f20, 2.7 seconds, ISO 100
What takes a fireworks image “to the next level”? If you guessed having an interesting landscape to anchor the scene, then you are correct! Living in Northern Virginia, one of the things on my photographic “bucket list” has been to photograph the fireworks over the National Mall on the Fourth of July. I chose to shoot the fireworks from a position near the IWO JIMA Marine Corp Memorial in Rosslyn, VA. It provides an elevated viewpoint of the National Mall from across the Potomac River, and most importantly, features a great alignment of the Capitol Building, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial, directly under the fireworks. I have to say the fireworks over the National Mall is a grand display that does not disappoint.
f16, 2.5 seconds, ISO 100
Some of my favorite images were a series of bursts featuring our nation’s flag colors of red, white and blue.
f20, 8.4 seconds, ISO 100
These images were shot using a Canon R5 with an EF adapter and a EF 100-400 mm L IS USM lens. F-stops ranged from f16 to f20, the focal length was set to approximately 110 mm, and the exposures were usually between 3-5 seconds. The fireworks bursts in each image are from single exposures and not composite images. I did take a shot of the illuminated monuments under a dark blue sky before the show started (f16, 4.7 seconds, ISO 100), and then used that as the background layer to blend the fireworks into the scene. This allows you to not overexpose the fireworks while maintaining a well illuminated landscape, while retaining some dark blue tones in the sky. You can see more images from this amazing fireworks display in my gallery “Independence Day Fireworks on the National Mall.”
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