Random fireworks shot of fail. LOL
After a week of research on fireworks photography, I still failed to get decent 4th of July fireworks shots.
I still learned quite a lot and I will share whatever I learned to you.
Things needed: tripod, your camera, camera remote, patience.
If you are using SLR or DSLR, set your camera to BULB mode.
(You can go to the bulb mode by going to the lowest shutter speed of your camera. Turn the dial the furthest to the left until you see the BULB sign or symbol)
Set your focus to manual. If your lens have infinity focus, use it. (That is the infinity sign, the one which looks like the number 8 lying sideways)
Aperture should be set low at about f/8-f/16. Your ISO should also be low at around ISO 200.
You have to do this to keep the sky dark and to let the colors stand out.
One mistake and misconception that I always do in the past when taking fireworks pictures is that I usually set the ISO and the aperture high thinking that I am taking night pictures. But I was wrong. The shots I took had bright sky which does not highlight the colors of the fireworks.
Remember to keep the ISO and the Aperture low to make the fireworks stand out. Bright skies will eat your fireworks away.
In this particular shot, I was positioned at the 25th floor of a hotel room about a few miles away form the actual area of the fireworks extravaganza. Since I failed to bring my tripod, I positioned the lens to the glass window to keep it as steady as I can. When the fireworks strike, fire the shutter away. Press it on the first burst and then release after about 2-3 seconds. Your call.
This is also what you should do with your remote. A wired remote is recommended so that you can position yourself comfortably at the back of your camera.
Perhaps with a tripod and a remote, my pictures could have been better.
