Fourth of July fireworks at Rehoboth beach, Delaware.
Fourth of July fireworks at Rehoboth beach, Delaware.
Photograph by Greg Dale, Nat Geo Image Collection

How to Photograph Fireworks

Getting great shots of these pyrotechnic displays is not as hard as you think.

Photographing fireworks can be challenging but it's not impossible. Here we share tips and tricks for taking the guesswork out of shooting this nighttime event, and getting inspired to capture your own unique perspective.

This allows you to control the exposure and aperture yourself. A good starting place for your settings is ISO 100, f/11, at 1/2 second. If the photos are looking too dim, vary the shutter speed while keeping the aperture the same.

Before the show begins, think about the foreground and background elements of the scene and how you might want to incorporate them. Manually set the focus for your scene before it gets dark. Focus on an area of sky where the fireworks will be, or on an

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