How to Photograph a Fireworks Show
- 1). Set your camera to the multiexposure setting. Consult your instruction manual to see how this is done; it is different for every camera. Be sure yours is set to the one-click-per-exposure mode. Your camera will adjust the exposure and shutter speed for you, but it may not be correct since you are shooting in the dark.
- 2). Place the camera on a tripod near the fireworks display. You do not need to be really close; you can simply be in the crowd or on a hill a few hundred yards away.
- 3). Reinforce your camera tripod to ensure it is steady. Use a sand bag or heavy clothing to weigh down the legs and reduce ground shake.
- 4). Adjust your viewfinder so the fireworks display inside the frame.
- 5). Set the exposure when a firework goes off so it will be completely exposed each time the shutter fires. You will need a large aperture--the largest your lens allows--and shutter speed of 1/4 second to 1/8 second, depending on your film speed.
- 6). Click the shutter when a firework goes off. Then wait. Click just a split second after the initial explosion to avoid overexposure and smoke trail lighting. This will take one exposure of this firework.
- 7). Click the shutter again when another firework explodes in an area of the frame, and repeat the process until you have filled that frame.
- 8). Continue to fill the frame with fireworks, and experiment with different exposures and the number of multiexposures you can place on a frame.
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