Better Fireworks Photos Tips and Tricks

from Laurel of Northeast Georgia July 23

by The Laurel of Northeast Georgia

By The Way

By Peter McIntosh

Photos by Peter McIntosh, with Sky Valley Photos by Steve Dinberg

Fourth of July fireworks are always fun, ands even more fun if you can capture these pyrotechnical marvels with your camera. And when I say camera, I’m referring to DSLR’s, Mirrorless, and phone cameras. Here are some tips and tricks to help you take better fireworks photos. The photos in this article are mine except for the Sky Valley photos shot by my friend Steve Dinberg.

1 - Use a tripod. This is true for both regular cameras and camera phones. You can shoot without a tripod but steady platform increases your odds of getting a sharp image. (For cell phones there’s the UBeesize Phone Tripod on Amazon for about $17.) If you’re in a boat, try to keep your camera as steady as possible.

2 - Think about Composition. Something other than just starbursts. When shooting on one of our beautiful lakes, the boats in the water and the reflection of the fireworks is an obvious choice. In other locations, look for a foreground element that gives the image a sense of place. (Children’s silhouettes, friends in lawn chairs, etc.Steve’s Sky Valley pics are a good example.) Also consider horizontal versus vertical. Most fireworks photos are vertical but sometimes horizontal is a better composition.

3 - Focal length, zoom or wide angle? Typically wide angle is better as you can crop the image later should you desire. Wide angle images are usually sharper unless you have a very steady tripod. This is especially true for cell phones where zooming magnifies any camera movement.

4 - Shoot in manual mode. Manual exposure, manual focus. Most newer cell phones have this feature. (Look it up on YouTube for your specific model) And turn off your flash!

5 - Set correct Aperture - F/8 to F/16. A smaller aperture increases the field of focus and helps with longer exposures.

6 - Shutter speed. Learn how to adjust this on the fly. Typically between 4 to 8 seconds will produce the best results. But keep in mind if you go to a longer shutter speed, you’ll want a higher F stop. (Smaller aperture) If you’re in boat, do the best you can with a faster shutter speed.

7. ISO - Set you ISO to 100. Fireworks are bright so a higher ISO usually isn’t necessary. You can do this with most cell phones as well.

8 - Smoke direction. If your goal is to get the best fireworks photo possible, try to be upwind of the shooting location. It’s a best guess scenario, and sometimes it doesn’t matter, just something to consider.

9 - Have fun! Take lots of pictures, check your photos to make sure you’re not getting blown out highlights. And keep in mind my tips here are guidelines, not rules. Happy Fourth of July and enjoy the show!

Fireworks at Lake Burton – July 1st, 9:30pm