Fireworks are absolutely beautiful! I love seeing them on fourth of July, at special events or at theme parks like at Disneyland and Disney World BUT trying to capture their beauty on camera can be difficult. Unfortunately, I have taken a ton of pictures of fireworks only to find that they came out blurry, didn’t capture their beauty or simply didn’t come out at all. Has this happened to you?
Recently MailPix shared some useful tips for photographing fireworks that are ideal for capturing shots of fireworks, so I thought I’d share some of my favorite with you:
Use the Fireworks Mode on your Camera if available
If your camera has a wide range of scene modes, see if there is a Fireworks Mode. If so, turn your camera to Fireworks mode to ensure you get the best Fireworks photos.
Turn your Flash off
If you are shooting in an automatic mode, make sure you have your flash turned off to avoid a light glare.
Be careful with other light sources
Additional light may cause your camera to adjust the exposure for that light source instead of your fireworks, plus it may cause a glare on your lens…Make sure you do not have any other buildings or street lights nearby when taking your fireworks pictures.
Go Wide
You don’t wan to miss anything, so use the mid-range or wide-angle setting on your zoom. If you want to focus on a specific one, you can always crop the image after.
Keep it Steady
The key to great fireworks photos is to keep the camera steady. Use a tripod or brace yourself against a tree or something sturdy (without hurting yourself) to keep the camera steady.
Any other Tips for Photographing Fireworks that you’d like to share?
I always have to remember to use the Fireworks mode. You really need to set a tripod if you have shaky hands like me since it requires you to be so very still. There is the option of setting it on your vehicle’s roof while snapping if you are car watching!
Great tip! Thanks 🙂
Thanks for the tips 🙂 It’s hard to get good pictures of fireworks. I didn’t realize that some cameras have a fireworks mode, I will have to ask my daughter if hers has one.
I never knew about that mode either….
Thanks for the great tips. I don’t know if mine has a fireworks mode. I will have to check on that. Flash off is a must though. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I would not have thought having your flash on would matter with such a bright light from the explosion of the fireworks. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the tips, they never come out very good for me. Hopefully my pix tomorrow will turn out great!
Let me know if they help 🙂
This post is spot-on for me! Last year we tried to take photos and it was all a blur! I will definitely be keeping your tips in mind 🙂 Happy 4th!
Hope they help! Happy 4th of July to you as well 🙂
Simple and practical pointers, thanks for sharing. These will come in handy tomorrow I’m sure.
I would have never guessed that some cameras
have a fireworks mode.
I love the fireworks. My husband fell asleep so I sat out and watched them by myself.
great tips! I am so not photo savvy, this was a helpful article~
I love watching fireworks!! Great tips! Do you believe that someone flew a drone over the fireworks in NYC and took some amazing shots!
I’ve never tried to take photos of the fireworks I didn’t know that cameras actually had a fireworks mode. That’s how old my camera is.
Very helpful tips! I didn’t know about the light vs. light occurrence leading to glare! But it does make sense! With most digital cameras these days having special modes for shots like fireworks, it’s nice that we can adjust for shutter speed and focus! And using a wide angle also makes a lot of sense…especially if taking photos of faraway fireworks! I bet a tripod would work wonders if watching a display…just having to position it to capture the skyline!
Thanks for the tips!
These are great tips, thank you for sharing with us all.
Love watching fireworks, but have never gotten very good pics of them. They always look blurry or too far away. It seems I am snapping at the wrong time or something. I will try these tips next time 🙂
I’ll have to try a tripod next time – mine are almost always blurry.
The 4th of July has always been my favorite time of year. I love watching the fireworks. I’m going to use these tips next year and take some photographs.
I would love to be able to photograph fireworks . Now that I,have these tip I shall try agáin.