As recently as the International Fireworks Competition in Tarragona, many ask me what parameters I use to make the photos, I will tell you what I know from my own experience.
You will need a camera with manual controls, the brightness of the lens does not worry me, but if it is quality the results will be more amazing. You will also need a tripod and a cable or remote trigger to prevent movement.
Set the ISO to the minimum to avoid burns, set the exposure time to 1.6 “or 2” to take the entire tour and the development of the fireworks. And lastly depending on the complexity of the castles we will adjust the opening, the more light the castle has, we will put it between f11 and f16 to avoid burning the details, this usually happens at the beginning or end that are more spectacular. If they are simple with less light, between f8 and f10. Not everything is exact rules, it depends on the camera and how far or near we are from the fires. I recommend not being too close to avoid getting cut off.
Remember that you have to shoot before the castle begins to form, so you can capture all its development. When you feel comfortable with the parameters, experiment, play to make the exposure longer, 3 or 4 seconds, putting the aperture for example to f16.
And nothing else, here you have a small sample of the photos I’ve done this year.
