This note captured the gear list from the B&H guide; the settings below are the standard starting points for this scenario.
Gear
- Tripod — unavoidable for long exposures.
- Cable / remote release — even a light touch shakes the camera on a long exposure.
- Spare battery — long exposures drain faster.
- Spare memory cards.
- Matte-black card — hold it over the lens between bursts to combine several bursts in one frame.
- Stool — to shoot above a crowd (be courteous to those behind).
- Flashlight — to see dials, dig through the bag, and mark your tripod legs for passers-by.
Setup (starting points)
- Mode: Manual, or Bulb for multi-burst frames.
- Aperture: f/8–f/16.
- ISO: 100–200 for clean files.
- Shutter: a few seconds (or Bulb, holding the black card between bursts).
- Focus: manual at (or near) infinity — lock it before the show.
- RAW, and frame wide enough to allow for the bursts' spread.
Consolidated from notes: How to Photograph Fireworks (Todd Vorenkamp, B&H)