Soaking in a professional fireworks display is a Fourth of July tradition in many parts of the United States.
Preparation
First things first, check the weather.
Gusty conditions can often be your worst enemy when trying to photograph a pyrotechnics display.
I’ve had great results with wireless shutter releases although wired options can get the job done as well.
Don’t overlook the simple stuff during preparation.
ApertureFor the purpose of shooting fireworks, you’ll want to set your aperture somewhere between f/8 and f/11.
Shutter SpeedThere’s really no right or wrong option so long as you’re over one full second.
ISOThis adjusts how sensitive your camera is to light.
Some cameras offer a feature called long exposure noise reduction.
The only problem is that it requires twice as much time to capture a single image when enabled.
Also block the flash on your camera.
As mentioned earlier, wind can wreak havoc on your shots.
If you get a perfectly calm evening for shooting, congratulations.
For most of us, however, there will at least be a bit of a breeze flowing.
In that case, you’ll want to avoid being downstream of it.
Above all else, your success will depend on timing and predicting explosions overhead.
Snap non-stop during the entire show, only stopping to adjust configs or change equipment.
