Yes, it's that time of year again. Clocks go back, nights draw in and people start to set fire to things. It seems only right to head on out into the cold and dark and photograph what they get up to! In this article you'll learn all the tips you need to produce great images of firework displays wherever you are.
Location
I would strongly recommend attending an organised display. Not only is it safer it's also cheaper! A great organised event is going to cost you between £5 and £10 and should provide you with at least 30 minutes of photo opportunities. Spend 10 quid on a box of rockets from one of “those” shops and they aren't going to last nearly as long - you could also blow yourself up.
At a display you want to make sure you have a clear sight of the fireworks. This sounds obvious but means two things (1) turn up early so you can find out exactly where they are going to explode and (2) turn up early so that you get to the front of the crowd. Most of the action is going to be in the air but it still helps you a lot if you don't have the heads of people in front of you in the shot.
Kit
You're going to need a tripod. There are no two ways about this - beg, borrow or steal a tripod. Or even buy one. The tripod is going to need to hold your camera still for about 2 seconds so it needs to be reasonably sturdy. If you are using a DSLR then you will need a fairly robust one but on a bridge or compact camera then you can get away with something much more lightweight. As a very rough rule of thumb make sure that your tripod weighs more than your camera and lens combination. Any lighter and unless it's made of an exotic material like carbon fibre it's going to wobble.
You'll also need a torch. Take one with you and you may not need it - forget it and you are guaranteed to drop something in the dark and lose it. If you really worry about things like that then you can get Scotchlite sticky tape. This is highly reflective and the easiest way to find compact flash cases in the dark - waggle your torch around and it will light up beautifully. It's also a good idea to pack spare batteries and more memory than you think you will need.
Framing and focusing
Remember I said to get there early? It's a good idea to set up your camera before the event so that you can check framing etc before the fireworks go off. Most displays are shortly after dark so if you turn up a little early you should get there in the light and check out exactly where the fireworks are going to be launched. Since you'll be shooting from a tripod in the dark it makes sense to pick one composition and stick to it. If the fireworks are bursting over water then make sure you include the reflection in the shot.
Now for the bad news - autofocus isn't going to work. Not only does autofocus struggle in the dark there isn't anything obvious to focus on. If you can then switch to manual focus and set the lens to infinity. If you can't choose manual focus then check if one of the program modes sets the lens to infinity (check the manual). Good bets are landscape or even better night landscape (though see the note on program modes below).
Settings
The traditional advice for shooting fireworks is to set the aperture to the square root of the ISO. Really. You are also supposed to open the shutter on bulb mode and cover the lens when there are no fireworks to see with your bowler hat. Well, most people don't take a calculator with them to a fireworks display and even fewer will have a bowler hat with them. Even more importantly - fireworks displays have changed. Most of the tutorials you will see assume there is one rocket in the sky at once and that you will want to employ trickery to get several bursts on the film. Times have changed - it's now common for there to be plenty of airbursts at once all choreographed to music. So, fast forward to the digital era and follow these simple steps to get a great exposure:
- If your camera has a fireworks mode then use it. Simple - the boffins have programmed your camera with a special mode for the one night of the year when you stand in the cold watching explosions - the least you can do is trust them.
- If not then check if you can set manual shutter speed and aperture. Fireworks will severely freak your camera's meter out and if you can take control away from it then now's a good time. Set it to ISO 100 and try an aperture of F8 and a shutter speed of 2 seconds. After the first shot check your image - be prepared to adjust the aperture - if the fireworks are too bright then try changing to f11 or ISO 64, if they are too dark then change to f5.6. It's usually not necessary to change the shutter speed but if there is lots of light pollution you may want to go to 1 second - if you are missing bits of big bursts then try an even slower speed.
- If you don't have a fireworks mode and can't set manual exposure then it's time to experiment. Try out the various modes on the night before the display. You are looking for a mode that sets a relatively narrow aperture such as f8 - a good place to start looking is a night landscape or even normal landscape mode. Whichever mode you choose make sure you turn the flash off.
Push the button
Firework photography's dead easy - all you need to do is know exactly what's going to happen in the next second! You need to push the button just before the fireworks burst or you will miss them completely. Get to know your camera's shutter lag and build this into your calculations.
In fact there are lots of clues when there are going to be fireworks in the sky. If there's music then follow that. If there isn't then you can often tell when the rockets are launched and then allow a small delay for them to climb before bursting.
Be very careful how you press the button since you are using a very slow shutter speed on a tripod. The best bet is to use a cable release. If you don't have one then use the self timer. Set it to its shortest interval (maybe 3 seconds) and then build that time into your pre-release calculation. If all else fails then you can squeeze the shutter very gently but this can easily lead to blurred pictures.
Other Pictures
Once you've mastered air bursts of fireworks (or given up in frustration!), look around you. There is always plenty going on at a display whether its children playing with sparklers or people backlit by bonfires or just the crazy fairground rides you often get at the big displays. Whatever you take just remember to change the settings on your camera back to something more normal!
And whatever you shoot have a great time - and show us what you get in the galleries!
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