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| Photograph by Mike Theiss, National Geographic |
In honor of tomorrow's Independence Day celebration, here are a few tips to help you take some fantastic fireworks images:
1. Shoot in Manual Mode! For fireworks you need to have the greatest control over your camera settings. Start out at ISO 100, f/11, and 1/2 sec exposure. Once you have taken a couple of pictures then you can adjust you shutter speed as necessary to get the shots you want.
2. Focus! Make sure you set you focus manually before shooting. Once the pyrotechnic show starts your camera's built in autofocus will not be able to find a contrasting edge to focus on (unless you get lucky). Find something in the sky or something on the ground that is the same distance away as the fireworks will be. Once you have set it using manual focus, leave it there and fire away.
3. Use a tripod! The slow shutter speeds required to capture amazing shots on July 4th means your camera needs to be stabilized. If you have an external cable release that will also help reduce camera shake giving you nice clean images.
4. Check you environment! Take a look at your surroundings before you start shooting to see what interesting elements there are in the foreground of your images. Use those natural features to frame your composition. If you are in a city location, use the city skyline as a backdrop. And don't forget to keep your horizon line straight.
Well this should get you off on the right foot to start taking fantastic images during your local fireworks shows. Once you're finished shooting post some of your new images up on the PSPN Google+ page. I would love to see how they turned out.
Theiss, Mike. "Fireworks, St. Louis." National Geographic. National Geographic Society, n.d. Web. 3 July 2013. <http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-tips/photographing-fireworks/#/fireworks-st-louis_37118_600x450.jpg>.
