IMAGE GALLERY: Shooting Fireworks

Several people have asked me how I shoot fireworks. There are a couple of techniques but the most used method requires three things: a sturdy tripod, a cable release and a camera that has either a manual setting or a fireworks setting.

The tripod is necessary to enable you to use a long or time exposure which records the full burst of the exploding shell. The cable release allows you to keep your hands off the camera during exposure so that you don't cause the camera to shake and a manual setting allows to to select a long shutter opening and correct F-stop.

I shot all of these fireworks scenes at 4 to 5 seconds at F-11 using an ISO of 100 (ISO determines how sensitive your digital sensor or film is to light). I was set up on the bridge between and the on Hayward Field but there are several other good locations to shoot Milford fireworks, including the parking lot.