Bonfire Night Photography: Capturing Fireworks, Flames and Family

The 5th of November is unlike any other UK photography occasion — darkness, fire, fireworks, sparklers, and the particular glow of faces lit by flame. It rewards preparation and punishes the unprepared. Here is how to capture fireworks and family moments on bonfire night.

The photography challenge of bonfire night

Low light, high contrast, rapid movement, and unpredictable timing make bonfire night one of the most technically demanding photography occasions in the UK year. Phone cameras have improved dramatically in low-light conditions, but they still struggle with the specific combination of very bright lights (fireworks) against very dark backgrounds that characterises the evening.

Professional cameras with manual settings offer significantly more control, but the fundamentals are the same: wider aperture, slower shutter speed for fireworks, faster shutter speed for sparklers, and an understanding of what the camera's automatic systems will get wrong.

Camera settings for fireworks

Sparkler photography

Sparkler photography is more accessible than firework photography and produces some of the most sought-after bonfire night images — children's faces lit warmly by their own sparklers, sparkler trails in the darkness. The settings required are very different from firework photography.

Bonfire light for portraits

The warm, flickering light of a bonfire is one of the most flattering light sources in existence. Faces lit from the side by bonfire glow have a quality that no studio light can fully replicate. Position your subjects between you and the fire — with the fire at their side or at a quarter angle — rather than silhouetted in front of it.

The challenge with phone cameras is exposure: the camera tends to expose for the bright fire, leaving faces underexposed. Use the exposure compensation or tap on the subject's face to set exposure there rather than on the fire.

Protecting your camera

Bonfire smoke, ash and moisture are harmful to camera equipment. Keep your camera in a bag when not actively shooting, position yourself upwind of the bonfire where possible, and wipe down your equipment after the evening. Avoid pointing any camera lens directly at the bonfire for extended periods.