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CAMERA SETTING for Firework - Your thoughts???

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Dylan777:
I have never try taking picture of firework before and would like to give it a try this year.

I went through the 5D III manual last night, “B” mode seems to be a good choice.

What about you guys? How do you set your camera? Shutter & aperture etc?

Happy July 4th and be safe.
Dylan

TrumpetPower!:
Bulb is waaaaaay too long. You want an exposure in the range of a few to several seconds. Just as with lightning and with flash, aperture controls exposure; shutter speed controls the length of the tracks. Base ISO is good.

The challenge for exposure with fireworks comes when you try to shoot more than just the fireworks themselves, like including upturned faces or the city skyline. There's even going to be a full moon low in the sky on the Fourth...if you can shoot the moon and the fireworks, fantastic, but good luck getting the exposure right....

Cheers,

b&

TC1006:
Mark Wallace from AdoramaTV has great video for shooting fireworks. He recommends the following:

Use Tripod
Use Cable Release
Manual or Bulb Mode
Aperture - f10 (start from there and play with it).
Manual Focus (Just shy of Infinity)
ISO 100

I have used these before and got great results. Good Luck.

awinphoto:
I've done it sucessfully....  The urge is to have long tripod exposures such as 30 seconds, but keep in mind each individual burst of light from the fireworks, over time in the same area, will blow out your highlights...  I've found 8 second exposures pretty good...  captures good highlights... depending on the pace of the fireworks, you may get a lot or 1-2 bursts...  If you are good, have the tripod locked down, and shoot a good base shot, you can with photoshop easily use a blend mode and bring in certain bursts you really like for a series of shots to make a really cool effect...  Also... aperture... 5.6-8.... at that distance, most everything will be in focus anyways...  Cable release is a good idea but at this length of exposure, camera shake from the pressing of the shutter will be minimal at best, lastly, low iso... 100-200... 

scrappydog:
I agree with the comments of other posters.  A couple tips:
-- I usually shoot at f/11, ISO 100, and manual setting.
-- When you hear the fireworks being fired from the cannon, that is when I press and hold the cable release.  Once the burst occurs and the light streams out enough, I let go.  My exposures are 1-6 seconds long.  Note that the streams shoot out quickly, so I usually let go soon after the blast.
-- A zoom is recommended because you can adjust the focal length that you prefer. 
-- Make sure autofocus is off.  Prefocus manually on the first couple bursts via Live View.
-- My favorite shots are ones in which I keep the exposure short.

EDIT:
I use the Bulb setting, not manual.

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