I love trying to capture pictures of firework displays. This year in Texas there weren’t many of them due to the extended and extreme drought. However down on the coast, the municipalities have the luxury of shooting them out over water like the Little Bay in Rockport.
the keys are to have a camera with manual settings, a remote trigger and as wide lens as you can get to capture as much of the sky as possible.
Pick out a spot fairly close to the action; mount the camera on a tripod; set the iso/asa as low as possible; set the focus to infinity (or just very very slightly short of infinity); set the aperture very small (f16 to f22); and set the camera to “bulb” on shutter speed. when the shooting starts, hold the trigger so that the shutter remains open for long enough to capture a few bombs. let it go and see what you captured. you kind of get a feel for how many bombs look good versus how many wash the frame out after a while. then enjoy the results.
and my favorite from this year:
2 Responses to photographing fireworks