Fireworks!! Where Will Your Camera Be Tonight?
It’s actually easier than you think. We always need location, our gear, our skills, and The Moment. I’m blessed with some decades of photography experience and the fireworks show guarantees the moment, that critical aspect you can’t often guarantee. To me the hard part on July 4th in camera pro infested Los Angeles is location where I can use my gear like a tri pod.
Long exposures are a must so hand held is pretty much useless for anything nicer than a quick selfie. If you have a nice camera and run it in manual mode, this should inspire you to take that next step and learn some settings. Like turning off the flash. Using 5 or ten second exposures. Aperture priority or setting the F stop. Go for it, its digital. No film wasted. We all have plenty to delete when we so even the uber high salary pros. But those good ones~!
My reason for this advice is that back when I bought my first ever SLR (a film one) one of the first things I photographed was fireworks and I was amazed by how easy it was and how spectacular the results were. I think it’s even easier with a digital camera as you can get immediate feedback as to whether the shots you’ve taken are good or not and then make adjustments.
Of course it’s not just a matter of going out finding a fireworks display - there are, as usual, things you can do to improve your results. With 4 July just around the corner I thought I’d share a few fireworks digital photography tips:
More: How to Photograph Fireworks Displays - Digital Photography School