My guide for Fireworks;
Camera - batteries charged, memory cards empty
Tripod
Remote Control (should you have one)
Torch
Camera Settings
Camera Mode -
Manual (Fireworks mode if your camera
does not have Manual control)
ISO - Lowest possible (100 or 200)
Shutter - 5 or 6 seconds
Aperture - f8- f16 maybe higher
White Balance - Tungsten/Incandescent or set for any artificial light in your scene
Flash - Set to off
Image Stabilisation/Vibration Reduction - Set to off
Get there early to find a location. Be aware that when the crowds arrive you may have trouble with people knocking your tripod, so find somewhere with space if possible. Make note of the wind direction, you don't want the smoke going into your face.
Include any interesting scenery such as buildings, bridges etc as they can add interest, and it is a good idea to set your exposure for the object before the start if it is floodlit to get that exposed correctly, varying the Aperture to do it.
Try to be familiar with how to change your camera settings before the event as trying to change things in the dark can be stressful, which is why the torch can be useful.
Use the remote control setting on your camera or the Self Timer setting.
I focus on the 1st explosion, or any practise explosions, and then set the camera to manual focus so that focus is locked. Some say set the lens to infinity but I've had soft results even when the fireworks were quite a distance away. I normally leave a bit of space at the top of the frame for the higher explosions they tend to throw in, but then most of your fireworks will only cover a small part of your image, it's up to you to decide how you want to frame the explosions. If you zoom in or out, auto focus again on an explosion and then, then switch back to manual focus when focus is set. Check your exposure after the first few explosions using the aperture to let more or less light in if needed, amd periodically throughout the set, though if you set the exposure for a building in the scene you will be changing the exposure of the building too. :shrug: If you are under exposing set a wider Aperture (lower f number). If you are over exposing set a smaller Aperture (higher f number).
If it is a timed display and/or you know it is coming to an end, maybe because it is set to music, then shut the aperture down 2-3 stops (higher f number), and maybe the shutter speed lower too, (faster shutter speed) as they tend to throw everything up into the air at the end and you may end up with a big white blob as too many explosions over expose.
With the remote control, I trigger the Shutter when I see a small speck of a firework rising. 5-6 seconds is enough time to see the firework rising and exploding. It if it a slow display, I always use the Mirror Lock Up feature to try and reduce vibrations between shots.
