Six ways to shoot… Fireworks

1 Essential tripod

Using a tripod is absolutely essential for firework photography, so find a location in daylight and set up in anticipation of the after-dark display. Avoid a position downwind of the fireworks, otherwise the smoke could spoil some of your shots. At this point, try to think about your composition and anticipate the height at which the fireworks are going to explode.

2 Use a remote release

Ideally you want to use manual exposure, and shutter speeds of five to 10 seconds will work. If you want to try longer exposures, use Bulb mode so you can open and then close the camera’s shutter whenever you want. To do this you need a cable release that allows you to lock the shutter open until you release it. A black card held over the lens between firework action can help control exposure too.

3 Focus to infinity

Your AF system is going to be useless in the dark, so switch to manual and focus the lens to infinity – this should be marked with a little infinity symbol on your lens. Your other option is to pick an object you can see close to where the fireworks are being fired, and manually focus on that.

4 Wear a torch

In the dark it pays to wear a head torch, keeping your hands free to make camera adjustments and fire the shutter. Most head torches have a ‘red’ setting, which is usually enough to see what you are doing without being overkill.

5 Get high

If you can find a position slightly above the firework display, this can be really good for including the crowd and the display. If you are at the same level as the crowd but shooting from behind, a small stepladder will give you some advantage, with your tripod set as high as it will go.

6 Critical timing

Firework photography can be tricky even with this advice, so check exposures and avoid overexposing the highlights. Don’t fire the shutter at the exact moment the firework explodes: instead, time it so that the shutter opens just after the initial explosion. You want to capture the movement and patterns created by the cascading lights, not necessarily the actual explosion.