13 January, 2019Marit11 Comments

How to photograph Fireworks

2018 is over so we welcome a new year with new opportunities. One of the the first things we all see and hear is the fireworks going off everywhere. Here in The Netherlands, the Dutch people goes absolutely crazy with this tradition, google it and you will see some examples of what I mean.

We never go in to Amsterdam city centre on New Years Eve, that’s just not safe, but instead we usually find a bridge where we can stand and enjoy the view with the camera and a bottle of red vine.

I want to share 8 tips, that I found very useful, on how to get some nice photos of fireworks:

Use a tripod of some kind.
Use a wireless remote trigger or your mobile app to take the photos.
Turn on Long Exposure Noise Reduction in the settings.
Use the highest quality file you can. RAW/NEF files is ideal.
Set the camera to a low ISO, such as 100-200.
A good starting point for aperture is f/9 to f/14.
Set the camera to Bulb or Time, this allows you to keep the shutter open as long as you want. Expose for the entire fireworks burst. You can also try to keep the shutter open for multiple burst as I did.
Use manual focus, otherwise the camera might have a problem locking onto the right focus point. Manually focus your lens to infinity.

I hope you like my firework show and found the tips useful.

Happy New Year from Feel-GoodPhotography.

Fireworks, New Years Eve, 2019

11 thoughts on “How to photograph Fireworks”

Brad Nixon 14 January, 2019 — 18:56

I’ve never attempted to shoot fireworks, partially because I dislike crowds at night and I don’t have a long enough lens to work from a reasonable distance.
The suggestion, “keep the shutter open … for the entire burst” is interesting. Do you end up with a number of over/under exposures? That doesn’t concern me … I’m not afraid to shoot far more than I’ll ever use, but I’m curious.
You don’t include the bottle of red wine in your actual list of tips, so I assume that is optional.
Thank you for visiting Under Western Skies. Happy shooting.

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1. (Post author)
  
  Marit 14 January, 2019 — 19:22
  
  Hi Brad! Thank you for the comments! You may end up with both under and overexposure using this setting, it depends on the amount of light and fireworks. This type of photos you can only plan to a degree, since you never know what it’s going to be like🌟🌟🌟
  
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abhibishnu 14 January, 2019 — 11:30

Lovely photographs

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1. (Post author)
  
  Marit 14 January, 2019 — 11:34
  
  Thank you very much! 🌟🌟🌟
  
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flhockeymomfit 14 January, 2019 — 02:23

Great info, will definitely be saving it!

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1. (Post author)
  
  Marit 14 January, 2019 — 09:46
  
  Thank you so much! I’m glad you find the tips useful 🌟😀
  
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myenchantingfloridalife 13 January, 2019 — 23:21

Great info! Need to save this!

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1. (Post author)
  
  Marit 13 January, 2019 — 23:40
  
  Thanks! I’m glad you find it useful! 😃😃
  
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John 13 January, 2019 — 23:01

Lovely photos, Marit! I’ve never captured a solid photo of fireworks. I followed your IG too. 😎

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1. (Post author)
  
  Marit 13 January, 2019 — 23:41
  
  Thanks John! 😃😃
  
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2. John 14 January, 2019 — 01:16
  
  👍🏻😍😎
  
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