Fireworks

Fireworks make great subjects and are easy to take. Many places have a celebration of some sort through the year with fireworks and these are great times to get into town and get shooting. Photographers in Montreal are spoilt as there is the annual international competition with dazzling displays every Wednesday and Saturday through the summer

Equipment.
The only thing that is needed is a tripod. No special lenses are needed. The ideal lens is a wide angle to mid tele zoom, that is a 28-80 (on film) or 17-70 (on digital). This will enable general scenes and close ups of individual displays to be taken. Very good images can be obtained with a longer lens though. At a big display wait until there is a barrage of rockets and aim your 200mm right in the middle for some interesting results.

Shooting.
The technique is easy but a bit of planning and forethought can be the difference between ordinary and excellent results. Set the camera on the tripod and frame the area where the display is. The aperture should be about f16 and the shutter should be set on the bulb setting B. When the fireworks are going fire the shutter (better if you have a cable release or a remote control). For rockets in the sky the exposure should be about 20-30 seconds. For ground displays you will need less exposure, about 15-20 seconds on f22 is usually about right. You can use the zoom to frame each display as it appears. This is one area where digital really comes into its own. The instant visualisation of your shots means that you can fine tune exposure very easily and of course you can take many images and delete those that are no use.
The difference between good and excellent is in the setting of the fireworks display. Something with a strong shape silhouetted in the foreground is an excellent choice. Again Montreal’s fireworks fans are lucky as the display is done from right next to the Jacques Cartier harbour bridge. Displays over water are a good choice as the water will reflect the colours and give very strong compositions. If you know the area then you will know where the display will be carried out and the vantage points. If you have time in advance its worth doing a reconnaissance to find a spot. Its also worth getting in place early as being right at the back of a heaving crowd is a poor place to be.