4 WAYS TO SHOOT FIREWORKS
HELLO! My name is Buah Chi Ku, I share the passion for photography by giving free presentations. You can find me @buahchiku
“Police arrested two kids yesterday, one was drinking battery acid, the other was eating fireworks. They charged one and let the other one off. “ - Tommy Cooper
WHAT YOU NEED
• A decent camera – DSLR or Mirrorless. • Shooting with a sturdy tripod is highly recommended. • A remote trigger to reduce camera shake. • Black card or piece of black paper – If you are planning to use the black card method.
BEFORE THE SHOOT
• Do your homework and plan! • Do not go in blind as a bat. • When – Which date and what time are the fireworks going off? • Where – Which location, any off-limit areas? Where are the vantage points? • Prepare – Bring your food, drinks, extra batteries, portable chairs, etc…
METHOD 1 - HANDHELD
• If you are absolutely new to photography – there is no shame shooting with auto. • Otherwise, use the manual mode. • My usual settings – Wide aperture f/2.8 to f/5.6, decent ISO 400 – 1600. • The key is to keep a decently fast shutter speed to prevent blur photos. • Use the reciprocal rule as guideline. Minimum shutter speed should be 1/focal length.
METHOD 2 – BULB MODE • Step 1 – Frame and compose. Deploy your tripod. • Step 2 – Adjust the focus, then switch to manual focus mode. Do not shift the camera anymore. • Step 3 – Start with small aperture f/5.6 to f/8. Keep the ISO as low as possible, then set the shutter speed to “bulb”. • Step 4 – Take your test shot, keep the shutter open for about 3-5 secs. You should ideally get a slightly under-exposed photo with the settings. • Step 5 – Take the photos as fireworks go off. Review and readjust your timing and settings if you must.
METHOD 3 – BLACK CARD • Step 1 – Frame and compose. Deploy your tripod. Adjust the focus, then switch to manual focus mode. Do not shift the camera anymore. • Step 2 – Start with small aperture f/8 or more. Keep the ISO as low as possible, then set the shutter speed to “bulb”. • Step 3 – As the fireworks start, cover the lens with the black card and jam the shutter open. Uncover the lens when you see fireworks that you like, cover it once the fireworks disperse. Repeat this 3-5 times. • Step 4 – Release the shutter and review your photo. Readjust your settings if needed.
METHOD 4 – PHOTOSHOP STACKING • Step 1 – Go earlier during sunset/blue hour. • Step 2 – Frame and compose. Deploy your tripod. Adjust the focus, then switch to manual focus mode. Take your base shot during blue hour, and do not shift the camera anymore. • Step 3 – Take multiple shots of the fireworks as they go off. ¼ to 1 sec will suffice for each shot. • Step 4 – Open the base shot in Photoshop and do your basic adjustments. • Step 5 – Next, choose fireworks that your like, copy-and-paste them into your base shot. Set the blend mode of the pasted fireworks as “screen”.
THANK YOU For the full guide on how to do fireworks photography, please visit – http://xlightphotography.com/how-tophotograph-fireworks-like-boss/