Learning to Shoot Fireworks on Canada Day

We went to The Forks in Winnipeg yesterday and caught the Canada Day festivities. I loved the live bands (well, most of them), dinner on the patio, wandering through the grounds full of happy and some very interesting and unique people, looking at the kiosks,  and of course the fireworks at the end of the night.

Though not new to photography, this was the first time I've been out intentionally shooting fireworks. I learned a bunch with this shoot and look forward to my next opportunity to implement what I've learned from the mistakes I made and improve on some of the things I got right. My location was prime and I will set up in the same place again, though maybe a few feet closer to the water. Including the river in my shots turned out well for me. The lit up boats and reflection added a lot of interest. My tripod and remote switch were necessities to stop camera shake in the low lighting. A faster lens and shutter speed stopped the action fairly well but next time I will keep it open for longer to include the initial burst right to the end of the movement of the fireworks in one shot. This makes for beautifully smooth images that show off the movement and action of each display. A wide angle lens would also be helpful.

Having exposed my learning curve, I will now show you a few of my shots.

Going backwards in the day, the people lined up against the railing on the Esplanade Riel and listened to the buskers play their tunes as they waited for the fireworks to begin.

What a great way to spend Canada Day!