Editor’s note: Mark Rightmire is a longtime Orange County Register photographer.
Fireworks, the colorful explosions in the nighttime sky that we all love to watch.
Whether at a sporting event, theme park, or high over a pier at the water’s edge; fireworks always seem to make an event memorable.
What better way to capture that memory than to make a photograph. But when it comes to photographing fireworks, it takes a bit of planning and some basic equipment.
First, you need a camera with a wide-angle lens. Since you are usually fairly close to where the fireworks will be going off, and they burst over a wide area of the sky, a wide-angle lens is the way to go. A lens wider than 35mm would be the best to use. The wider the lens, the better.
Next, you’ll need a tripod to keep your camera steady for a long exposure. You don’t need an expensive one, nearly any tripod will do.
And finally, you’ll want a shutter release cable that fits your camera model.
It would be best to get your camera ready before the fireworks begin, so you won’t be fumbling in the dark, trying to figure everything out. You’ll want to set your camera on manual mode so that you can set the ISO, shutter speed and f-stop manually.
As for your tripod, you don’t need to extend the legs all the way. It will be much more sturdy when set lower to the ground and won’t block anyone’s view if you’re seated.
The last fireworks that I photographed were at the Closing Ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. I took a small compact tripod with me just for that event. My camera settings were as follows: ISO 200; shutter speed, 5 seconds; f-stop, f/11.
That being said, there is no perfect exposure for fireworks and every situation is different. But in general, a lower ISO setting, in the range of 200-500; a shutter speed of 3 to 6 seconds and f-stop ranging from f/5.6 to f/11 should get you in the ballpark for a decent photograph. Bring a small flashlight with you and make small adjustments as you go.
You’ll want to use a shutter release cable so that you are not touching your camera for the long exposure. In place of a shutter cable, you can always set your camera on the self-timer mode, like when you take a photograph and then run to get into the photo yourself. This method is be a little iffy, since you’ll have to guess when you think the fireworks will go off and plan to shoot five or 10 seconds beforehand.
And last but not least, framing the scene. The framing can be horizontal or vertical, as you can see in the examples in the accompanying slide show. You’ll want to include some of the surrounding area, not just the explosions against the dark sky. This gives the photograph a sense of place.
Good luck, and have fun!
