How to Shoot Great Fireworks Photos

(MYFOX NATIONAL) - The Fourth of July is one of the few times of the year shutterbugs get to try their hand at capturing the rockets' red glare. Photography experts say that anyone can learn to shoot fireworks, and even if you just have a compact point-and-shoot camera, you can still get some great results.

Here are some general tips, courtesy of PC Magazine .

Your Camera
As long as your camera has some kind of manual control that allows you to change the ISO, aperture and shutter speed, you'll be fine. But for more advanced photographers, a digital SLR will yield better results. As PC Magazine writes , "Digital SLRs tend to generate less noise in the lengthy exposures you'll need to capture fireworks, and they have advanced features such as manual exposure control and external shutter release to minimize shake when you're taking the photo."

Get a Tripod
To capture all the action, it's best to work with a tripod so you don't blur the image. Keep the tripod loose so you can quickly move your camera to frame each image.

Use a Shutter Release Cable
You might be able to set a timer on your camera so it goes off at just the right moment. But to avoid any guesswork, invest in a wireless remote or a shutte release cable that will allow you to click your camera without touching it and disturbing its angle.

Set Your Camera on "Fireworks mode" or Manually Set It
If you have a compact point-and-shoot, see if your camera has a setting called "fireworks mode." This will automatically adjust the camera's settings and optimize it for fireworks. But if you don't have fireworks mode, set your camera to the following:

• Set it to the lowest ISO
• Turn off automatic focus and set the camera's focus to infinity so it doesn't endlessly search for a subject in the dark. If you don't have manual focus control, you can also set it to "landscape mode," which will also set it to infinity.
• Set the aperture by dialing in the f/stop somewhere between f/8 and f/16
• Slow down the shutter. The longer you have the shutter open, the more fireworks will be captured and the longer the light trails will be. You may have to play with your camera a bit and take a few shots to see what works best.

Wired.com has some additional tips for different looks to your photos. You can try not using a tripod and using a faster shutter speed and higher ISO. Re-adjust your f/stop as well and you'll get fireworks with a higher level of detail. Or do a long exposure to get some long light trails.

And for those of you who shoot photos with your iPhone, Wired writes that iPhones have a significant shutter lag, so you might have to play around a bit. But the results can often be very artistic, even if they show up blurry. Make sure you stand as close to the fireworks as possible -- directly under is best. And shoot away. You may have to play with the timing a bit, but if you take a bunch, you'll want to aim to capture the first bright bursts as those will be the best. Another recommendation is to twist and shake your wrist as you hit the button -- you'll get some cool fireworks photos with some kinetic energy.