Shooting a Disney fireworks show can be tricky, so it is very important to plan in advance. If you don’t plan it can be very stressful. You want to take home the feeling of the show, but when you get home and download your memory card or have your film developed all you get is a blurry mess or your like I don’t remember the fireworks being that dull. Here are some Tips to help you out with a Disney fireworks show.

• Tip # 1 - If you have the opportunity to see the show multiple times during your trip try seeing the show first and then photograph it the next time. If you have a short stay, try watching it on YouTube. This will help in knowing the show and knowing where and when the next Firework will explode.
  
  See how the burst seems in the perfect place the photo. I knew where the burst was going to happen.
  
  
• Tip # 2 - You really should arrive early and pic your spot. You can get nice artistic shots with people watching the show but you will mostly get frustrated if you have heads blocking your shot.
  
  Bad Spot see how the heads and tree distract from the photo.
  
  
  Here the heads give interest and a nice composition to the photo.
  
  
  Here the heads give interest and a nice composition to the photo.
  
  
• Tip # 3- Bring a tripod. A tripod will steady your camera and prevent camera shake. Also with a tripod you will be able to use a lower ISO to prevent camera noise.
  
  See how everything is sharp without any camera shake.
  
  
• Tip # 4 - Take a few practice shot before the show starts to set focus. But remember you will have to adjust your exposure setting because lighting will be different.
• Tip # 5 - Once the show begins, take lots of shots! The more photos you take the better chance you have of getting some great shots.
• Tip # 6 - Make sure your batteries are fully charged and bring extra memory cards. Remember you will be taking lots of shots!

Getting your Camera Ready:

• Shoot in Raw. I shoot all my photos in raw. It gives you more information in your photos when you go through your post-processing workflow.
• Set your cameras focal length to 50mm or wider. The aperture is faster and the wide end of your lens. When editing your photos you can crop the photos to give a closer look.
• don’t use autofocus, because it is slow in the dark and you might miss your shots. Set your camera to Infinity mode, or manually focus to Infinity.
• to prevent blur due to camera shake, use a tripod or find something to rest your camera on. I use a mini-tripod and a conveniently placed garbage can.
• Also to prevent blur try using a remote trigger. If you do not have a remote trigger try to use the self-timer. Even you pressing the button on the camera may cause camera shake.
• Turn off the flash. It does no good. The fireworks will be bright enough, and your flash will just illuminate the close things around you.
  
  See how people are lit up in the foreground and the flash didn’t help with the castle or fireworks.

Other Camera Settings

if your camera doesn’t have manual setting see if there is an automatic setting for fireworks. This is a factory setting from the camera makers that optimize your settings for capturing fireworks. If your camera doesn’t have a fireworks setting, use landscape mode.

If You Have Manual Settings

• Set focus to Infinity
• Use an aperture of 5.6 or smaller (higher number). A smaller aperture means the trails of the fireworks will have more detail and sharper.
• Set the Shutter to bulb. Bulb means that as long as your finger is on the button the shutter will stay open. Some great shots I have are when I lock the shutter open and use a park map to block the lens then remobe the map to let fireworks in and then cover and then remove the map again to allow more fireworks to get exposed.
• Exposure time: uses between 1 and 20 seconds.
• if possible use ISO of 100 or less. Even though it is nighttime, fireworks give out a lot of light.

Recommended ISO & Aperture Settings for Photographing Fireworks:

• ISO Setting - 50 Aperture Setting - f/5.6 to 11
• ISO Setting - 100 Aperture Setting - f/8 to 16
• ISO Setting - 200 Aperture Setting - f/11 to 22

Here are some more great Firework shots