How To Photograph Fireworks?

Probably one of the most difficult shots to take, fireworks always supply a surprising picture. You don’t know when the fireworks will explode; also some of the fireworks have trails that appear only a few seconds after the fireworks get fired up.
It is better to use the SLR camera with a manual exposure mode (Bulb or ‘B’ in the camera) for this kind of shot.
The first most important thing you need to bring with you is a tripod. Sure, you can hold the camera on the top of the car or hold it against a wall, but there’s nothing like a good, steady tripod. Also recommended is a cable release that’ll help you activate the shutter without touching it and shaking the camera unnecessarily.

Two important things that need to be taken into account are aperture and shutter speed. In contrary to what people may think, using a fast lens when shooting fireworks will not work as well as using a slower one, since the light the fireworks projects is pretty bright, and that is why small to mid range lens will work much better here (If you want to go for the safest, go with f8).

Controlling the shutter speed is very important.
The best thing would be to open the shutter for as long as you hold it down. This way you open the shutter once the fireworks are fired, and you hold it down until its finished exploding. Don’t hold the shutter open too long though, since you might over expose the film, as fireworks are very bright. Even though it is dark and tempting - don’t do that. Several burst shots may be used, although the one shot burst usually ends up being the easiest one to use.
Check your shots right at the beginning of the show; see how they turned out, and only then keep on taking pictures. This way you’ll have better control over what you’ve already done. It is better this way, than to find out you took 200 photos and they all turned out bad.