How do you create those really soft, flowery fireworks photos?

I am gonna keep this short and sweet! The trick to create these flower-esque firework photos is really simple

  1. Frame your shot
  2. A good starting point for camera settings are 100 iso, 5.6/f, 1 second shutter
  3. Turn your focus ring until completely out of focus. 
  4. Press the shutter button once a firework goes off in your view finder
  5. Turn the focus ring from out-of-focus to in-focus over the course of the 1 second shutter. 
  6. The End! 

I’ve even created this little animated gif to illustrate the process

Benjamin Lehman is a commercial photographer in the Canton, Akron, Cleveland and Northeast Ohio area.