Fireworks photography tips from professional photographers

John Cornicello is a professional portrait photographer from Seattle, USA, but recently John has also become interested in photographing fireworks. In order to share his shooting experience with everyone and hope to help beginners who want to shoot fireworks, John Cornicello opened a course on the CreativeLive website to teach some tips on shooting fireworks that he has summarized. Let’s take a look at what John Cornicello thinks about when shooting fireworks:

1. Shooting location:

Once the fireworks show begins, you will It is unlikely that I will ever have the opportunity to search for the best shooting angles and locations. Although we still need to analyze the issue on a case-by-case basis based on the actual length of the show, firework displays are usually fleeting anyway. Therefore, if conditions permit, it is best to survey and confirm the shooting location before shooting, and then find a relatively clean shooting angle that is not blocked by trees or telephone poles. You must know that in a dark environment, the "clutter" in the picture is difficult to find. Don’t wait until the actual shooting begins to suddenly realize that there is a silhouette that “penetrates the sky and the earth” in the picture. In addition to avoiding interference, we can also choose places where we can see landmark buildings for shooting or set up a background to avoid the picture being too monotonous.

2. Stability:

There is no doubt that a tripod is an essential "artifact" when shooting fireworks. Of course, if you really don’t have a tripod or can’t get one in a short time, you might as well look around and see if there are any places like outdoor furniture, fences, or car roofs where you can place your camera stably. Although these options won’t offer the same flexibility as a tripod, they can still be used in a pinch. If you have to use the facilities mentioned above, don't forget that you can change the height of the camera's viewing angle by placing other objects under the camera. Things like wallets and cell phones are a good choice. And for further stability, a wireless shutter release allows you to press the camera shutter without touching the camera. Finally, since the focus point is usually at infinity and does not change much, it is best to adjust the camera to manual mode and lock the focus point. In addition, although the built-in anti-shake systems in cameras have become more and more mature and effective, there are still only a few cameras that can keep the image stable during exposures that last several seconds, such as several recent models launched by Olympus. type, so additional stabilizing equipment is still necessary.

3. Exposure:

Sometimes people tend to think too much about how to set the exposure, but in fact fireworks are bright and you don’t need to Like shooting starry skies, raise the ISO of the camera body to a high level or you must have a large aperture lens to ensure enough light. So let's put the camera into manual mode and set everything up. First, we generally need to keep the ISO in the range of 100 to 200, and then adjust the lens aperture down to f/8 as the starting point. Sometimes we even need to use smaller apertures such as f/11 or f/16. The shutter speed can be set at 1/2s or 1s as a starting point, and then the shutter speed can be further fine-tuned according to the actual shooting needs and the interval between fireworks. However, when shooting, remember not to be dazzled by the fireworks and forget about the shooting work. Another thing to note is that if your camera comes with a flash, don’t forget to turn it off when shooting. The flash will not only be useless for photographing fireworks, but will also affect people watching the fireworks around you.

4. Equipment:

Needless to say, you need a camera. If you have access to a full-frame SLR camera or a high-end mirrorless camera, that's great. If not, a smartphone with a manual control app can also take good photos. In most cases, a zoom lens is better for shooting fireworks because it allows you to freely adjust the composition without changing the shooting location, and since we usually work at the optimal aperture, whether it is a basic kit lens or a fixed lens Both cameras are capable of outputting good image quality. In addition, another benefit of using a zoom lens is that you can try to change the focal length during exposure to create photos with a blown-out effect. Considering that most cameras now have built-in anti-shake systems, it is recommended to turn them off when shooting. The anti-shake system is more suitable for use when shooting handheld. In addition to the basic camera and tripod, a small light can also help us adjust the camera settings or complete the focus when the light is insufficient, and additional batteries and large-capacity memory cards are also essential.

5. Summary:

Photographing fireworks is a very interesting thing. If you are new to photography or just got your first interchangeable lens camera or a compact camera with manual controls, shooting fireworks is a great way to help you become more familiar with your camera. And practice exposure settings. Of course, in addition to the above points, the last thing we should forget when shooting is to have fun.