1. Stabilize the camera. You’ll need a tripod or some way to keep the camera steady, most good fireworks photos happen over a long exposure, so the camera needs to be still.

2. Pre-focus the camera. The easiest way to do this is zoom your lens in as far as it will go and focus on the area you know the fireworks will be launching from, focus the camera, then zoom back out to your desired composition.

3. If you can manually control your camera, set it as follows. Sunny white balance, f11, ISO/ASA 100. The creativity comes in how long you leave the shutter open. I generally start out with longer shutter times toward the first part of the show because there are fewer fireworks and less smoke lingering in the air. As the show progresses I shorten the amount of time the shutter stays open. For example, the first photo I took at Coors Field was a 30 second exposure, the last photo I took was a a two second exposure for the grand finale.

4. Use the built in timer in the camera to take the photo. Most cameras have a timer built in so you can take a family photo etc. This helps stabilize the camera so that you don’t get blur from pushing the button down at the beginning of your long exposure.

5. For an added creativity, try zooming to different focal lengths during the show and try both horizontal and vertical photos. Be creative, that’s what makes photography challenging and fun.

Have a great fourth!