“If you have dedication and hard work, nothing is impossible,” says fireworks photography expert Ghazanfar Ali Shah. From quitting photography due to a budget crunch to becoming one of the most admired photographers in Dubai’s photography circles, he breaks down some of the secrets behind his impressive fireworks pictures.
Attempting fireworks photos can be a frustrating experience. And the process is unforgiving to no end. The numerous times I’ve left a fireworks show with barely one or two usable frames on my camera still haunt me. Given how brief these shows can be, you struggle with adjusting settings on the fly. It’s a race against time and a race that I’ve often found myself on the losing side of. But if there’s one place known for its record-breaking fireworks displays, it’s Dubai. The shows here are an absolute spectacle; people have been known to camp for hours to catch some of them.
Ghazanfar Ali Shah is a photographer here who’s much sought after here for capturing photos of fireworks shows. I spoke to him to understand how he went about doing this and what tips he had for us to get better photos when we head out to attempt fireworks photos.
Table of Contents
The Return To Photography
In grade 10, Ghazanfar was introduced to photography when he received a 110-film camera. Despite being an avid photographer for a while, life wasn’t easy in Pakistan back then. Financial hardships forced him to give up his hobby for many years until he migrated to Dubai in 2010. “My family and friends were still back in Pakistan, and I really had no way to pass the time out here,” recollects Ghazanfar of his first few months as an expatriate here. “One day, I saw a Nikon D7100 on sale online. It brought back memories of the hobby of my youth, and I decided to purchase it that day. Coupled with a Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 lens, Ghazanfar began to rekindle his passion for photography. “My interests in those days were focused on landscape and cityscape elements,” he tells us.
Ghazanfar’s Gear Of Choice For Fireworks Photos
“I’ve used various brands of cameras since I restarted photography here. Aside from Nikon D7100, Canon’s 5D Mark III and Sonys A7R III and A7 III were some of the cameras I used to have. I then moved back to Nikon with the Z7 II and Z6 II. I’ve also recently acquired the Nikon Z8,” says Ghazanfar.
Of course, the key to getting fantastic fireworks pics doesn’t lie with the camera alone. “I mostly use a Nikon 14-24 S lens, but sometimes depending on the location, I use a 24-70 f2.8 lens. Depending on how far I was from the fireworks launch location, I shot at 14mm, 70mm, and even close to 200mm at times. It’s essential to always use a rock-solid tripod and ballhead combination,” Ghazanfar advises.
The One Must-Have Accessory
“A shutter release cable,” says Ghazanfar without hesitation. “It’s a lot easier to get excellent fireworks images with a shutter release cable than by trying out 100 different settings and ending up with none. He says from experience that a shutter release cable gives more control when shooting fireworks. “Changing shutter speed settings while in the middle of a fireworks shoot is sometimes difficult. You often miss out on more than half the photos this way, and many of your photos end up looking overexposed. Likewise, you can’t set only a single shutter speed and pray that some photos turn out okay.” Using a shutter release cable allows Ghazanfar the flexibility to vary his shutter speed without having to touch the camera.
Planning Is Key
Choosing a location where he will remain undisturbed is paramount for Ghazanfar. “I don’t want to be in the middle of smartphone shooters who will get in the way of my photos,” he says honestly. “For this reason, I sometimes choose locations that aren’t easily accessible. For example, on New Year’s Eve, I went to a chosen location at sunset and camped until midnight. It may sound crazy, but ensuring I had the best possible spot for those photos was necessary before anyone else could have been there.” Here in Dubai, having the right connections is important, as Ghazanfar knows all too well. It’s nearly impossible to get a clear close-up photo of the Burj Khalifa on December 31 without being granted access by the relevant authorities.
Getting Unique Results
Learning various post-processing techniques when he turned pro in 2016 helped Ghazanfar immensely. “Whenever I’m shooting, post-processing is always on my mind. What I do during post helps separate my images from the other pros who may be alongside me during such shoots,” explains Ghazanfar. He always remembers to take photos of the surroundings before the fireworks start. This allows him to sometimes use these backgrounds to clear out the smoke in the skies that these shows often introduce in the frames. “I take clear shots before the fireworks start so that I can use these to blend in later if needed. For this technique, it is key to keep your tripod absolutely still from the time you shoot the plain skies until you finish the fireworks photos. It’s not easy to manage, but the results pay off.”
What To Do When Things Aren’t Working Out
Settings used at one venue won’t necessarily work at another. A lot of factors come into play to decide this. The most notable of these is the brightness of the fireworks and the immediate surroundings. I asked Ghazanfar what was best to do when the settings you dialed in before the fireworks show didn’t show the results you expected in the first few frames.
“Honestly, it can be trial and error when you start the shoot. But when you’re experienced, you know quickly what to change the setting to avoid getting too many under or overexposed frames. When the fireworks start, I quickly take a shot or two and review the photos to see if they are overexposed. If they are, I increase my f stop quickly,” Ghazanfar explained.
A Good Starting Point For Camera Settings
You can’t meter for fireworks photography before the show starts. But then, you can’t wait for the show to begin before dialing in settings. Otherwise, you miss out on some good frames. So what settings does Ghazanfar set before he starts clicking? “I often start with ISO 100 and keep my aperture between f9 and f11. The shutter is variable, and I use the shutter release cable to follow the fireworks’ timings. For example, fireworks on the Burj Khalifa start at the bottom and end at the top. Or vice versa. It’s never all at the same time. So I press the release button when the fireworks start at one end and stop once it reaches the other,” Ghazanfar told us in detail. He clarified that most shots he takes are usually between the 4 and 8-second mark.
Stay Confident And Keep Practising
He’s done this long enough to get more than a 90% keep rate when shooting fireworks. “I often see photographers setting their shutter speed to a fixed value and then feeling heartbroken when the images don’t turn out well. I’ve practised this so often now that I don’t miss even a single firework sent into the sky on most occasions. The results are better when the location and surroundings are glamorous,” says Ghazanfar.
All images by Ghazanfar Ali Shah. Used with permission. Check out his website and Instagram page to see more of his work.