Unbelievable Fireworks Photography Tip

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This is NOT an original technique. However, I DID take these pictures of Labor Day Fireworks in my town. You can also see them on Flickr. Now to the good stuff.

How Did I Do It?
I had my camera on a tripod. I set my ISO down to 100, my aperture to f/9.0 (though I switched it up a little here and there during the show but not far off) and my shutter speed up to 1 second (again, I switched up here and there during the show.)

Now here's the key: set your lens to MANUAL focus. Furthermore, set your focus to the closest range possible. In other words, if you were to photograph the fireworks, they would be blurry as hell. This will create the billowing effect.

The trick is to snap the photo right before the fireworks burst happens. Over the course of the exposure, turn your focus ring all the way to infinity. In other words, if you were to photograph the fireworks on infinity, they would be crisp and sharp.


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What's Happening?
As the burst is captured from blurry to sharp, the camera's sensor picks up a trail of light that goes from fat to thin.. So, early in the exposure, the burst's lights are billowy and large. Toward the end, they're small and sharp. The time elapse in between captures the color and full shape of the streaking light.

The Flickr post from which I learned this technique actually calls for you to use a wireless remote to snap the shot and focus. I don't have that luxury. The funny thing is, it contributed to some unique tentacle-like structures.

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VIEW LARGER | FLICKR LINK


VIEW LARGER | FLICKR LINK


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