{"id":8049,"date":"2026-07-08T15:06:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T13:06:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.swissphotoclub.com\/?p=8049"},"modified":"2026-07-09T14:47:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T12:47:27","slug":"how-to-photograph-fireworks-swiss-na","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.swissphotoclub.com\/en\/how-to-photograph-fireworks-swiss-na\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Photograph Fireworks: 4 Tips for Swiss National Day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Every August 1st, all across Switzerland, we celebrate the founding of the Swiss Confederation in 1291. With bonfires, lantern parades, or (our favorite) fireworks, the lights symbolize freedom and independence from foreign rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s a powerful symbol that deserves better than grainy, out-of-focus shots!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So here are four tips for you to learn before the first rocket goes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo credits: Osan Altun
IG @altun_travel<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

1. Scout your spot before dark<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Figure out where the fireworks will launch from and get there early \u2014 the best vantage points fill up fast. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there’s water nearby, stand on the opposite side from the launch point: you’ll get the fireworks and their reflection in the same frame. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t forget composition! A little foreground interest adds depth to a photo that an empty sky lacks. If you’re near a crowd, a few silhouettes in the foreground add interest. If you’re at the lake, consider including some boulders along the shore. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Check the wind, then stand with your back to it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Smoke drifts. If it’s blowing toward you, your shots will fog up by the third or fourth burst. A quick check of wind direction tells you where to stand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use the interactive maps in the MeteoSwiss<\/a> app to see live wind animations and current measurements in your area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Focus on the first firework, then switch to manual<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let autofocus lock onto an early burst, then switch your lens to manual focus. In the dark, autofocus will hunt and miss for the rest of the show. But once you set manual focus once, it stays put.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Tripod, bulb mode, self-timer<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A tripod is non-negotiable at the shutter speeds fireworks need. 2 to 4 seconds is a minimum; as long as 8 seconds may give you even better results, depending on what you’re looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bulb mode is also perfect for shooting fireworks. This is a setting that keeps the shutter open until you stop it, giving you much longer exposures than are typically possible. Start the exposure before the firework goes off and cover the lens with a piece of black paper or board. When the firework goes off, pull the board away. When it’s finished, cover the lens again and stop the exposure. Or wait for the next firework to expose it on top of the previous one, creating an image with multiple fireworks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With long exposures (bulb mode or not), be sure to trigger the shutter with a 2-second self-timer rather than your finger \u2014 even a stable tripod picks up the shake of a button press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Want to go further than four tips?<\/strong> We’ll teach you how to master low-light photography, including light painting and other fun applications, in our night and long-exposure photography courses: see upcoming dates<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shooting fireworks on August 1st? Four field-tested tips \u2014 from tripod settings to bulb mode \u2014 to get the shot before the show starts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8058,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-learn"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.swissphotoclub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8049","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.swissphotoclub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.swissphotoclub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.swissphotoclub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.swissphotoclub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8049"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/blog.swissphotoclub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8049\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8081,"href":"https:\/\/blog.swissphotoclub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8049\/revisions\/8081"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.swissphotoclub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.swissphotoclub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8049"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.swissphotoclub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8049"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.swissphotoclub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8049"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}