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How To Take Great Firework Photos

Guide updated for 2026.

It’s that time of year again when we remember that capturing fireworks is a rewarding challenge in photography, but getting sharp, colourful photographs takes some preparation. Your camera’s Auto mode may struggle with bright bursts of colour against a dark sky.

To help you get ready for Bonfire Night, New Year’s Eve, or your next fireworks display, we’ve put together this simple guide to photographing fireworks with a DSLR or mirrorless camera. From choosing your equipment to setting exposure and timing each shot, here’s how to capture the colour and atmosphere of the display.

Camera settings for fireworks

Use these settings as a starting point rather than a fixed recipe:

Shorter exposures can isolate individual bursts. Longer exposures can include several fireworks, but may also record more smoke, ambient light, and overlapping trails. Try out different techniques and experiment to find the results you like best.

Sample taken with Canon EOS R7 and RF-S 10-18mm F/4.5-6.3 IS USM Lens @10mm. Settings: 1024 seconds. f/14. ISO 200

What equipment do you need?

A DSLR or mirrorless camera with manual exposure controls is ideal. You don’t need a particularly fast or expensive lens, as you’ll usually be shooting with the aperture stopped down to around f/8.0.

Bring the following accessories with you:

• A sturdy tripod to keep the camera still during long exposures.
• A compatible remote release so you can trigger the shutter without touching the camera.
• A zoom lens that gives you room to adjust framing.
• A small torch, charged spare battery and lens cloth.

Tip: A standard kit zoom (like an 18-55mm or 24-70mm) works brilliantly for this. Start at the wider end to leave room around the displays, then zoom in once you know exactly how much of the sky the bursts fill.

1. Arrive early and choose a good viewpoint

   Find a position with a clear view, firm ground, and enough space to use your tripod without blocking a public path.

   Consider including buildings, trees, or water reflections to give the fireworks a sense of place. Leave plenty of space above the launch area, as the first bursts always reach higher into the night sky than you expect. Avoid bright streetlights shining directly into your lens. A bonfire can add incredible atmosphere, but its intense brightness may make it difficult to balance with the surrounding scene.

2. Set and check your focus manually

   Autofocus will struggle and "hunt" in an empty night sky. Before the display starts, autofocus on a distant illuminated subject (like a building or streetlamp near the launch site), then immediately switch your lens or camera body to Manual Focus (MF).

   Alternatively, use your camera's magnified live view screen to adjust focus manually on a distant point of light. Don’t assume that turning the focus ring all the way to the infinity end-stop will give the sharpest result, as many modern lenses focus "past" infinity. Check your first few bursts at high magnification during playback, and recheck focus if you change your focal length or accidentally bump the camera.

3. Take a test photograph

   Use the settings outlined in the table above. Start at base ISO, which is usually around ISO 100, f/8, and 3 seconds. Check the colour and definition of the trails, along with the brightness of any foreground elements.

   If the trails look too bright and lose their rich colour (turning white), try f/11. If they are too faint, try f/5.6. Use your shutter speed to control how much of the burst you record. Shorten the exposure if too many fireworks overlap, or lengthen it if the trails end before the burst has fully developed. Keep an eye on streetlights and illuminated buildings, as longer exposures will brighten these stationary parts of the scene.

4. Try Bulb mode

   Bulb mode lets you choose exactly when an exposure starts and finishes rather than using a preset duration.

   Open the shutter using your remote release just as a firework rocket rises or right before it bursts, then close it as the trails begin to fade. The way Bulb mode works varies between camera brands: some require you to hold the button down continuously, while others offer a click-to-start and click-to-stop operation. Practice with your remote before the display begins.

5. Watch the smoke and changing pace

   Make the most of clear views by photographing heavily early in the display. As smoke builds up, clouds can obscure the trails and drastically reduce contrast in your shots.

   Keep reviewing your photographs on the LCD. A quieter sequence of lights may suit a longer exposure, while the busy finale often benefits from much shorter exposures to separate each burst. If heavy smoke fills the frame, it is often better to wait for a clearer interval rather than attempting a settings change to remove it.

Sample photo captured with Leica Summicron-M 28mm F/2 ASPH Lens Black Anodised, settings unavailable

Troubleshooting your photographs

Creative techniques to try out

Record Multiple Bursts in One Exposure

For a more advanced approach, open the shutter in Bulb mode and hold an opaque black card (or a dark glove) directly in front of the lens between selected bursts. Keep the card clear of the glass so you don’t knock the camera. Uncover the lens for each burst and finish the exposure before the frame becomes overcrowded. Note that bright foreground lights will continue accumulating exposure whenever the lens is uncovered.

Check for Live Composite Mode

Some cameras (such as Olympus/OM System and Panasonic) offer a Live Composite mode. This creates a single image by only adding newly brightened pixels across successive exposures, making it incredibly useful for combining multiple fireworks while preventing the background or foreground from overexposing. Live Bulb is an alternative feature that provides a developing preview of a long exposure on your screen. Check your specific camera manual to see what modes are available to you.

Try Light Painting

Away from the display and other spectators, use a torch to draw simple shapes or write words in the air during a 5-second exposure. It’s a fun, safe way to experiment with light trails without the hazards associated with hand-held sparklers.

Editing your photographs

Always shoot in RAW format if your camera allows it. Start your post-processing by adjusting the White Balance to a clean, neutral temperature, then make restrained changes to contrast and colour.

Reducing the Highlights slider may recover fine details retained in the RAW file, but completely clipped (pure white) highlights cannot be restored. Use the Dehaze tool sparingly to cut through leftover display smoke, and avoid darkening the night sky so much that you lose the beautiful ambient environmental details around the display. If you choose to blend multiple bursts from separate photographs using layers in Photoshop, use the Lighten blend mode, keep your viewpoint consistent, and check the finished image closely for overlapping buildings or obvious joins.

Stay safe and enjoy the display

Follow the organiser’s instructions, stay behind barriers and keep your equipment clear of walkways.

If you use sparklers, wear gloves, supervise children and place finished sparklers in water. Never give them to children under five.

Set up before the action starts, check your first few frames and make one adjustment at a time. A well-timed photograph of one burst can be more effective than a frame crowded with fireworks.

Years ago, I learned my favourite tip, which is to pop warm jacket potatoes, wrapped in foil, into your coat pockets to keep hands warm between shots. Hand warmers and a post-display snack in one! Just let them cool enough to handle comfortably and you’re good to go.

Explore our tripods and camera remote controls to prepare for your next evening shoot.

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By Park Cameras on 03/11/2026