Beginners Guide to Photographing Fireworks

Now its getting that time of year again when you will all be attending firework displays. These events can make for some stunning photos, as long as you follow these tips.

Firstly you are going to need a tripod. The camera is going to need to be kept steady.

How you fire the camera will also make a difference. A remote is best so you don't physically have to touch the camera. Don't worry though if you don't have one of these, Just make sure that you press the shutter button as carefully as possible, or use the 10 second timer feature on the camera.

So you arrive at the display and get the camera on the tripod. Next you are going to have to change some settings.

Put the camera into Manual Mode (M)

Set the aperture to f8 to begin with. If the pictures are too bright narrow the aperture down by raising the f number.

ISO - Keep this low 100/200

Focusing - The camera will struggle to focus in the dark and so you are going to need to manually focus.
To do this, wait for the first firework to go up and manually focus on it. Now as long as you don't move the camera you should be fine for the rest of the display.

Now the shutter speed is going to be a little trial and error to start with, What you need to do is guess how long it takes for the firework to go up, explode and then come down so that you capture the whole thing. I would suggest starting somewhere around 5 seconds and see what you get. Press the shutter button just as the firework is launched.

You should then be on your way to getting some great firework photos.

To learn more about your camera why not book yourself on to on of my Beginners Guide to Digital Photography Workshops in Norwich.

You can book your place or buy a voucher by following the link below.

http://www.jamesnealephotography.com/29poundoffer.html