Fireworks Photography Guide: FIVE easy steps!
Fireworks Photography Guide: FIVE easy steps!
How to photograph fireworks in five easy steps! My tutorial and tips!
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Thanks for the good advice Gordon… there are always questions on Facebook or similar asking how to take photos of fireworks so I think this will be a useful video.
I usually set my camera in bulb mode and use a cable release to open (and hold open) the shutter. I will either count the seconds off in my head (1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, etc) or, on some of my cameras, there is a display on the LCD of the exposure time in real time (i.e. it shows how long the shutter has been open). I also set the camera in manual mode so I can quickly and easily adjust the aperture and ISO as necessary (based on the image previews I’m seeing as I go along). I realise this doesn’t allow you to enjoy the firworks as much as your method (as you’re constatly monitoring the camera and making adjustments) but it does allow for a lot of variety in the shots.
Regarding focussing, I have typically used autofocus with no major (or even minor) problems. I did recently reach the conclusion that you did, that the camera can’t focus rapidly enough (even though past experience suggested otherwise) and decided to focus manually. Just about every shot I took that night was out of focus! Won’t be doing that again.
Please don’t think I’m disagreeing with your suggestions… I’m just sharing my own experiences. At the end of the day it’s very much a trial and error thing and everyone should do what works best for them.
BTW… how much coffee do you drink?!! (-:
Great video for beginners. But please don’t use a bluetooth or wifi remote controller if you want to be precise. To have only the effects that you want in the frame, you need to avoid any latency when you shoot. Prefer to use a cable remote controller to get the best results, and you’ll be able to capture moments that no one will be able to capture with a wifi or bluetooth remote controller, especially in bulb mode.
Next video showing how to video record these events in more detail. 😀
4 seconds far too long for me
Thank you.
I needed to shoot fireworks tonight. For myself and for a small community magazine that just started and I’m heading up. I’ve shot a lot of things over the years, even for a living for about 5 years. But, never fireworks. I just got back and at least looking on the playback on the cameras, it looks good. I watched this video a few hours before I went and used your settings to start and tweaked it a little as I went. I was running a Canon 6D with a Tokina 11-16 DX lens set at 16mm and f8, No vignetting on full-frame that way. I also ran a Sony a6000 with a Samyang (Rokinon) 12MM. Because both cameras had L brackets I couldn’t plug in the remote cords on either camera. So, I used Canon Connect on the 6D and used it wirelessly then did the 2-second shutter trick on the a6000. Since I was covering for the magazine I was able to get pretty close to where they were shooting off the fireworks. It was awesome. So thank you for the video.
noice
Very clear thanks! Can you do more video like that?
@cameralabs pls create a playlist about fireworks photography tips! 🙂
I love fireworks, but never tried to photograph them. You’re encouraging me to try.
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Olympus live composite is really helpful for previewing what you can get, live.
Hi Gordon I have just decided to rekindle my interest in photography and as a result of various searches, this video of yours popped up.
I seem to remember talking to you several years ago. Did you used to live in New Zealand? Or maybe you still do – but this looks like it was filmed in the UK. I used to live in ChCh but had to return to the UK for family reasons.
Never thought about taking photos of fireworks but it’s good to be able to if the need ever arises and top video as always 🙂
I prefer to use bulb mode if possible.
I took some shots of fireworks that turned out OK but, on reflection, I think I should have waited until they had been taken out of the box, lit and actually set off. On a more serious note, thanks for this really helpful video Gordon. I will put your ideas into practice as soon as I can.
Thank you Gordon for the amazing tips on how to take photos of the fireworks displays!
Is this checklist for use with or with out a ND filter? 🙂
Just getting back in to photography after about 5 years, been watching you for over 12 years now! (Canon 40d video) Good refresh for Australia day fireworks! Thanks
Thanks for a good video.
The point with regard to long exposure noise reduction is crucial. I found out the hard way when i purchased my Sony A7iii. Shooting a fireworks display in bulb. 4 seconds exposure, and it took nearly 20s to write and save the image, delaying the ability to shoot the next shot. A 12 min display goes extremely quick when fighting noise reduction settings
You didn’t measure what white balance you used! I’m assuming you will use auto wb since that is what I saw on your settings… but isn’t auto white balance going to make the photos all over the place in terms of color shift with so many different colors in the fireworks??
