How to Shoot Fireworks

I don’t know about you, but I’m waiting eagerly for Diwali. Not that I have or ever will burst firecrackers, but I do enjoy the city lighting up every night. I really wish there were more lights and less noise though. If you want to capture the true spirit of the season, why not start with fireworks? It’s easier than you think – and it can be a rewarding experience even for newbies.

Use a Tripod
This is the first thing you will need. You aren’t required to buy an expensive one, and certainly don’t fall for anything the big malls try and sell you. If you're in Mumbai you could check out one of the famous stores in the Fort area, or just log on to JJmehta.com and you can find tripods for as little as Rs 1,300.

This will not only help you shoot fireworks but also experiment with lights of all sorts – even sunsets. No matter how much you labor to keep your hand steady, without a tripod even the slightest jerk will register and effectively give you blurry and less-than-sharp pics. A tripod minimizes this, and allows you to experiment with long exposure settings.

Every camera these days come with a camera mount hole at the bottom, and you don’t need to worry about sizes – it’s a universal fit.

Remote Control or Self-timer
Buying a tripod is only half the step towards ensuring no shakes. Many cameras (especially expensive SLR-like ones) offer a remote control for the shutter release. If (like me) you have only a compact or ultra-compact without a remote control, you can use the self-timer. Every camera offers this, and this is very useful – even if you use a tripod, pressing the shutter release button causes the camera to shake, however mildly.

Choose your location
This is the single most important thing and one that is often conveniently avoided. Choosing the right location is very essential for the kind of shots you want. If you are serious about it, visit some locations beforehand and shortlist a couple of spots.

An elevated view with a huge skyline is always ideal, but even ground shots can look good. For instance, the flyover on Mumbai's Marine Drive is a personal favorite of mine, for it offers a great view of the string of lights (or "queen’s necklace") on the left and offers a chance to shoot fireworks and their reflection in the sea as well.

Use of Wide or Tele-zoom

Don’t be content with a wide shot. Try zooming in, and you will get some nice patterns. If you get more than one burst in the same frame, even better. Like always, you will need to time yourself perfectly. If you get the right shot in the first try itself, consider yourself extremely lucky. For fireworks, especially the ones that go up in the air, have a mind of its own.

While zooming in you may find the fireworks often fly off the frame. Be patient and you will notice that even if you don’t capture the whole explosion, interesting patterns often make the zoom worth the trouble.