How To Take Firework Photos
This is the time of the year where all of us do-it-yourselfers are trying our hardest not to alter legal fireworks to create something a little more impressive. There are lots of websites out there willing to tell you how to “hack†your fireworks, but we are more interested in you having a safe holiday.
Flickr has a group of interesting firework photos here:
This year, instead of trying to hack your fireworks so they are more dangerous than the state-allowed ones, try taking pictures of the “boring†fireworks that you can buy out of the box. Photographing fireworks ia a lot more difficult than it seems and getting the perfect photo is a challenge more worthy of your attention.
Here are some tips to take good firework pictures and video:
You MUST have a tripod. Fireworks are lit at night, which means your exposures need to be longer and the camera needs to be still to really get a good shot.
Be patient. Getting those shots might take a few times to get it right.
Include your family. Somehow the picture of a child with a sparkler is far more interesting to me than the sparkler alone.
Large scale fireworks look more interesting with a building or tree in the foreground. It shows scale (how big they are).
Instead of making the fireworks more dangerous to make things interesting, concentrate on capturing the moment. Have a safe and happy holiday.