Shooting Fireworks Have a Tripod Find your spot and location (3hr earlier) DX 17-50mm lens Horizontally or Verticality (Depend on situation) ISO between 100-200 Apertures between F8-F16 (Shoot sample picture to try) If it’s too dark open up and let more light in If it’s too bright close down and reduce light No need to have F1.8 lens Use manual mode No auto Use Bulb mode Use cable release Anticipation Turn off auto focus use manual focus Bring your chair Don’t just shoot the firework focus on family and child
I picked up my cable release for about $13 and it works great. Expensive and name-brand isn't always the way to go. It's a great accessory for fireworks and lightning photos, anything that you'll use bulb mode for.
Tip 2A; Take 4 poles and a roll of crime scene tape to secure that spot. The odd cough followed by the comment (out loud) "Damn malaria" every now and then will also keep crowds getting too close!
This was a great overall list of tips. The one thing I would like to recommend relates to composition. Since I consider fireworks photographs to be landscape in nature, please don't capture JUST fireworks against a pitch black sky. Include a foreground (and preferably a background) subject as well. Just to take pictures of explosions against a black background is like walking outside to a gorgeous sunset, pointing your camera straight up and capturing some colored clouds against a blue background. Yeah, I’m sure it’s all colorful and vibrant, but boring none the less.
I always bring a tripod and a camera with me to watch the fireworks myself while making the video. I’ve done fireworks videos in the past during the last 11 or so years, and everything comes up well. Sometimes without a tripod, it goes shaky while holding it by hand. For now, I used my tripod and my iPhone 8S to get a better shot. I was in Saugerties the other night that I captured it using my iPhone 8S instead of my good old FlipVideo camcorder since it has not been used for a long time. The last time I captured it using my FlipVideo was back in 2018 at the same location, and the one in Catskill the following night.
thank you for this video !! I have never tried to capture fireworks because I see so many really crappy photos !!!! But I did what you said in this video and WOW!! I captured some really pretty shots.. I watched a bunch of videos and yours by far was the best teaching tool ! thanks again !
Great tips Jared Polin! I will be sure to use them next time at one of these events. Cuz I did all the exact opposite tonight and came out with some interesting squiggly lines.
9:25 here in Montreal we have firework twice a week in July at Saint Helen's Island, 45°31'15.9"N 73°31'47.9"W you can also see the fireworks on the bridge, Provincial Police are closing the bridge for the time of the fireworks so that is the ONLY time you can walk on the bridge where cars goes normally, when fireworks ends they check if everybody is gone before reopen the bridge. I like your videos... thanks ;)
I might also add watch out for smoke buildup, if it's not windy only the early shots will be clear as the smoke starts to hold a lot of light as the show progresses
Thank you so much for this great video! This is the first year I've shot fireworks and not come away saying "next year I'll do better because I won't do this or that wrong."
This is so helpful, thank you Jared! I bought a sturdy Benro carbon tripod, got my cheapo Promaster cable release. I was set to use my Tamron f2.8 70-200mm because my deck is a good distance away but I think I'll try 35 or 50mm first. I'll also use your manual focus tip. I'll be shooting from our deck over the harbor so no people shots. Good tip about changing one thing at a time. I've worked myself into a frenzy trying too many things at once and missing the entire experience.
great tips. I used them more than once and the photos turned out awesome. just one more I'd like to add: don't forget to turn off VR/VC/IS/OS/Any other acronym that stands for image stabilitizationing.
Jared, I watched your post last week and Saturday I had the chance to make some stunning photos of fireworks !! I'm proud of myself ( and my 24-70mm ) !! I was at f/13 and used the bulb mode. After a little retouch i lightroom, most of the photos are very nice !! ( except when there's to much smoke !! ) Thanks for the tips !! can't wait to watch the next RAWtalk !
