**Tips for Taking Photos of Fireworks**

Tips for Taking Photos of Fireworks

As summer approaches and the weather warms up, more people will be setting of fireworks to celebrate holidays, events, and outdoor parties. With all of the impressive displays going up, viewers may want to capture a few of the moments. Taking pictures of fireworks, however, can be surprising difficult even if you’re using a nice camera. Whether you plan to use your iPhone, or you have a DSLR, these tips will help you get more out of your fireworks photos.

Get Steady

It’s crucial that there be no movement with your camera when photographing fireworks. Your exposure will have to be a little longer than usual to capture the right amount of light in the dark sky, which means that any movement or shakiness will result in blurred photos. Use a tripod for your camera, or just invest in a small smartphone holder to keep things steady as you snap.

Set Up

Whether you’re using a camera or a camera app, you need to get set up and take a few test shots before the flares start flying. To get good photos, you’ll need to be well prepared. Make sure your flash is off, if you have a night mode or fireworks mode, be sure to enable it. If you’re using a DSLR, make sure your ISO is very low – about 100 and your f-stop is around f-8 to f-11. Take some practice shots and adjust as necessary. Start with three to four second exposures and adjust until you get a nice crisp shot.

Shoot Wide

You may think that training in on a specific area is the best way to go, but you may actually get better results if you shoot wide and crop later on. By shooting wide, you increase your chances of getting a unique or interesting shot that you can frame and crop later. Don’t be afraid to play around with angles and perspective as well to get a really unique picture. Portrait orientation often makes a great angle, because you can get longer trails of light, which makes for a more interesting design when you’re done.

Adjust in Post Production

No matter how well you shoot, remember that you’ll still probably need to adjust later on. Increase the density of your photos to boost the color, and bring out the highlights to help step up your color field. You can also try cropping from different angles to see how that changes the perspective of the shot.

Have Fun!

Taking pictures of fireworks can be a challenge, but if you prepare yourself ahead of time and play around with settings and angles you can likely get some shots you’re proud of. So remember to have fun and enjoy the show as you capture a few of the moments at the same time.