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How To Photograph Fireworks With Your Leica

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qavywiqu

Taking pictures of fireworks can be a fun experience that proves quite the technical challenge for many photographers. Beginners may struggle with photographing such a brief and bright subject streaking across a dark summer sky, and advanced users may need to optimize their manual camera controls while also keeping in mind things like location and composition to get the pictures they seek. At any skill level, there are ways to try fireworks photography with automated settings or fine-tunable manual controls to get a shot that encapsulates the awe and wonder of this explosively colorful light. Here we go over some of the core techniques and universal practices to photograph fireworks while also noting which cameras might be the most optimal for capturing an event that is synonymous with summer, the 4th of July, and a general sense of excitement and delight.

There are some core tenets and general tips that always go with taking pictures of fireworks. You ideally want to have the following:

  • A sturdy tripod
  • A camera with manual exposure control or an automated Fireworks “Scene Mode”
  • A remote shutter release cable or a connected smartphone app, to trigger the camera without physically touching it
  • An unobstructed prime vantage point to shoot from – once the show begins it is too late to relocate for a better view
  • A spare battery (optional, but always good to have on reserve)

Perhaps you have tried taking pictures of fireworks in the past and wondered why they came out blurry or so incredibly bright that the colorful lights burn to a white crisp of overexposure. When pointing a camera toward the night sky it sees a very dark subject that it thinks needs to be brightened up, not suspecting you may be about to press the shutter right as an unexpected burst of bright light comes cascading into the composition. This often results in an overexposed photo, or sometimes the opposite – with an underexposed photo showing dim streaks of color across a black void. This is where the proper techniques and know-how to shooting fireworks comes in. It is vital to tackle this challenge one of two ways: A) Control all facets of the exposure manually, or B) Use a preset mode for fireworks so your camera knows what subject you are capturing, giving the best chance possible to yield a solid result for most scenarios.

The Fireworks setting can be found in the Scene Mode of various Leica cameras 


Basic Level:

Let’s first look at what a camera with a dedicated Fireworks Scene Mode can do to help beginners who are just getting started. A few examples of cameras that have this preset Fireworks setting are the Leica Q2, Leica CL, and Leica TL2. (For cameras like the Leica D-Lux 7, V-Lux 5, and C-Lux that do not have a dedicated Fireworks Scene, try “Artistic Nightscape” on a tripod or “Handheld Night Shot.”) It is important to note that once a scene like Fireworks mode is selected, the camera takes over nearly all controls. Any physical dials such as shutter speed or aperture are ignored while using a Scene Mode. One of the few key controls you still maintain is Exposure Compensation, to make the exposure darker or brighter – though be aware that this adjusts the shutter speed to be longer or shorter.

Take note of what settings the camera is dialing in for you. For example, you may see that the camera immediately selects a 4-second exposure and aperture of f/8 with ISO set to AUTO. This is a good catch-all setup, giving you a one-size-fits-most for this subject matter. It also tells you right away that it is important to get the camera on a tripod, or at least solidly anchored on something stable, as handholding a camera steady for 4 whole seconds is impossible. These shortcut settings can also clue you in on the kind of settings that might be good to try if you decide to venture into manual mode, giving you a good baseline starting point.

While in Fireworks mode, you can also set the camera to Self-Timer on a 2 or 12-second delay. The 2-second delay is helpful if you do not have a release cable, though it makes timing the shot with a round of fireworks require a little more anticipation. Alternatively, the Leica FOTOS app on your smartphone can be used to wirelessly trigger a WiFi-equipped camera quite seamlessly. Once you have the Fireworks scene dialed in and you’re all set up on your tripod with a remote release or self-timer – start shooting! Fireworks shows don’t last very long, and the sooner you start taking pictures the sooner you can review them on the rear LCD to make any necessary adjustments. Consider the brightness of the image and dial Exposure Compensation up or down as needed, but then quickly shift your attention more towards framing your composition and getting yourself synced up with the cadence of the fireworks being launched. You want the framing of your shot to give enough room for the fireworks to expand to full bloom without being cropped out. There is nothing wrong with a little guess-and-check work on the rear LCD to help you along the way to capturing beautiful fireworks. Shoot, check, and adjust quickly on the fly – even if you’re at first relying on the camera to do some of the heavy lifting.



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