Shooting Fireworks + Where to See in Bergen County
2024 Fourth of July Photography Guide: It is that time of year again – summer is officially here, and everyone is getting ready for Fourth of July celebrations! For many, viewing fireworks is a beloved summer tradition. With a few helpful tips, you too can be on your way to having a great time photographing fireworks this summer season. Continue reading below for Alan’s Guide to Fireworks Photography and a list of where to see fireworks in Bergen county this year!
It is that time of year again – everyone is getting ready for 4th of July celebrations, and a summer of fireworks! For many, viewing fireworks is a summer tradition. With a few helpful tips, you can be on your way to having a great time photographing fireworks this summer season. Continue reading below for Alan’s Guide to Fireworks Photography and where to see fireworks in Bergen county this year!
Our latest webinar on Fireworks Photography was recorded and is available to watch. Please stop in or call with any questions.
NJ.com also published a list of 200 celebrations all around New Jersey – here
Alan’s Guide: How to Shoot Fireworks
Use the bulb setting available in manual (M), see tip 17 for the finale’!
Use a low ISO 100-200
No long exposure noise reduction, high ISO NR can stay on, but it’s not needed
F8-F11
Use auto white balance
No mirror lock up
Use infinity focus, switch to manual focus, tape the lens focus ring @ infinity. Some lenses are not marked. Test focus in manual at farthest subject your lens can resolve sharply.
O D lighting or auto lighting optimizer, these control contrast and brightness.
Vivid color mode, leave saturation at normal, landscape (picture style) for Canon uses.
IS-VR off, since you will be on a tripod.
Metering: use matrix or evaluative
Note: you will not have to meter anything for shooting (F11, ISO 100, bulb = done)
Tripod, short zoom lens 18-70mm, 24-70mm, 18-105mm and a cable release (no need to lock)
Tripod will possibly need to be repositioned (tilted etc) once the show starts. I’ll shoot vertical more often than horizontal.
Vary zoom length for composition
Fire the shutter (with a cable release) hold rather than lock. Hold for multiple bursts 2-8 or maybe more. Check the monitor, exposures should average 2-4 or 4-7 seconds, and can even be as long as 8-15 seconds. Disregard the histogram.
Finale’ shots need to happen quickly in manual mode, burst or continuous 1 second, ½ second, ¼ second, 1/8 second, 1/10 second, 1/25 second, 1/30 second. These shorts can be blown out if taken for longer time periods (such as with bulb). Still maintain the F number 8-11.
JPEGS or Raw? Raw is not necessary unless you feel a need to recover highlights. Shoot JPEG or raw together, or JPEG alone. Use a fast card for recovery of write speed times. Raw will offer a bit more color information too.
Bring extra cards, batteries, and a mini flashlight. The show may be 30 minutes to an hour long. Be careful about inserting memory cards in the dark.
Add an element of scenic interest in your picture. Bridges, skylines, crowds, etc
Use the bulb setting available in manual (M), see tip 17 for the finale’!
Use a low ISO 100-200
No long exposure noise reduction, high ISO NR can stay on, but it’s not needed
F8-F11
Use auto white balance
No mirror lock up
Use infinity focus, switch to manual focus, tape the lens focus ring @ infinity. Some lenses are not marked. Test focus in manual at farthest subject your lens can resolve sharply.
O D lighting or auto lighting optimizer, these control contrast and brightness.
Vivid color mode, leave saturation at normal, landscape (picture style) for Canon uses.
IS-VR off, since you will be on a tripod.
Metering: use matrix or evaluative
Note: you will not have to meter anything for shooting (F11, ISO 100, bulb = done)
Tripod, short zoom lens 18-70mm, 24-70mm, 18-105mm and a cable release (no need to lock)
Tripod will possibly need to be repositioned (tilted etc) once the show starts. I’ll shoot vertical more often than horizontal.
Vary zoom length for composition
Fire the shutter (with a cable release) hold rather than lock. Hold for multiple bursts 2-8 or maybe more. Check the monitor, exposures should average 2-4 or 4-7 seconds, and can even be as long as 8-15 seconds. Disregard the histogram.
Finale’ shots need to happen quickly in manual mode, burst or continuous 1 second, ½ second, ¼ second, 1/8 second, 1/10 second, 1/25 second, 1/30 second. These shorts can be blown out if taken for longer time periods (such as with bulb). Still maintain the F number 8-11.
JPEGS or Raw? Raw is not necessary unless you feel a need to recover highlights. Shoot JPEG or raw together, or JPEG alone. Use a fast card for recovery of write speed times. Raw will offer a bit more color information too.
Bring extra cards, batteries, and a mini flashlight. The show may be 30 minutes to an hour long. Be careful about inserting memory cards in the dark.
Add an element of scenic interest in your picture. Bridges, skylines, crowds, etc
Use the bulb setting available in manual (M), see tip 17 for the finale’!
Use a low ISO 100-200
No long exposure noise reduction, high ISO NR can stay on, but it’s not needed
F8-F11
Use auto white balance
No mirror lock up
Use infinity focus, switch to manual focus, tape the lens focus ring @ infinity. Some lenses are not marked. Test focus in manual at farthest subject your lens can resolve sharply.
O D lighting or auto lighting optimizer, these control contrast and brightness.
Vivid color mode, leave saturation at normal, landscape (picture style) for Canon uses.
IS-VR off, since you will be on a tripod.
Metering: use matrix or evaluative
Note: you will not have to meter anything for shooting (F11, ISO 100, bulb = done)
Tripod, short zoom lens 18-70mm, 24-70mm, 18-105mm and a cable release (no need to lock)
Tripod will possibly need to be repositioned (tilted etc) once the show starts. I’ll shoot vertical more often than horizontal.
Vary zoom length for composition
Fire the shutter (with a cable release) hold rather than lock. Hold for multiple bursts 2-8 or maybe more. Check the monitor, exposures should average 2-4 or 4-7 seconds, and can even be as long as 8-15 seconds. Disregard the histogram.
Finale’ shots need to happen quickly in manual mode, burst or continuous 1 second, ½ second, ¼ second, 1/8 second, 1/10 second, 1/25 second, 1/30 second. These shorts can be blown out if taken for longer time periods (such as with bulb). Still maintain the F number 8-11.
JPEGS or Raw? Raw is not necessary unless you feel a need to recover highlights. Shoot JPEG or raw together, or JPEG alone. Use a fast card for recovery of write speed times. Raw will offer a bit more color information too.
Bring extra cards, batteries, and a mini flashlight. The show may be 30 minutes to an hour long. Be careful about inserting memory cards in the dark.
Add an element of scenic interest in your picture. Bridges, skylines, crowds, etc