Photo Tip #95:
Fireworks Photo Tips
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Greetings Fellow Photographers!
Can you believe that summer is already in full swing? The Fourth of July is just a few days away, and as I do every year, I wanted to remind you of some tips for taking excellent Fourth of July photos this year. Fourth of July photos are great to look back on years from now, when the kids are older and have kids of their own. They are also great to frame or insert into your summer photo book.
Basic Fireworks Tips
You might recognize these tips from last year, but many of you asked for them again, so I am including them in this email:
Bring a tripod and flashlight to the fireworks display you are attending. The flashlight will help you see in the dark if you need to adjust your camera settings, and the tripod will help you avoid blurry photos since you will need longer exposures.
If your camera has a Fireworks mode, start there. That mode should automatically adjust the settings. If you do not have a Fireworks mode, set your camera to Manual mode. Set your ISO to 200, aperture to f/8, and shutter speed somewhere between 5 and 15 seconds. Adjust the shutter speed early in the display after you take a few pictures and see how they are turning out; if they are bright and blurry, use a faster shutter speed. Include a landmark in the photo, like a lake, statue, park, tree, or monument. The fireworks will light up the landmark in the photo, and will add more perspective and composition than just a shot of an exploding firework.
Take many photos! The vast majority of the photos will not turn out great, but a handful of them will. The more you take, the more chances you have for that perfect shot.
During the Grand Finale, the fireworks will come faster and the sky will be brighter. Change to a faster shutter speed during the finale to adjust to the brighter skies.
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Other Fourth of July Photos
Fireworks may be the main event, but the Fourth of July provides plenty of other photo opportunities. Start the day out at your local parade. Photograph young kids mesmerized by the noise, the large floats, and the fire trucks. Or, maybe your kids are in the parade with decorated bikes; do not miss out on that photo opportunity. Later in the day, take candid shots at the neighborhood barbeque or party. Combine all the photos from the day with your best fireworks shots and you have some great options for a Fourth of July photo book or calendar.
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Post-Production
Remember my post-production photo tips series from a few months back? You can refer to those tips here. You can do a lot to your fireworks and Fourth of July photos using post-production editing tools. There are many ways to crop a fireworks photo so it looks more interesting; crop it so that the firework is partially displayed in the corner and the landmark is lit, so it looks like the sun shining down on the landmark. Get creative with cropping and try a few different versions of your favorite photo. Also, play with the saturation and contrast to give your photo different appearances.
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Thanks for everyone that has shared their photos with me since the last email! Here are a few shots that stood out to me. |
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"I'm an avid amateur photographer. I love my Digital Photography 101 emails and have used them often. The most stunning results came when I photographed my newest granddaughter of 1-month old. You suggested that, as much as possible, I make use of natural light and avoid flash. Well I did and it worked beautifully. Take a look! Thanks for the tips and I look forward to more great advice about lighting. I'm not very good with lighting!"
- Tami
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"These are 2 pics that I took with my Nikon D90. I was inside my house looking out the window with my zoom lens! Just wanted to share! Thanks for all your tips!"
- Ellen
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"I have been trying to work on my silhouette photos for the summer, and since my family spends lots of time on Lake Hamilton at Hot Springs, AR, the water background is always a plus! I took the "sunkiss" photo of my nephew and his girlfriend kissing, and when I reviewed the photo to check the aperture and silhouette effect, I noticed that the sun came between their bodies and seemed to create a "heart" effect. I was very excited with the result. We tried to take more photos with the "heart" effect between them, but the sun or their shoulders or something would not work again to replicate the unique photo, which is another aspect of taking a photo with the setting sun: it moves very quickly, and changes photos dramatically. Keep the tips coming...Love them!"
- Sylvia
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"This is definitely my favorite shot of mine. The whole reason why, though, is because in person, it just looked like plain old wood. When I put the photo on the computer, all of these amazing colors showed up... this picture truly explains the beauty that a camera can bring out that the human eye just cannot. There is nothing done to this picture photoshop-wise, and it was taken with a Canon Rebel XTi. I love your emails, they have been very helpful."
- Kate
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