Shooting Fireworks in San Diego

It comes, but once a year, July 4h, also known as America’s Birthday. As Americans, this is our holiday and we love a us some good fireworks. To the point where we use 25 million pounds of fireworks, for public display alone. But shooting fireworks in San Diego, isn’t always a piece of apple pie.

July 4th, is known as our Independence Day marks our celebration of breaking free, from Brittan, back in 1776. Each year we consume 150 million hot dogs and 700 million pounds of chicken. So, we Americans know how to celebrate a party. Ok, I think I have bored you with enough facts for now. Here are some tips that I would recommend for shooting fireworks:

• Scout out the area a day or two beforehand where you will be sitting. If you have been there before, you know where you need to be. Know where the fireworks will be displayed.
• Clean and inventory your equipment the day before. You don’t want to arrive on location, just to find out that your lenses have seen better days or your forgot to bring extra batteries. Remember my slogan Be Prepared, because you never know what will go wrong.
• Bring a tripod or monopod. I know lugging a tripod around is not fun and looks kind of dorky, but you will thank me. A monopod works fine, and may be quicker to maneuver, if you’re too close to the fireworks and need to move the camera little.
• Bring a remote shutter release. They are worth their weight in gold.
• Pick the right lens for the job. If you are far away bring a telephoto lens, if you are a bit close a wide angle lens might be better.
• Bring a chair. Chances are you since you arrived early, you will be waiting for a while.
• Bring drinks or snacks. Let’s face it, it is summertime and one of the hottest days of the year, so keep hydrated.
• Bring a small flashlight, because you may need to make some camera adjustments or maybe you accidently dropped something.

This year like last year, I brought my Nikon D3, with my Nikon 70-200mm lens. It’s a beautiful lens, don’t get me wrong, but next year I think I will take a little bit wider lens to capture more. I almost feel like they moved the fireworks on me and it was too late to move further away. J My settings for fireworks were: F11, ISO: 200, Shutter Speed: 3 seconds, and WB: Auto. I usually set my speed to “Bulb” and count. Did you know that Benjamin Franklin was the oldest signer of the Declaration of Independence, at the age of 70?

Take a look at some other photography tips, as well. Never hold any what any photographer says as gospel; it is only a guide. If you have taken shots of fireworks before, use those settings and improve on them. Remember your results may vary.

I hope I have not bored you too much. I had a lot of fun writing this one like all of my blogs. I trust I have given you some valuable tips to think about, before planning your next shoot. It’s not all bad, just be clear and informative, it will save you a lot of headaches. Remember nothing is set in stone and there is not a perfect formula, so go out and have some fun.