I wrapped up and headed out to try to get some shots of Lancaster’s annual fireworks display on Saturday night.

I chose Skerton Bridge, as I felt it gave a great view of the castle and I hoped that the river would give some nice reflections as a bonus.

Before the fireworks; Lancaster Castle & Priory from Skerton Bridge.

I was more pleased with the shot WITHOUT the fireworks in the end! I got some lovely reflections of the streetlights in the river and love the rich yellow and dark blue colours.

Taking SUCCESSFUL pictures of fireworks is, in my experience, very difficult and as much about luck as skill. Getting the exposure right is critical. Too long and the fireworks become long streaks of light and too short and any foreground will disappear and the fireworks will look rather ‘cheap’!

Fireworks over Lancaster Castle this year.

 

This was my favourite shot. Even though it may not be the most dramatic picture of fireworks and the side wind didn’t help, I think that the dominant pink & yellow  (especially the pink glow in the river) and the overall setting make up for it. It’s very much a night scene with fireworks. I’m also pleased to say that there is no Photoshop magic or double exposures to artificially enhance it.

 

Zooming in on Lancaster Castle & the fireworks.

Zooming in at my camera’s maximum 200mm gave a closer view of the Castle and Priory from the same spot near the middle of Skerton Bridge. I waited for some lower level fireworks and whilst certainly not the most dramatic or exciting of fireworks, this was my second favourite shot of the night.

MY TIPS FOR GOOD FIREWORKS SHOTS:

1. Find a good unobstructed viewpoint.

2. Set a fairly low camera sensitivity/ASA to give best quality.

3. Be careful not to zoom in too much in case a great firework goes out of frame.

4. Set up a tripod. Don’t even THINK about it without!

5. Turn the flash OFF and set self timer/use a shutter release cable.

6. Prepare for long exposures- probably several seconds and don’t even breathe on the camera!

7. Experiment with increasing exposure by 2 or 3 stops if you ‘want to see land’ as well as sky!

8. For best fireworks shots, wait for the brightest and most colourful explosions (usually the finale).

9. Keep on snapping & GOOD LUCK!

From 2008, a Lancaster fireworks shot of mine that has been well published/sold locally.

Lastly and from a different but equally good viewpoint (Derwent Road), this shot from a few years back made for a good city view and well captured fireworks photo.

COMING SOON: Look out for my AFTER DARK photo feature!