We saw our couple standing by the edge of the railing to watch the fireworks together and wanted to frame the whole image so the firework explosion filled the frame. We used our longer lens here to do just that. We also took this shot from behind, so we could include the couple entirely as well as some of their guests. It adds context to the frame by including the couple with the fireworks.
Center Framed
Focusing was definitely a challenge. We used our Single point autofocus since we could tell the camera to only lock on to one spot. This helped a lot since there was a lot of things the camera could have confused to focus on. We timed it right so that when a firework exploded, we had enough light for a brief moment to get our focus on point and hold there for the next chance. We also shot in burst mode, since this helps a lot.
Single Shot Autofocus
Single Point
The couple
The way the EXIF is written out follows the common photographic method (with the inclusion of White Balance at the end). Here it is broken down:
Shutter Speed @ Aperture ISO White Balance.
Apart from the fireworks being the only source of light we had for this particular shot, we had only the very faint light from the venue behind us that helped.
Sparklers
Night
As we shot this image with a ridiculously high ISO, we did have to apply quite a bit of noise reduction. It turned out just fine in the end, although quite smooth. Keep in mind though that a moment is more important to your couple than a perfectly sharp, crisp image. It’s the memories that they get from that photo that will make them happy, and not how “technically perfect” it is.
The biggest challenge we had here was exposing and focusing. Since we didn’t want to only use flash (as we prefer the natural looking shots), we really had to push our cameras to their limits. We knew there would be extra work in lightroom but we didn’t let that stop us.
After getting some decent shots with the flash, we then chose to shoot without one. We waited for one firework to explode and quickly gauged our new exposure and adjusted accordingly. Then, once we were happy with the results (even if it wasn’t perfect), we then focused on our couple with the next fire work and fired away in burst mode. The burst mode helped us capture the explosive moments as well as find frames with minimal blur.
LA VILLA am Starnberger See
LA VILLA am Starnberger See, Ferdinand-von-Miller-Straße, Pöcking
Wedding / Event Venue
Germany
Try and include your couple and / or guests in the shots you take of the fireworks. It not only adds context, but it also adds scale. It adds to that “Wow” factor of the fireworks.
Try move around your couple and shoot them very wide from behind, from above (if possible), even move in front of them and capture their reactions. Always be on your feet, and always check your exposure.
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