Just signed up for the E-Mail list. At first I just wanted to look at the guide for capturing motion in low light. I thought well probably just another guide telling you to raise your ISO and open up your aperture, but there was much more to it. Very detailed with actually really useful tips which I didn't know about even though I have a bit of experience by now. Also the bonus content, very interesting and useful stuff... I can only recommend signing up
a Tiny Tip, there are a few phone apps for iPhone and Android that can control camera shutter via WiFi and/or USB-to-Go cable and even have liveview on the phone screen and some have Bulb Release. This way you have a shutter release and Flashlight all in one so all you have to carry is your camera and phone :-) Last year I had a free app that only activated the shutter so I put my camera at ISO 100 F/4 and 3 sec shutter speed and used the phone app via cable to activate the shutter, took some great photos easily :-)
Because there was a lot of fireworks going off, this time I chose shutter speed: 1/4-1/8, ISO400 and f/8.0. Only changed the shutter speed when there were too many fireworks going off at the last minute or two
this is pretty good.The last decent fireworks shot i got was with fireworks mode on a canonsx5s point and shoot and it took at least 30 seconds for the lens to close.So i missed many.
Thank you so much! I wish I had watched this video before I went to take pictures of fireworks tonight on the occasion of 50 Years of Independence of my country!
I enjoyed this one Fro. It brought up some of the things I didn't even thing about like the height level of the tripod. I'm traveling back east to Hoboken/NY area... any ideas on where to shoot fireworks or other shots on the street? This question is open to the FRO-munity (FRO+Community?) as well!
That was a good video! My tripod weighs a ton, so often it’s just not practical for me to carry it and I shoot handheld. I often use my 24-70 f2.8 around 50mm on a FF body. Camera on manual, my start setting is 1/30 sec, because I know that with VR/VC I can hand-hold and get the nice fireworks effects. Aperture f5.6 or so, ISO 200 or 400… but that varies depending on many factors. Fireworks I don’t shoot RAW, but JPG, often bursts of 3 or 5. And as someone else said, shoot of Auto NR.
Very good video. I'd love to hear some more quick fire tips. Shooting in a crowd (say at a concert or parade) would be very useful. Or some tips on lighting. Or a few photoshop tips.
Thank you for this video, I would have totally went High ISO without thinking. The place I went to didn't have very interesting stuff around it but I got some pretty solid images for shooting fireworks for the first time.
Best way to shoot lightning. With old film camera I held shutter open until the flash & released. It worked but digital cameras aren't as easy to work with. My D7000 doesn't work that way. Tips would be appreciated
Soft as hell tall chair with swivel seat tripod connected to the swivel bottom of the seat , so you can get other area fireworks too , try this and make up creative ideas of your own!!!!???? THKS
Little late for this video, but if I was recording video, would I record at 60fps with a high shutter speed to see the tiny little details with little blur and be able to slow-mo it down for a cool exploding effect or should I record at a slow shutter speed about double the framerate at 24fps in 1080p for a motion-y effect?
I find that Tungsten setting works out well. I set it and leave it there - I also get focus right on the first couple of bursts and just leave it in manual focus at that point. At f11 or so, you're good to go.
Thanks Jared. Good tips you gathered from previous years. If it's the summer!!!!!!@8:08 bring some water, but if it's winter!!! bring some hot coffee!!! For the Jews who observe the Sabbath -not including Jared- this year it's prohibited to go watch the fireworks or shoot it. Because when the thing is over, we celebrate it. 4th of July is on Friday, so the fireworks should be Thursday night not Friday night (civil) after the sunset when it's naturally Saturday. But that's too technical to get into. Good Luck with Macy's fireworks in New York City. You need to be there at least 4 hours before otherwise all you would see it's the police stopping you from getting close to the open space near the water and the people in the front blocking you taking stupid snapshots with their phone with their red eye showing in them. Did I mention to make sure if it's summer or winter?! Perhaps it's winter in England now who definitely celebrate 4th of July!!! Bring 5 bottles of frozen water for each person, if you would like to come back alive.
Ok, i got a Hero5black and was wondering what these settings is in a very dark place? I am doing it at home and was wondering what settings these are in a gopro. At home there is no light, no buildings etc.. (we dont have f om a gopro) thank you And gopro has protune so i need ALL SETTINGS. narrow? Medium? Linear? Wide?
Shooting Fireworks
Have a Tripod
Find your spot and location (3hr earlier)
DX 17-50mm lens
Horizontally or Verticality (Depend on situation)
ISO between 100-200
Apertures between F8-F16 (Shoot sample picture to try)
If it’s too dark open up and let more light in
If it’s too bright close down and reduce light
No need to have F1.8 lens
Use manual mode No auto
Use Bulb mode
Use cable release
Anticipation
Turn off auto focus use manual focus
Bring your chair
Don’t just shoot the firework focus on family and child
thanks !
