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 Larry Kelly has been taking photos for many years. He refined his skills as an amateur photographer when he went digital in 2006. A retired environmental law enforcement officer, he enjoys photography, writing, and coaching others. See his work and reach him at www.lawrencekellyphotography.com |
| Up for a challenge? Capturing fireworks photos can fill the bill. It takes knowledge, practice, trial-and-error, and some luck to get a really good one. Many DSLR’s and point and shoot cameras have a fireworks setting included in their “scene modes” settings. This can actually produce good results if you get the timing down. The photo with this article was taken with a point and shoot. Generally, press the shutter when the fireworks are launched while aiming at the general spot in the sky where they are exploding. If this does not produce good results, delay pressing the shutter a little bit after the launch, or try panning the camera and pressing the shutter when they launch. If you only have your phone, you still have a shot at getting a fireworks picture. Taking many attempts and holding as steady as possible is key. Better to prop the phone against something, or put it on a tripod, and use your headphones as a remote trigger. Try to anticipate as above. You can also try burst mode as fireworks are launched. If you video them, try taking a screen shot of the bursts. Tricky, but it can work. For best results use an SLR with a tripod and cable release in Manual mode. You have three options with the DSLR. First, pick an aperture of f/8 and a shutter speed of 5 seconds, press the shutter at launch, and see what happens. Adjust your shutter speed from there, either shorter or longer, and fire away. The second is to select a longer shutter speed, like 30 seconds at f/8, and fire away. You will probably get multiple bursts. These can look great. Lower the shutter speed a little if shots are overexposed. The third option is to use a much smaller aperture, say f/16, put your shutter speed in “bulb” mode, lock the cable release, and then record multiple bursts by placing a black object in front of the lens between launches. Take the object away for the bursts only. I’d only try this when you already have some good shots using the other methods though. Be sure to switch off auto focus and manually focus 1/3 of the distance to the action. Leave the focus on manual. Keep your ISO on a low setting and switch off Long Exposure Noise Reduction on a DSLR. It helps to arrive early when there is still some daylight to be able to focus manually and get a good observation point. Personally, I think fireworks photos look best with some background included in the scene. Good luck and have a happy and safe Fourth! |
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