Summer is in full swing, and one seasonal event we all look forward to is our hometown’s July 4th fireworks display. Here are some tips to help you capture and create amazing fireworks images:
- Check the online sites of local newspapers for recommendations regarding the best places to view annual fireworks displays in a given city. If you find nothing online, contact the local tourist board or visitor center. Ask where the staging area will be. Then scout around the staging area well ahead of time. Look for a strong compositional element over which the fireworks will explode. For example, in Washington, DC you would look for a view that includes the Washington Monument and in New York you might try for a view of the Statue of Liberty.
The following two images illustrate the benefit of including a strong compositional element. The inclusion of the Domino Sugars sign in the image below clearly identifies it as an image of fireworks over Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
Now take a close look at the image below. I had scouted the area and located an unobstructed view across Baltimore’s harbor of historic Fort McHenry. I knew the fireworks would reflect nicely across the water and planned to include in my composition the large flag that flies over Fort McHenry. Shortly before the fireworks began I learned the National Park Service planned to keep off the lights that normally illuminate this large flag. Without the illuminated flag as a compositional element, my preconceived image of fireworks over historic Fort McHenry turned into an image of fireworks over a generic harbor.
- Next, search for an unobstructed view between you, the staging area and your strong compositional element. Some distance is necessary to capture the full height and expanse of the fireworks as well as your location-specific compositional element. Scouting and locating a good vantage point ahead of time will not only give you the proper distance to avoid shooting straight up at the fireworks but also give you the opportunity to find a spot that’s less crowded so you can avoid being jostled by onlookers. Factor into your site selection the fact that fireworks displays draw a crowd. Once the show begins, you will have little opportunity to change your physical location.
- Arrive early to stake out this unobstructed view.
- Use a sturdy tripod and a cable or remote release.
- Generally, a zoom lens in the range 28-70mm will give you the capability and flexibility to capture the action and your specific compositional element. For full-frame, action-freezing images of the bombs bursting in air, a lens in the range of 100-200mm should suffice.
- Set your white balance to daylight.
- I generally set my ISO at 100-200, but you can certainly experiment with your ISO setting. My concern with a higher ISO is that the rest of the scene will be too dark or that I will run into trouble with subsequent bursts interfering with the full capture of the first burst.
- Set your aperture to f/16 or f/11. This may sound counter-intuitive at first given that the fireworks are going to be at infinity focus. Setting your aperture at f/16 or f/11 will guarantee that the streaks of the full explosive burst will be in sharp focus. When you use an aperture wider than f/11, the streaks have a fuzzy, non-defined look.
- Set your camera to manual exposure and your shutter speed to bulb. You have to experiment a bit with the actual shutter speed. Use a cable or remote release to open the shutter right before the rocket first begins to explode and hold it open until that burst is finished. This will be a few seconds. Do not hold the shutter open too long or you run the risk of overexposing your image.
The next two images illustrate what I meant when I said timing your exposures can be tricky. In the first image I was holding the shutter open to capture the large green burst when the second rocket began to explode. I thought it would erupt into a large blue-white burst that would overwhelm the larger green burst, so I closed the shutter. As it turned out, the second burst remained small and did not grow any brighter. Closing the shutter when I did caused me to miss a spectacular image of a large glittering green-gold burst spreading wide and sending sparkling fronds down toward the water. Do not worry about such missed shots because this happens during each fireworks display. Concentrate on capturing the next such burst.
Each fireworks show features a variety of colors, shapes and sizes of bursts. In the image below I expected this burst to grow much larger in size. The exposure is okay, but the image lacks spark because of the small size of the burst within the frame. Time your exposures to capture the larger explosions.
- The fireworks will be all over the sky. Since the bursts vary in shape and size as well as explode at varying heights, one would have to have bionic eyes to manually focus each burst. The rapid action seems to challenge autofocus. Thus, before the show begins, I recommend you set and lock focus on the strong compositional element you found during your earlier scouting mission. Not only will this insure proper depth of field and sharp focus, it will permit you to concentrate upon composition and timing the bursts.
- You may be wondering whether to keep your camera on one composition or to move it around. When I have an unobstructed view across water my compositions remain fairly static. I will zoom in/out and pan right/left to accommodate the anticipated blast, the compositional element, and the reflection. Depending upon how the pattern of the show develops and my compositional element, I tend to vary little between horizontal and vertical. In other words, I rely upon the color, shape and size of the bursts, and the resulting reflection to give each image a new look. When I photograph the fireworks here in Baltimore from a rooftop deck, a wider variety of compositions generally presents itself.
- Firework shows last only 15-20 minutes so you have to work quickly and efficiently. Resist the temptation to check each exposure. Rather, check your results after the first large explosion and make any necessary adjustments to your composition. You may need to zoom in or out so you are not chopping off the top or side of the glittering explosion. Check again after several more large bursts and again make any necessary adjustments.
- How many multiple bursts can one successfully capture in one exposure? I wish there were a hard-fast rule. Not only does it vary from one show to the next, it also varies during an evening’s performance. Thus, I strongly recommend you concentrate on capturing single-burst images and then experiment capturing multiple bursts. Try this technique to capture multiple bursts in one exposure. Place a piece of thick dark cardboard (or a dark-colored hat) in front of the lens. Use a cable release to lock the shutter open in the bulb setting. Each time a rocket is about to burst, remove the cardboard (or hat) from in front of the lens, and then re-cover the lens once the burst is finished. You will have to experiment to see how many exposures you can effectively capture and compose on one exposure. The danger of overexposing is high, especially if the bursts overlap, but give it a try.
- Watch and enjoy the fireworks finale because the risk of overexposure is pretty much guaranteed.
Several final recommendations that will enhance your fireworks images:
- Look for reflections … especially across water or in the windows of skyscrapers.
- Generally, you can capture great images of round bursts from just about any unobstructed viewpoint. However, you may find it challenging to capture fireworks that feature multiple bursts and spinning parts, as illustrated below. These seem to have a distinct photogenic side. If you are not situated at the proper angle to capture that photogenic side, then the shapes of these bursts appear fractured and lopsided.
- For anyone too close to the staging area and directly downwind of it, there is a chance the smoke will cause eye irritation and possible breathing difficulty. For the photographer, smoke is more likely to cause a problem when it hangs in the air and obscures the crisp, clean lines of the cascading fireworks, when it drifts to the “wrong” side of one’s composition or when it gives the sky a dull, flat hue. If possible, shoot upwind of the fireworks. If conditions conspire against you (clouding smoke, jostling crowds, etc.) despite your careful preparations, pack your gear away and simply enjoy watching the rest of the show.
Baltimore has at least four large fireworks displays each year near the Harbor, plus several in surrounding counties. Washington, DC puts on a spectacular event along the National Mall each July 4th. Check the events calendar in your area, and you too may find multiple fireworks shows within easy commute.
Here’s hoping you have a blast!
