How to Take a Good Photograph of Lightning and Fireworks in the Sky

This is just a simple step by step guide explaining how to take an ideal photograph of lightning and firework display in the night sky. Using the firework setting in a camera does not give the actual beautiful picture; instead it gives a dull grainy look to the photograph. In order to capture it natural and clear, fine tuning to a manual setting always works.

Things needed:

A Tripod

A camera with manual settings.

Step 1: Setting up the camera. The camera should be perfectly still while taking the shot. That is why a tripod is necessary while taking the photograph. As the exposures take around 3 to 4 seconds, mounting the camera on a tripod helps it to be still and capture it without blurring. Exposures which are long are capable of capturing additional number of lightning/ firework. Fine tune the shutter speed, the f-stop according to the distance of fireworks and ISO.

Step 2: Setting up ISO. The ISO setting in the camera is of prime importance. Higher the ISO setting the more blurred and grainier the picture will look. Setting the ISO feature to a lower value, around 120 to 125 and adjusting the aperture accordingly will help the picture to come out with apt exposure. If electronic pickup is available in your digital camera, it is capable of taking shots are different speeds.

Step 3: Setting the f-stop value Set the camera to manual setting, go to bulb mode and set the f stop number to f8.Try clicking a shot to see the amount of exposure the picture has and adjust the f number accordingly. Setting the f stop number depends on the distance from the target and the camera used.

Step 4: Setting up right amount of Exposure. This is the critical part to explain about the actual how to guide. First set the exposure time to be around 4 seconds. Make sure to mount the camera on a tripod and not to shake it to avoid blurring and graininess. Set the timer accordingly so that you need not disturb the camera. If self timer is not available make sure you snap the picture exactly and precisely on time.

Step 5: Use lower setting of ISO and adjust various f stop settings to see what effects does that setting brings on the image. The same settings can be utilized for various purposes, during party nights, or just capturing lightning.

And that's it. These tips can be used in various settings and will greatly improve your shots. Good luck!