Great video. Mentioned practically everything except from experience always arrive early to get a good spot unless you don’t mind shooting over people’s heads.
Excellent tutorial, Gordon. Simple, concise, useful. 👍🦘
I want to thank you immensely for this video. I’ve been trying to get great fireworks photos for FIVE YEARS and tonight, July 4th, I finally did. Thank you SO MUCH!
4 sec and f11
Wi that work for a 1" sensor or chances r it won’t see much 🤔
Great job explaining everything and giving examples of what each setting changes, phenomenal video!
Watching on Fourth of July
Where to set Manual focus in sky before the crackers start to burst ?
Setting manual focus to infinity is a bad idea?
I recently shot a nighttime balloon festival on the far side of a lake with my 77D DSLR. Because the balloons were not in a perfect line I needed to stop-down to f8 for enough depth of field, and most of my wide shots were around 50mm on an APS-C camera, with one second exposure at ISO 400. I was probably using the 17-55mm f/2.8 lens for the bulk of the shots (I tried several lenses during the event), but an 18-55mm kit lens probably would have been adequate given the aperture. The balloonists were only occasionally firing their gas jets so it was tricky to get good shots but I was able to generally get what I needed, and I got good reflections off of the lake as well.
I’m tempted to get one of those Canon bluetooth controllers. I have the 18-135mm Nano USM lens and the PZ controller, and the PZ will work off of that Canon remote, and I won’t have to keep my smartphone on and the app on to use it. I had just a hint of shake in background lights but not on the balloons themselves, so running in live-view or with mirror lockup and with the controller would’ve helped.
I did have to combine a few shots to into a single final picture to get all of the balloons firing at the same time, but with the tripod and manual settings left unchanged it was trivially easy to accomplish that.
Gordon, thanks for the 5600 K temperature setting. I used it along with f2.8 ISO1000, HLG3 with A7R5 and the 16-35 GM. I remember to turn off the stabliizer as well, as you recommended. https://youtu.be/4WLxo2PLogM?si=ZcFgRMZ0NmmuLckg
What’s best Kelvin setting for fireworks videos? For 50 GM lens. Is f2.8 at ISO 1000 too much for videos?
1/2 sec
f11
iso 400
interval timer set to 0 and 60 shots for 30 seconds of fireworks
Just used this today and works extrenly well!
I see you were preparing for the fireworks display in Preston Park (: ? Greetings from a fellow Brightonian!
One more step; check which direction the wind is blowing. One year, I set up perfectly with all the steps you mentioned but at the last moment the wind started blowing and blew the smoke between my camera and the fireworks. Never again!😂🙏🏾
You have best video explanation shooting fireworks you show people in camera options shooting fireworks is my weakness I don’t have enough experience with it all I know is slow shutter speed low iso., sometimes my family shoot off fire works little early I have change iso higher for it look darker when it’s dusk out
the G9+ Leica 12-60 still rule right?
A month too late Gordon
Got some great FILM shots with an old Nikon 35LAF.
DIGITAL cameras are great for fireworks.
Yes! Shot portrait mode!
Thanks.
Thanks.. That was useful
Nice video. Any advice on best settings for recording fireworks video on my Samsung S21 Ultra phone? Thank you.
When is the best time to click the shutter – when the fireworks is about to explode or when the fireworks is still streaming up the sky?
@CodyBPyrotechnics Hi cody, I have noticed in a few videos of yours that you mention certain colors and effects are hard to capture, have you considered using a nice DSLR or mirrorless camera? It could make a big difference.
I had my own checklist from last year and this one is to the point. MF, manual mode, disable long exposure NR (can be done in RawTherapee), disable IS (hopefully not crucial, I forgot last time), use something like base iso, f11, 8s, phone as remote shutter. Maybe f<=8 and ND filter cause of diffraction on MFT camera? And 45-150mm MFT lens for distance from 1.5 to 5km.
I’ve been taking firework photos since film days! Not all successfully but many ok, and I don’t do any thing that you do LOL! But then these are local displays where you might get 3 fireworks go off for the finale, not the same as New Year over the Thames. Last bonfire I hand held 1/400-1/640 f2.8-f5 iso from 6400 to 12800. Grains not too much of a problem on a black sky… Use Sony and
Nikon and fire a short burst as the firework starts to explode, most focus in autofocus. But I like sharp shots with the action frozen, not the whole explosion from beginning to end 😀
Really helpful thank you!