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July 4th - I was curious to see how independence day is celebrated in US and, all the more eager to try photographing fireworks. The results were not bad.
Camera : Canon S2 IS



Note : How to photograph fireworks with your point and shoot camera
Point and shoot cameras are supposed to be for easy shots. To shoot fireworks and other night shots, everyone turns to SLR cameras. If you are ready to take some care, you can shoot great fireworks pictures with point and shoot cameras too. You need to do some preparations before shooting.

1. Decide your camera settings well in advance - You may not get much time experimenting with the modes during shooting.

• Mode - Most of the latest cameras, especially canon models, have the fireworks mode. If it is there, your work is half done. Set your camera to Fireworks mode. If you don't have the fireworks mode, pick a manual mode where you can set the following values :

  • Aperture = f/8

  • Shutter Speed = 2 seconds

  • ISO = 100

  • Metering = Evaluative metering
    

• Timer - Set the timer to continuous mode, where you can take multiple shots together.
• Focus - Focus to the night sky, where the fireworks are going to happen. If your camera displays focus settings, it will show focus as infinity. That is what we want.

2. Position - Find a comfortable position for shooting. You may have to go pretty early and find a comfortable seat. Use a tripod for best results. Try how you can press the shoot button, with minimal or no shake. A remote trigger is highly recommended, though I could manage without that. Focus the camera to the part of the sky, where the fireworks will be appearing.
3. Shoot - When you see the rockets take off, press down the button . Keep pressing. This will shoot continuous frames. Stop whenever you want. If you keep pressing, you can capture multiple fireworks in a single frame. Remember, even a small movement will cause the frames to be shaky, because the shutter is open for longer durations.