With July 4th coming up shortly, here in the US, you might be thinking about taking photos of the fireworks. Good thought because it is really easy. And, of course, many other countries have fireworks worthy holidays that also offer opportunities for great photos.

Camera wise, you just need one with manual exposure so you can set “Bulb” exposure. This means that that shutter stays open as long as you hold you finger on the release. That’s the only way to get the “trail” of the burst.

Next, exposure. Updating from the old Kodachrome ISO 25 exposure, which was Bulb @f5.6, since today, most digital cameras are based around ISO 100, that means you should shoot at about f11. You’ll want to look at some of the images quickly to possibly adjust the exposure to get the colorful results you want.

Next, you’ll want a tripod with a nice loose pan/tilt head with just a bit of tension/drag to smooth the action. I find it comfortable to sit on a chair with the tripod between my legs and the viewfinder about eye height.

Then, its simple. As you see a rocket heading skyward, follow it up through the viewfinder, and just before you think it will burst, open the shutter and hold it – this is where Bulb exposure comes in – the shutter stays open as long as you hold you finger down on the shutter button. Let the burst happen. It is helpful to keep your other eye open to watch the burst if you are using and SLR where the viewfinder will black out during exposure. When you see the burst has gotten as large as you think it will, release your finger to close the shutter.

And that, really, is all there is too it.

I have boxes of fireworks slides and disks of fireworks files. It really is simple.

You’ll find that you’ll get some “duds” from mis-aiming the camera (those pesky rockets don’t always go where you think they are going), not very striking bursts, some bursts are lighter, some are darker, sometimes you timing will be off, and so on, but you’ll also get a bunch of great fireworks photos to print, frame, and proudly display.

We’re also starting a site where you’ll find links to great tools, books, plus articles that will help you enjoy your photo experience. Visit it here.

Have a safe holiday…