Fireworks

We are coming up on an event I always look forward to shooting.

Yes, I love to shoot the Living History walk of Pickett's Charge in Gettysburg on July 3, but it's fireworks that appeal to me.

I shot my first fireworks at Westminster High School athletic field in the 1970s. The county soon moved the celebration to the Carroll County Farm Museum.

So I have been turning the camera toward the sky for about 35 years. Just when I started to feel comfortable shooting fireworks on black & white film, we switched to color at the newspaper.

There is a big difference shooting black & white to color, as it is to digital.

I will share some thoughts to help when shooting fireworks so you can go ohh and ahh all year long.

You can shoot fireworks hand held and get one burst at a time. I like to have multiple bursts in a frame. I also do my work in the camera and not on a computer screen.

With that said, I would suggest having a tripod. Use bulb setting with a cable release to capture multiple bursts. Hold the release to keep the shutter open. Cover the lens with a hat or black cloth between bursts to keep out extra light.

One of the most important aspects of shooting fireworks happens before it gets dark. Scout out the site and ask where the fireworks will be shot from.

Get a location with landmarks, people or reflections on water. Some folks say don't use people, but you can see by some of my images, I like people.

The spot you pick to shoot from should allow you to view the fireworks in front, not over head. Make sure no poles or wires are in the way.

Turn the camera vertically and make sure the horizon is level. Use manual focus for sharpness. Check after the first burst and check occasionally to make sure you are getting the bursts and they are sharp. You can't go back the next day to reshoot.

Try shutter speeds from two to 10 seconds. The longer shutter speeds record trails which can be seen in my images.

Use apertures between F/8 and F/16. Also use a low ISO of around 100.

Play attention during the grand finale as there is a lot light. So you need to use a higher F stop like F/16.

It used to be I got one chance to shoot fireworks a year and would spend a lot of time reading on the subject.

Now a lot of local carnivals feature fireworks. In Carroll County most of the fire departments use carnivals as their major fund raiser. Among the companies with firework are Gamber, Winfield, Manchester and Sykesville.

As weather permits, I will be at Sykesville Friday night capturing fireworks with the rides in motion.