The 4 of July is the perfect time for amateur photographers to test their low light photography skills and to play with their camera settings. With higher ISO settings and more pixels, DSLRs have come a long way with being able to better capture fireworks while keeping the images sharp. As you can tell by my images, I personally love fireworks captured over water because of the element of reflection.
Settings Used: f/8 ISO 100 10 sec
When you set out to photograph the 4 of July fireworks, consider taking these steps as a launching pad. Note that in the caption of each of my sample photos, I include the camera settings used. However, here is the breakdown of camera settings’ trio (Aperture, ISO, Shutter Speed):
- Aperture set to f/8.
- ISO set to 100 for less grainy images.
- Shutter Speed: The one setting that comes in the handiest, and is also one of the least known ones, is the Bulb setting, which is the shutter speed. The Bulb setting can be found on DSLRs when the shutter speed is set all the way down to the slowest possible setting. (See your specific camera’s manual for details.) The Bulb option allows the shutter to stay open for as long as needed. It requires triggering it, by pushing the shutter button, and releasing it, by pushing the shutter button again. Using the Bulb setting, the shutter time for each of my images range from 10 seconds to a full 25 seconds, all with good results.
Settings Used: f/8 ISO 100 25 sec
While those are the camera settings, I will add that for good measure and non-blurry images, always use not only a tripod, but a remote shutter release in order to reduce camera shake. The beauty of digital cameras is being able to see your results instantly, which means you can readily adapt these settings before taking the next photo.
The key to success is understanding the camera settings to use and how to capture the fireworks so the results are desirable ones!
Settings Used: f/8 ISO 100 25 sec
To expand your horizons with other low light scenarios, look into Master Low Light Photography: Create Beautiful Images from Twilight to Dawn (Amherst Media, July 12, 2016)