Summary!!!
So many useful videos, good job Jared
thank you.
I picked up my cable release for about $13 and it works great. Expensive and name-brand isn't always the way to go. It's a great accessory for fireworks and lightning photos, anything that you'll use bulb mode for.
Tip 2A; Take 4 poles and a roll of crime scene tape to secure that spot. The odd cough followed by the comment (out loud) "Damn malaria" every now and then will also keep crowds getting too close!
+Don Coleman Brilliant tip
Gordon Hayward
Very clear explanation! Thanks a lot!
This was a great overall list of tips. The one thing I would like to recommend relates to composition. Since I consider fireworks photographs to be landscape in nature, please don't capture JUST fireworks against a pitch black sky. Include a foreground (and preferably a background) subject as well. Just to take pictures of explosions against a black background is like walking outside to a gorgeous sunset, pointing your camera straight up and capturing some colored clouds against a blue background. Yeah, I’m sure it’s all colorful and vibrant, but boring none the less.
Good timing for Canada Day..
Canada who ?
Top video & tips! I watched a few & this was great.
super video, clear and sharp, thanks!
I always bring a tripod and a camera with me to watch the fireworks myself while making the video. I’ve done fireworks videos in the past during the last 11 or so years, and everything comes up well. Sometimes without a tripod, it goes shaky while holding it by hand. For now, I used my tripod and my iPhone 8S to get a better shot. I was in Saugerties the other night that I captured it using my iPhone 8S instead of my good old FlipVideo camcorder since it has not been used for a long time. The last time I captured it using my FlipVideo was back in 2018 at the same location, and the one in Catskill the following night.
It's 9:15 4th of July and I just did it. From my balcony. No bad for the first time. Thank You Jared. Happy 4th of July... Cheers.
thank you for this video !! I have never tried to capture fireworks because I see so many really crappy photos !!!! But I did what you said in this video and WOW!! I captured some really pretty shots.. I watched a bunch of videos and yours by far was the best teaching tool ! thanks again !
Thanks for posting! I followed your advice and got some really great photos of the fireworks display tonight! 7-4-15
Very well put. This July 4th I am going to try some firework pics and wasn't sure how. Ty for your know how. I will try it out.
Really informative and .. ENTERTAINING!!
Fro ur so easy to understand n upto the point i love ur explanations.....
Great tips. Many are common sense, but it's good to hear them again just to stay on track. Thanks Jared, you're the man!
Thanks Jared. I watch this every July 4th right before I go out.
Good point about ISO, I was going to jack it way up.
Great tips Jared Polin! I will be sure to use them next time at one of these events. Cuz I did all the exact opposite tonight and came out with some interesting squiggly lines.
Really useful video, thanks!
9:25 here in Montreal we have firework twice a week in July at Saint Helen's Island,
45°31'15.9"N 73°31'47.9"W
you can also see the fireworks on the bridge, Provincial Police are closing the bridge for the time of the fireworks so that is the ONLY time you can walk on the bridge where cars goes normally, when fireworks ends they check if everybody is gone before reopen the bridge.
I like your videos... thanks ;)
Great entertaining video, thanks!
Jared, you are the man. You crack me up but your advice is spot on. Thanks man.
Thanks for the tips Jared ! I'm sure I'll take great pictures with my 24-70mm
Jared, now I know why I keep returning to your videos, they are very good and you are so funny. Thanks for making photography fun.
good one, I'll use those advises next week.
This is the best video I saw , on how to shoot fireworks. Jared Polin well done :)
thank you.
Great video thanks!!
I might also add watch out for smoke buildup, if it's not windy only the early shots will be clear as the smoke starts to hold a lot of light as the show progresses
Very good tips there
Thanks for this!! ~Stephanie
Thanks a lot 4 video!
#16-D Don't forget your camera
Don't forget your memory cards :)
Excellent tips, thank you.
Excellent Tips, Thanks Jared!
Thank you for the video
Thanks man you rock
I learned about bulb mode from this video. Thanks!
