Tips for Photographing Fireworks on Independence Day

July 4th, as most everybody knows, is the annual US Independence Day celebration. Usually celebrated with hamburgers, hot dogs, lots of beer, live bands, face-painting, carnival rides, setting off a variety of small fireworks and in the evening, big aerial fireworks displays.

Fireworks displays are usually put on by citys and towns across the US, some of the bigger ones are televised. But watching televised fireworks are like the difference between watching a cooking show and eating food yourself - very different things! There is nothing like being in a crowd and watching the skies, hearing the dull thump as the morters fire, tracing the thin line in the sky, and then seeing what chemical concoction unfolds for your eyes. Very exciting!

Many people try to photograph these events - and why not? It's a great place to get good photos of friends, family, people having fun at various public events, and so on. But to get photos of the fireworks themselves, it is a bit more difficult than just pointing your camera at the sky and pressing the shutter release.

It's not too difficult, but there are a few things you should know before you go. If you follow the steps in the articles I'm linking below, you should be fine.

New York Institute of Photography Tips for Digital Cameras & Fireworks

New York Institute of Photography Tips for Photographing Fireworks with Film

New York Institute of Photography - Tips for Photographing Backyard Fireworks

Incidentally - this is one type of photography where you could definitely say that it is better to have a old antique rangefinder camera over an SLR and film over digital, and manual settings over automatic.

With digital cameras, long exposures increase digital 'noise' on the frame.

With auto-focus cameras, the auto-focus mechanism can become confused.

With auto-exposure cameras, the auto-exposure mechanism can also become confused.

With SLRs, it may be hard to see through the viewfinder to see what you're shooting.

With a rangefinder or even a cheap direct-vision camera, you can see what you're pointing the camera at.

With a good manual rangefinder camera (even a fixed-lens) on a tripod, with a cable release and vivid slide or color print film, you should be able to get masterful fireworks displays recorded on film - and bonus - you won't have to fight the camera and override what it wants to do for you. F8, infinity focus, one-second exposure (depending on film speed, etc) and you're pretty much there.

If you're shooting slides, I recommend Fujicolor Velvia. If you're shooting color print film, I recommend Kodak Ultra 400 or Gold 100 or Gold 200.

Just don't do what I did last year - I used an old vintage Yashica GSN rangefinder camera and left a red filter on from some B&W shooting I had done earlier that day. D'Oh!

And have a HAPPY AND SAFE Independence Day!

Bang, Zoom!

Wiggy