Fireworks Photography Tips
Fireworks photos look best if you have a good foreground. So find a good location a few days before going out on the 4th of July. The photo below is shot from the Netherlands Carillon in Washington DC. It’s an amazing location because you have the Lincoln Monument, Washington Monument and Capital all lined up.
Steps for Fireworks Photos
Get there early since most good locations get very crowded
Set your focus point on the foreground element (in the photo below I set the focus point on the Lincoln Memorial). Or you can manually focus the camera on the foreground element. If you have autofocus-on, your camera will have difficulty finding a focus point.
You will need a good sturdy tripod.
If you have one, use a cable release or wireless remote to trigger the shutter
Turn OFF Long Exposure Noise Reduction.
Shoot in RAW so you can post-process the image in LR or PS
Set the camera to a low ISO, such as 100-200.
For your aperture f/8 to f/11 works well
A shutter Speed of 1 to 5 seconds is ideal. If you have a camera with a Bulb Mode, then set the camera to the Bulb (B) mode. This allows you to keep the shutter open as long as you want. I try to expose (keep the shutter open) for the entire fireworks burst.
My Settings for the image above are:
Canon R5 with a RF 70-200mm F/2.8 lens
f8, ISO 100, for 1.6 seconds using a Cable Release in Bulb Mode
Have a safe and fun 4th of July!!
