How to Photograph Fireworks 

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After experimenting a lot with fireworks, lightning and similar things I found that the BULB option works best for me. It's giving you the most control that way, in my opinion. Regarding focus, I definitely agree that you should never use AF (except for focusing the first shot) because your camera will lose most of the time trying to focus and you will lose more than half of the shots. Regarding ISO, I'd still keep at at ISO 100. Most of the fireworks should be bright enough to get them nicely with a longer exposure so bumping up the ISO and getting noise on all those darker areas around fireworks isn't something I'm willing to compromise. If there is not enough light, I'd rather shoot at bigger aperture because the focus will usually be close to infinity and the sharpness shouldn't be affected that much on the aperture (this is camera/lens depending).

Why not put in bulb at F8 and hold it down for the duration of a firework?

Thank you so much Tony! I was about to go research it but this came up in my subscriptions and I was super happy!

Thanks! Tried the 2nd technique last night, got some nice photos.

Tony, why not shoot in bulb mode with your shutter release cable? I just did the Canada Day fireworks and set my tripod up pointed in the right direction and just before the shell exploded in the sky I would press the release and hold as long as I wanted then released and didn't end up taking one every 3 seconds and still caught the best of the best on every shot and still relaxed watching the show...in fact I was on the pyro crew shooting the show . I also turned highlight tone priority on and got amazing photos and can share with you :-)

WOW that was helpful! I love the way you knowledge share. Thank you for enhancing my photo experiences.

I like your second method, very interesting. Last night, I put it in Bulb mode at f/16 ISO 100 used a wired remote (same one you're using) and each exposure was about 4-6 seconds. Got some good shots.

I always put the little rubber cover (that is always on the strap that comes with the camera) over the view finder as well. It’s surprising how much light that comes through the view finder.

I did ISO 50-100 for 4-5 seconds, got some good shots last night. I think it's actually better to under expose the fireworks a bit so they don't clip. Wouldn't want to lose those beautiful colors!

I just gave the same advice just a few minutes ago. However I am not sure it is the best. But since Tony said so, maybe it is one of the top 1.

Thank you Tony for the info.

thanks for the tips, you make it sound so simple.

I bought your book years ago love it

Thank you so much for this! I'm not American *Australian* but this will be perfect for Christmas! Thank you so much for letting us have Chapter 10 for free! You're amazing! even though I'm purchasing your book, this was such a selfless thing to do! By far one of my *Favourite* Photographer/teachers! Keep up the amazing/inspiring work!

So what is one third of a second in shutter speed? what should i choose in the shutterspeed of the camera?

Hey, Tony what if I want to include the scenery with the fireworks and not just take pics of the fireworks itself, should I use a very small aperture to keep everything in focus? Thank you

Used this technique last night! 3 years later this video is still relevant

Hi Tony, Great video once again, just one question, Isn't the hat trick a bit too risky since cameras with "extensible" focus tend to get out of focus at the smallest movement of the focus ring, and will it not also tend to "shake" the camera? Thanks for your awesome videos!

Hi I love your videos and shows. Is there a way to get chapter 10, the link is not working for my here almost 2 years later he he. I also just want to say thanks for a great book and video about LR6 just got it yesterday

Great video - looking to get some good fireworks pics this 4th of July 2017

Thank you Tony.

The video description doesn't say where to buy the hat! J/k, nice tutorial. Any tips on how to take pictures of lightning?

Tony por favor alguna vez haz un video en español !!!

Great idea Tony. Even in the old film days using bulb I never thought about that little technique :-) Maybe you could do a little video on how to paint a room with light. I would get a good focus point in the room I wanted and with a very wide-angle lens ;-) then turn off the lights. manually either paint the room with a flood light or use the flash on manual and go around the room firing the flash off from behind the camera. This way you wouldn't get the harsh shadows that using a single straight on flash would give you. You can name the video "Painting with light" LOL Hope you guys had a Happy Fourth :-)

gotta try the 2nd idea tonight ... very ... enlightening ... ;)

That was a cool idea. If the sky is black we can also pan to get fireworks spread across frame I guess. Will try next time . again thanks for the cool idea

Any new tips for 2018? :)

SWEET!! Headed out the door in 30 minutes. The hat trick will have to do for me because I was too lazy to order the shutter remote in time. Thanks Tony!

