P#6 Q#2a: What's the Single Biggest Mistake People Make That Leads to Poor Photographs of Fireworks?

Easy advice for taking great photographs of fireworks

Jim Zuckerman: I think the biggest mistake is their exposures are too long.

There are two things that you want when you shoot fireworks. First, you want definition in the bursting flames. If your exposure is too long, and then there are multiple bursts, all of those nice, defined bursts are going to blend together and it's going to be a mess.

The second thing you want is the color. If your exposure is too long, then you're going to lose the color because you'll wash it out.

I would say that the biggest mistake that people make is shooting fireworks with the exposure too long. Maybe they're trying to trust their meter, and they're overexposing it.

The second mistake that people make is they don't use a tripod. I feel pretty strongly about using a tripod for fireworks, for the moon -- for any kind of night photography.

If you handhold the camera, and let's say you have a two second exposure. Well, the streaks of the falling flames are going to be jiggly. They won't have those nice beautiful arcs that we like. That's one reason why a tripod is really important.

Audri Lanford: What other tips can you give to help our listeners make those firework shots come out really special?

Jim Zuckerman: I'll give them a formula for getting the perfect firework pictures. The last three years I have photographed fireworks in Nashville; it's one of the most beautiful displays I've ever seen. The finale is so outrageous that the ground just vibrates from the concussion of the explosion.

It's pretty outrageous.

The exposure that I was using was 1.6 seconds, my f-stop was f14, and the ISO was 100.

It's really important to use a low ISO when shooting fireworks and at night, and the reason is because you don't want an increase in digital noise. Digital noise is a problem when you raise the ISO, but it's even more of a problem in dark shadows or at night because there's so much darkness.

By keeping the ISO low, like at 100, you're going to minimize the digital noise, and maximize picture quality.

With this formula of 1.6 second exposure at f14, you'll get perfect firework pictures.

If you want a little longer streak - it also depends upon the rate of the burst. If you get a burst now, and then another one three, four, or five seconds later, well, that's a little different because you really want to combine them to one picture.

Some firework displays are sort of disappointing that way. If you go to a good one where there's just stuff happening all the time, then you don't want your exposure to be too long or you'll just get a mishmash of abstraction in the sky.

I think that's the best formula, the 1.6 seconds, f14, 100 ISO, tripod, and they'll be perfect.

In conclusion

Don't overexpose your photographs of fireworks. Use Jim Zuckerman's simple exposure formula and a tripod to capture the beauty of fireworks.