Taking pictures of fireworks has always thrilled me! I remember the first time I attempted doing this with a Minolta film point and shoot. With visions of what I’d seen in newspapers and magazines, I recall my disappointment and bewilderment when the prints came back showing only blur and blah. There had to be a better way!

I tried again with Dad’s film SLR one year, and then with the Canon 20D the next. Every time the 4th of July rolled around, I was out shooting with a camera. Every post-4th-of-July, I would tell myself that there had to be a better way. As each year passed, I considered different aspects of the art, modifying my formula to heighten the odds of getting a greater percentage of “good ones” the next year.

Well, now I think it is time to share what I’ve learned from all these years of experience and trial and error. Really, it is quite simple. To start off, you just need three things:

1. A steady place to set the camera (preferably a tripod)
2. A camera that supports custom shutter-speed (“bulb” on an SLR)
3. A remote shutter release (not necessary, but extremely helpful)

Imagine you are now at the park right after dusk for the last 4th of July celebration. The place is bustling with excited crowds of people and the cool, damp grass complements the warm, summer air. All your camera equipment is set up and ready to go. Now you just need to set the camera’s exposure. With exposure mode set to Manual (M):

1. Set the aperture to f/11
2. Set the shutter-speed to “bulb”
3. Set the ISO to 100

The hour for the firework show is drawing closer; the crowds are hushed; the lights around you flicker off one by one. The only light around is the lonely moon hanging in the vast expanse above you. There isn’t much time left. With your exposure set, there are only three things left to do:

1. Choose a wide angle lens (but one that will not include the horizon)
2. Set the white balance to Tungsten (or 2800K)
3. Focus on a distant object, and then set the focus to Manual

The fireworks have begun! Without zooming in or out, click and hold the shutter release button from when the firework leaves the ground to when the last bits of fire peters out after it’s glorious burst. If the circumstances are the same as they have always been for me, you will have a magnificent, stunning, and satisfactory image of the most explosive piece of artwork created by man!

But this is only where the creativity begins! Once you’ve mastered shooting single bursts, there are endless possibilities of making your work distinctive and extra-awe-inspiring. Here are a few ideas:

• Allow multiple blasts in the same image by simply keeping the shutter open longer.

• Allow blasts to enter at different places of your image by slightly panning the camera to the right or to the left between bursts.

• Create weird effects with zooming. Just be aware that you will have to re-focus.

• Include objects in the foreground. They will be silhouetted against the fireworks.

• Include illuminated objects in the foreground by firing a flash at the beginning of the exposure (unless they are already illuminated).

• Use a telephoto lens instead of a wide angle lens to allow focus on abstract patterns within the firework itself.

• Catch only the end of the blast, creating the “spiky ball” effect.

• See how you can incorporate colored smoke in the composition.

• Increase or decrease the aperture to create thinner or thicker lines.

• Increase the ISO to lighten up the sky.

Just as taking pictures of fireworks is thrilling, taking time to read the Bible is also thrilling! Recently, I memorized Proverbs 3:3, “Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart.” In the same way that the light of a firework burns a stroke of light through the wide open shutter and onto the camera’s sensor, I picture the bright light of God’s truth being written upon my heart as I read and re-read His truth in the quite times of devotion. May you think about God’s Word and it’s impact on your heart every time you see a firework display!