Just 2 days until July 4th - right on time, thanks Jared!!
THis is going to be my first 4th of july that i will be shooting \ and these tip boosted my confidence up. Thanks Fro
Thank you so much for this great video! This is the first year I've shot fireworks and not come away saying "next year I'll do better because I won't do this or that wrong."
Wow I totally could have used these tips yesterday... when it was Canada Day.
Ub3rGoob3r heyyyy
Great information and greatly appreciated!
thank you very much. i got a good result because of your tips. God Bless and keep up the good Work on helping others.
This is so helpful, thank you Jared! I bought a sturdy Benro carbon tripod, got my cheapo Promaster cable release. I was set to use my Tamron f2.8 70-200mm because my deck is a good distance away but I think I'll try 35 or 50mm first. I'll also use your manual focus tip. I'll be shooting from our deck over the harbor so no people shots. Good tip about changing one thing at a time. I've worked myself into a frenzy trying too many things at once and missing the entire experience.
thanks a bunch!
Great List - Add make sure to have a full charge or extra battery, so you don't have to wait until next year....
great tips. I used them more than once and the photos turned out awesome.
just one more I'd like to add:
don't forget to turn off VR/VC/IS/OS/Any other acronym that stands for image stabilitizationing.
pavel chernitsky Why turn off? Please explain bro. Thanks
more video like this, thank you for all your work.
Thanks for the tips, Jared.
Jared, I watched your post last week and Saturday I had the chance to make some stunning photos of fireworks !! I'm proud of myself ( and my 24-70mm ) !!
I was at f/13 and used the bulb mode. After a little retouch i lightroom, most of the photos are very nice !! ( except when there's to much smoke !! )
Thanks for the tips !! can't wait to watch the next RAWtalk !
Jared, you're hilarious. Great tips and hilarious presentation.
Just signed up for the E-Mail list. At first I just wanted to look at the guide for capturing motion in low light. I thought well probably just another guide telling you to raise your ISO and open up your aperture, but there was much more to it. Very detailed with actually really useful tips which I didn't know about even though I have a bit of experience by now. Also the bonus content, very interesting and useful stuff... I can only recommend signing up
thank you!!!
No problem man, you're welcome ;) Now I finally know where to set dat metering when shooting a concert :D
I love ur videos
a Tiny Tip, there are a few phone apps for iPhone and Android that can control camera shutter via WiFi and/or USB-to-Go cable and even have liveview on the phone screen and some have Bulb Release. This way you have a shutter release and Flashlight all in one so all you have to carry is your camera and phone :-)
Last year I had a free app that only activated the shutter so I put my camera at ISO 100 F/4 and 3 sec shutter speed and used the phone app via cable to activate the shutter, took some great photos easily :-)
Because there was a lot of fireworks going off, this time I chose shutter speed: 1/4-1/8, ISO400 and f/8.0. Only changed the shutter speed when there were too many fireworks going off at the last minute or two
Hello I have a question, I have a Sony RX10 Mark III what is the best setting to record fireworks 🤔? Greetings from the Netherlands 😊 .
this is pretty good.The last decent fireworks shot i got was with fireworks mode on a canonsx5s point and shoot and it took at least 30 seconds for the lens to close.So i missed many.
bring water and a doobie lol
Thank you for tips. Hope you have a good 4th.
Thanks a lot... It helps.
Thank you so much! I wish I had watched this video before I went to take pictures of fireworks tonight on the occasion of 50 Years of Independence of my country!
perfect for tonight 👍
I enjoyed this one Fro. It brought up some of the things I didn't even thing about like the height level of the tripod. I'm traveling back east to Hoboken/NY area... any ideas on where to shoot fireworks or other shots on the street? This question is open to the FRO-munity (FRO+Community?) as well!
That was a good video!
My tripod weighs a ton, so often it’s just not practical for me to carry it and I shoot handheld.
I often use my 24-70 f2.8 around 50mm on a FF body. Camera on manual, my start setting is 1/30 sec, because I know that with VR/VC I can hand-hold and get the nice fireworks effects. Aperture f5.6 or so, ISO 200 or 400… but that varies depending on many factors.
Fireworks I don’t shoot RAW, but JPG, often bursts of 3 or 5.
And as someone else said, shoot of Auto NR.
