How to photograph fireworks: settings and tips that work
Fireworks look hard to photograph because they happen in the dark and only last a moment, but the method is simple and repeatable. The camera stays still on a tripod, the settings stay fixed, and you only decide when to open and close the shutter. Most of the work happens before the show starts: picking a spot, setting focus and dialling in a starting exposure. This guide walks through each step, then adds a phone version and a few rules of courtesy.
Starting settings
1Plan your spot
Your position decides more than any setting. Smoke from the first bursts drifts with the wind, and if it drifts toward you, later bursts turn into a hazy glow. A foreground such as a skyline, a bridge or water gives the photo a sense of place and scale.
Good spots fill up fast, so arrive well before the show and find out where the fireworks are launched from.
- Check the wind direction and stand upwind, so smoke blows away from you and the camera.
- Look for a spot with a clear view of the sky plus an interesting foreground: buildings, a landmark, a reflection in water.
- Arrive at least an hour early (more for big events) to claim space for a tripod.
- Find out the launch site in advance from the event page or locals, and aim the camera before it gets dark.
2Use a tripod and a remote or timer
Every firework photo is a long exposure of a few seconds. No one can hold a camera that still, so the camera needs a solid support and must be triggered without touching it.
- Set up the tripod on firm ground, extend the thicker leg sections first and keep the centre column down.
- Use a remote release, the camera's phone app or the 2-second self-timer so pressing the button does not shake the camera.
- Turn off image stabilisation while the camera is on the tripod.
- No tripod? Rest the camera on a wall or railing and wedge it with a bag or jacket.
3Focus manually and lock it
Autofocus struggles in the dark sky and may hunt just as a burst begins. Fireworks are far away, so you can set focus once and leave it for the whole show.
- Before the show, autofocus on a distant bright light (a street lamp, a lit building) at roughly the burst distance, then switch the lens or camera to manual focus (MF).
- Or focus on the first burst using the screen's magnified live view, then switch to MF.
- Put a small piece of tape on the focus ring so it cannot be bumped.
- Check the first frame zoomed in on the screen and refocus if the trails look soft.
4Set aperture, ISO and white balance
Fireworks are bright light sources, not dim scenes. A middle aperture and low ISO keep the colourful trails from burning out, give a deep sharp zone and keep the dark sky clean instead of grainy.
Use manual mode (M) so the camera does not brighten the black sky and wash out the bursts. Values here are starting points; adjust after the first few frames.
- Set the camera to manual (M) and shoot RAW if you can.
- Start at f/8; go to f/11 if trails look too bright and thick, f/5.6 if they look faint.
- Keep ISO at 100–200. Higher ISO brightens the sky and adds noise without making the trails look better.
- Set white balance to daylight (around 5,500 K) so colours stay natural and consistent from frame to frame. Turn off the flash.
5Time the shutter: bulb or a few seconds
The shutter speed decides how long the trails are and how many bursts land in one frame. In bulb mode the shutter stays open as long as you hold the remote button, so you can follow the rhythm of the show. A fixed time of roughly 2–8 seconds works too and is simpler.
The sky is dark, so a longer exposure mostly adds more trails. The risk is too many overlapping bursts, which merge into a bright white blob.
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- Open the shutter just as you hear or see a launch, before the shell bursts, and close it after the burst fades.
- Aim for about one to three bursts per frame; for a busy finale, shorten the exposure to around 1–2 s.
- If the trails are blown out to white, shorten the exposure or close the aperture by one stop rather than lowering ISO further.
- Take many frames: shoot throughout the show and pick the best later.
6Compose the frame
Fireworks rise and spread, so the frame needs room above the action. A vertical frame suits tall single bursts and tall landmarks; a horizontal frame suits a wide skyline or several bursts side by side. Including the city or a landmark makes the photo feel like a specific night, not just colour on black.
- Use the first few bursts to check framing, then leave the camera pointed there.
- Leave empty sky above the bursts so the top of the trails is not cut off; zoom out a little if in doubt.
- Try a vertical frame for a single landmark and a horizontal one for a skyline.
- Keep the horizon level and place the foreground low in the frame.
7Photograph fireworks with a phone
Phones can take good firework photos when they are held still and the long-exposure tools are used. Normal handheld snaps usually come out as small dots or blurry streaks.
- Use a night mode, a long-exposure option (such as Live Photo with long exposure on iPhone) or a pro mode with a shutter of about 1–4 s and the lowest ISO.
- Put the phone on a small tripod or brace it against something solid, and use the timer or a headphone volume button to shoot.
- Turn off the flash; it cannot light the sky and only lights up nearby heads and smoke.
- Tap to focus on the first burst and lock focus and exposure if the phone allows it. Avoid digital zoom.
8Stay safe and be courteous
A good photo is never worth an injury or a ruined evening for the people around you. Organised shows have safety zones for a reason, and many crowded places restrict tripods.
- Keep well back from the launch area and follow barriers and staff instructions; at private displays, stay several hundred feet away if you can.
- Check local rules before you go: some venues do not allow tripods, drones or standing in certain areas.
- Set up at the edge of the crowd so your tripod and raised arms do not block anyone's view.
- Bring a small torch with a red or dim setting, and watch your tripod legs so nobody trips in the dark.
Before the show
- Tripod and remote release (or 2-second timer)
- Charged spare battery and empty memory card
- Manual mode, f/8, ISO 100–200
- Manual focus set and taped
- Bulb or about 2–8 s shutter
- Daylight white balance, flash off
- Stabilisation off on the tripod
- Small dim torch