Thanks Tony! :)

i love to see the ancient technique with the hat brought back from the 19th century :) can even put the camera into a wooden box, move the hat around the front element before putting it back on and just wait till an enthusiast turns up to check out your 120 year old "machine" ;)

Nice share...Thank you

My "best" camera is the Canon G15 ... unfortunately 'manual' mode disallows 400 ISO when the shutter setting reaches more than 1 sec ... at 1.3 sec the ISO override kicks in and changes the setting automatically to 80 ISO. So be it. By the way the G15, in HD video mode, is quite a decent alternative to my old sony Dig 8 video camera which is relegated only to video playback for 'digitizing' years of tape ... thoroughly enjoy your posts. Happy 4th from Montreal.

good techniques theyre very helpful. the videos is also goog but i think your sound of the microphone sounds very bad.

Very CooL!.. Will Try

When you shoot what image quality do u use? if i use RAW my canon 700d gets into busy mode.

Any reason your not @ ISO 100?

that hat trick is actually kinda great

Tony iv followed you for years and have a question, I photograph trains, moving and stopped in the night for the railroad, I have a 70D but am struggling with the lighting, what would you suggest to be the best lens for these situations? Thanks! Brandon S, Colorado

The Hat Technique is Awesome! Thanks for sharing it. I learned alot from your RU-vid videos. I tried to purchase your eBook but it's not available in Indian Apple App Store :(

Interesting method. I'll have to give it a whirl.

These settings didn't work on the Canon 5D mark iii. I tried these settings many times (30, F8 ISO 400), but I could not get the fireworks in focus AT ALL. I'm talking about his first method. I'm not even going to try to do stop-motion in the dark.

what would be 0"3 on a nikon for the shutter speed?

What does the built-in fireworks scene mode do? Do you recommend using it?

Thanks for the video, Tony! Quick question, why iso 400? I always thought that since we're on tripod and don't care about camera shake, that we'd use the lowest iso possible?

I have a Nikon and can push it below 00:30 so that hat idea is better for me. Just a question though. Why are you shoving the ISO to 400 when 100 would be more contrasty with the colours lifting off the black background.

If only I would of seen this video days ago!!!

Do you need to use a remote?

Omg my new obsession is that Brittany Spears Mic

Go irish. Great advice. Thanks.

Love the hat I live less than a mile from Notre Dame Stadium...

wait so you don't focus to infinity? I've heard you are supposed to do that

Go Irish....I like Notre Dame as well. Also, in your tutorial about photographing car shows, you're wearing a Texas hat. I had a cousin who played ball there in the 80s.

I think those long exposures do not resemble my visual memory of the fireworks. I prefer just to take images handheld.

What is going on with that Notre Dame hat Mr. Northrup?

👌

Personally i would rather use bulb mode and a shutter release cable and no higher than a 200 iso, mainly because i only have a t4i. Also, i have to process every image that i take because i shoot raw.

👍👍👍

why didn't you just leave the lens on AF? why did you switch to MF, isn't AF efficient enough?

I bet the view count of this video peak around each 4/7/XX xD Awesome video. Thank you!

may camera is g16

All that work to use a mic and then you just used camera audio?

canon g16

Your audio man it’s rough

Billy bob thornton

hello sir im from india. i have one question. which camera is better digital, dslr or mirrorless camera. what mirrorless means is this type camera r better that dslr or digital camera llz tell me...

This was very very basic and not something I would expect from Tony. But then this might be only a free ticket to get to book as isn't it that there is no such thing as free lunch? Side note: Don't regret and don't use a hat with holes on top, as shown by Tony! You'll regret it later!!! 0:58

Dang, is Chelsea short? She's standing on a big box lol.

after watching all of these how to photograph fire works... they all are not good..nothing works in these setting..

You photograph fireworks using a drone nowadays, everything else pales in comparison.

If you put your hat on the lens your going to get camera shake everytime no?

Sorry Tony but the last pictures with the firework (2:54) side by side is so fake that you and your wife will give it a thumbs down.