Your hair Rocks! Tell us about the products that you use.
Very good video. I'd love to hear some more quick fire tips. Shooting in a crowd (say at a concert or parade) would be very useful. Or some tips on lighting. Or a few photoshop tips.
Thank you for this video, I would have totally went High ISO without thinking.
The place I went to didn't have very interesting stuff around it but I got some pretty solid images for shooting fireworks for the first time.
you are a flipping godsend. I worship at the altar of the Fro.
Hi Jared. Thanks for the tips. I've been wanting to tell you this for over a year now... It's horizontal!
Yeah the way he says it is kinda funny
@@blueflower-qw5jj Comment from 6 years ago, still true today haha
Thanks for the tips Jared. What about the white balance? Tungsten?
PHAAAAtAAAAAOOOOO like that !
oh yeah i like tips and tricks!!
I always shoot at Disney World and my problem is with the smoke, would love your advice thanks
Best way to shoot lightning. With old film camera I held shutter open until the flash & released. It worked but digital cameras aren't as easy to work with. My D7000 doesn't work that way. Tips would be appreciated
..useful/fun tutorial.
I love the shirt
i really want to see some drone videos this 4th of july!
awesome
Hey.. you are brilliant. OMG i feel my skill been upgraded before i try lolz
3:46 how am I supposed to take sample photos, the show is not 30 mins long
Soft as hell tall chair with swivel seat tripod connected to the swivel bottom of the seat , so you can get other area fireworks too , try this and make up creative ideas of your own!!!!???? THKS
More videos like please
Little late for this video, but if I was recording video, would I record at 60fps with a high shutter speed to see the tiny little details with little blur and be able to slow-mo it down for a cool exploding effect or should I record at a slow shutter speed about double the framerate at 24fps in 1080p for a motion-y effect?
Great tips, thanks!
What about the White Balance settings? Daylights ok?
I find that Tungsten setting works out well. I set it and leave it there - I also get focus right on the first couple of bursts and just leave it in manual focus at that point. At f11 or so, you're good to go.
I've never heard of animals at a firework display before, In the UK they're all locked up safely in their homes but I get your point.
Thanks Jared. Good tips you gathered from previous years. If it's the summer!!!!!!@8:08 bring some water, but if it's winter!!! bring some hot coffee!!! For the Jews who observe the Sabbath -not including Jared- this year it's prohibited to go watch the fireworks or shoot it. Because when the thing is over, we celebrate it. 4th of July is on Friday, so the fireworks should be Thursday night not Friday night (civil) after the sunset when it's naturally Saturday. But that's too technical to get into. Good Luck with Macy's fireworks in New York City. You need to be there at least 4 hours before otherwise all you would see it's the police stopping you from getting close to the open space near the water and the people in the front blocking you taking stupid snapshots with their phone with their red eye showing in them. Did I mention to make sure if it's summer or winter?! Perhaps it's winter in England now who definitely celebrate 4th of July!!! Bring 5 bottles of frozen water for each person, if you would like to come back alive.
Ok, i got a Hero5black and was wondering what these settings is in a very dark place? I am doing it at home and was wondering what settings these are in a gopro. At home there is no light, no buildings etc.. (we dont have f om a gopro) thank you
And gopro has protune so i need ALL SETTINGS. narrow? Medium? Linear? Wide?
thx
any changes in tips for film? its harder cause you can see the photo to make the adjustments for the better
When the finale goes off should I hold the shutter speed until finale is done? What kinda effect would I get
ISO 100 Fuji Velvia @ f 11 with a 28mm lens.
The best thing about this video was the intro music!!!
if you use bulb for fireworks what is the aperture
Happy Diwali
Love the FLICKR site.
hay bro i like your video any option where i can get your tshirt i search but didnt get any seller...
thanks you
What if i don't exactly know where the fireworks will be shot ? or if i don't have time to stand there 3 hours if i get there early
thanks for the tips! her one for you: it's called "horizontal" and not "horizontical" :)
I am sorry, but I had to bust on you for this one! It's here not her! LOL -
Just kidding, I couldn't resist, sorry!!
I am shooting VIDEO of fireworks next weekend... any tips on exposure settings for VIDEO to give me a place to start? Thanks!