shot that you can tell it's a firework. A better way of capturing fireworks is with bulb mode — detailed below — which captures the entire firework.
Start off setting your focal length to infinite, and bring it down from there if desired. Remember to refocus each time you adjust the focal length.
If your camera can't be adjusted in as many ways as described, just adjust what you can. If your camera doesn't have a manual mode, try night mode. It will most likely be close enough.
If using a smartphone, look into downloading a camera app that offers these advanced features. Most stock camera apps don't allow for the needed adjustments.
4. Use bulb modeBulb mode, when activated, opens your shutter for as long as the shutter button is depressed. This allows you to capture the entire life of a firework, including the "tail" left by its journey to the sky.
Once bulb mode is activated on your camera, press the button down when a firework is launched, and let go after most bits of the explosion have faded away.
This feature requires the use of a tripod and remote shutter control. Without the use of both pieces of equipment, your pictures will turn out blurry.
Once again; if using a smartphone, you will need a camera app that includes bulb mode.
5. Take reaction shots
Don't forget the people. Much of what makes watching fireworks special is enjoying the moment with friends and family. Try to snap a few shots of the people enjoying the fireworks with you.
If possible, try to use the light of fireworks to illuminate people's faces. If not, a soft flash or even some sparklers will work.
Taylor Wilson is an IT professional at a small Utah company. He has a passion for helping people with technology. Email: taylorwilson@testonetwo.com Online: www.testonetwo.com or twitter.com/twil6
