How to Photograph Fireworks With a Digital Camera

A well-done fireworks display can be absolutely stunning to watch. Many people wish to preserve these memories by taking along their digital cameras to such displays. If you try to capture fireworks the same as he would take any other picture, you’re sure to be disappointed. Here are a few steps to take so that you can get the absolute best quality picture possible, regardless of your camera type.

There are many reasons why photographing fireworks is a challenge. Of course, we’ve all experienced the challenge of getting a good picture when it’s dark. While the flash of fireworks may appear bright to our eyes, they are relatively dim to the sensor of a digital camera. This unfamiliar contrast can confuse many of the adjustments a camera tries to make such as autofocus and metering the correct amount of light.

If you’re fortunate enough to have a camera that does have a fireworks shooting mode you should, of course, use that. Otherwise, follow these steps to get the best picture possible.

First, if at all possible, use a tripod. This will help keep your pictures from being blurry. You also want to turn off your camera’s flash. Because it is dark outside, your camera will think it is necessary, but this will do nothing to help the quality of your picture.

Next, set your focus mode to landscape. This turns off the camera’s automatic focus and also sets the focus to infinity. You’ll then want to set the shutter speed to “bulb” if your camera has that ability, or, if not, use a 1-second setting.

Set your camera so that it’s ready to capture the area you expect the fireworks to display. If you’re using “bulb” mode, listen for the sound of the firework being launched. This typically sounds like a dull thump. It’s at this point that you want to push this charter release button down and hold it. Once the firework burst is complete, release the shutter button. If your camera does not have the bulb setting and you are using the 1-second shutter setting, press the shutter button the moment after the firework explosion starts.

If you use this method, you should end up with a pretty good shot of the fireworks. You’ll get better with practice, so take a lot of pictures and check out how they turned out after each one. This will give you a great idea whether or not you need to adjust any settings to improve the quality of your pictures.

Lastly, if you’re looking for to buy a new compact digital camera to take with you, check online with sites such as http://www.BestCompactCamera.net before you make your purchase.