Marina Bay, Singapore

Why are fireworks so mesmerising? The sudden, bright, moving sparks they emit are compelling to watch and seem mysterious because we’re so unused to light of that type travelling directly into our eyes. In general, the colours we see are created by light bouncing off the reflective surfaces of objects around us. As we encounter this reflected light all the time, we’ve become very good at unscrambling the colours in our brain and, as a result, anything different can seem other worldly. This could be why other sources of moving light, like shooting stars and fireflies, are also thought of as magical.

The firework display industry in our country is positively booming. Think of any major sporting event, political victories, parties and festivals, weddings and even the odd funeral, and fireworks have become a technicolour backdrop to a moment of celebration or remembrance. We’ve come a long way from the days when fireworks were largely confined to a night or two during the festival of Diwali, and New Year celebrations in major cities.

In Singapore, of course, fireworks figure spectacularly in the city’s calendar, with the National Day Parade at the heart of the pyrotechnic popularity boom along with New Year celebrations. These photographs are mostly from the NDP celebrations to entertain and amaze crowds in their thousands at the Marina Bay. On a warm and clear evening, with reds, blues, greens and golds blooming in the sky and reflected in the water, it is as spectacular a sight as one could wish for.

People are fascinated by pyrotechnics. In an age when highly-polished and sophisticated computer generated images are the norm, a live firework display feels like ‘border country’. It’s a rare mix of controlled, careful choreography with that exciting sense that anything might happen. For, while almost all large displays are fired electrically, once that electrical pulse is turned into fire, the device is unstoppable. It’s a hypnotic cocktail of science and spectacle, raw power and beauty, colour and noise.

And here’s another reason why we love fireworks – they are transient, and we know they will inevitably come to an end leaving us wanting more. At a time when we are able to find anything on the web, and our favourite television shows are held in stasis for us, accessible at the touch of a button, we, the firework spectator, have no agency over the display nor the length of time they light up our retinas. Even a large ‘weeping willow’ lasts only a few seconds as it hangs in the sky. To appreciate a display, you have to be there – like a great gig or a live sporting event. Clips delivered via the internet are pallid representations of the real; no technology can replicate the vibration that you feel in your stomach when that shell explodes in the sky; no camera can truly capture the kaleidoscope of colour and light. A good choreographer will ensure that there’s an ebb and flow to a display so that the audience is wondering what’s next at some points and are fully aware that there’s a build up to something big at others. Some of my favourite displays are synchronised to music.

In India, every year, when Diwali rolls around, state governments around the country limit the use of fireworks, animal rights activists implore people to reduce noise pollution for pets and strays, and environmental activists deliver report after report about how fireworks contribute to pollution. But every year people still go out and buy fireworks and burst them well into the night, despite the consequences of their actions being widely known.

There is — to put it mildly — a certain cognitive dissonance that exists between what we know about fireworks and what we feel about fireworks. And it’s one that exists all around the world. 

Fireworks, scientists say, are compelling because of the speed with which they emit light and sparks, which makes them otherworldly to the human brain and, to some romantics, even magical. But a more rooted explanation could lie in the emotions they evoke within us in just the right amounts. Fireworks elicit suspense, anticipation, and even some fear within us, in the minuscule moment between when they’re lit and when they go off. In safe environments, this thrilling wait sends the neurotransmitter dopamine rushing into our bodies as we see fireworks light up the sky, reinforcing the goodness that people around the world have come to associate with them. 

For some, engaging in the risk aspect of it is also rewarding, psychologists say “People who are high-sensation seekers enjoy risky behaviours more and seek them out.… High sensation seekers have differences in their dopamine system and have more activation of the dopamine system when they are presented with new and complex stimuli,” according to professor of psychology Mary Cain. She added that the low availability of fireworks throughout the year also adds to the fascination they incite, increasing their value in the minds of people who are finally able to access them for an occasion. 

But one of the most potent reasons why we continue to indulge in firecrackers is perhaps the most obvious one — conditioning. When children are socialised into associating fireworks with notions of celebration and jubilance, they seek to relive that socialisation even into adulthood, to preserve the memories they made as a child. “This is particularly true if people have strong memories of celebrating a holiday in a particular way in their childhood,” according to another professor of psychology, Richard Harris. “People are strongly drawn to recreate that ‘safe’ childhood holiday activity.”

It’s no wonder that we, as photographers, feel drawn to photographing fireworks. Not only are they beautiful with a touch of magic, but they give us that nostalgic feeling of childhood wonder and remind us of weekends spent with family. To capture a fireworks show in action is to document the festive end of so many great holidays, like Diwali, New Year’s Eve, the National Day Parade here, or even a wedding.

But as we all know, photographing fireworks is easier said than done. You’ve got fast moving balls of fire flying at unpredictable intervals over crowds of people or trees or buildings that may be blocking your view and it is also dark out. Here are some tips that have helped me keep my game up and always looking forward to the next fireworks display.

1. Always use Manual Mode: Photographing in manual mode allows you complete control over the photographic process and all the camera settings. Shutter speed, in particular, is one setting that allows you to explore a lot of creative ways to capture photos. While fast shutter speed is great to freeze motion, slow shutter speed can capture motion in remarkable ways.

2. Keeping it steady with the right gear: A sturdy tripod and a good remote to trigger the camera, extra batteries as long exposures tend to use them up quickly. I say STURDY tripod because it needs to hold the camera steady for several seconds without sinking, tipping, or wobbling and god forbid if you are standing out in the open and there is a stiff breeze especially at elevations.

3. Keep the lowest ISO possible: Low ISO for a couple reasons - first, the lower the ISO, the lesser the noise introduced in the image. And second - noise also lives in the shadows or the blue areas of the images and nighttime has a lot of blue which compounds the issue. Long exposures also tend to increase noise as the camera heats up with each long exposure and if you add it all up there is a fair bit of noise generated. So keep the ISO low to eliminate that variable.

4. Long Exposure Noise Reduction: Turn this off! This setting, while it does a really good job of noise reduction, adds an extra complication you don’t need when doing photography of fireworks. The way it works is that if you take say a 10 second exposure, it takes a second one of equal length but just black (the shutter doesn’t open). Then it merges the two together and blends the blank one into the shadow areas of the first one which is where noise typically shows the most. The problem is that fireworks happen so fast you don’t want to have to wait an additional 10 seconds to be able to see your image, make any adjustments and shoot again. I did this once when I first started doing fireworks and didn’t know otherwise and I missed most of the show and did not get the photos I wanted.

5. Close down the apertures: Set small apertures like you see here in the exif. These small apertures are pretty optimal for fireworks as the light streaks are controlled by the size of the aperture. Closing down more will make the light trails thinner, opening up more will make them wider and possibly blow out the highlights and generally create an over exposed image. Do some tests but all the times I’ve done fireworks I keep coming back to f8 as my preference and if I want to get some nice star bursts then lower.

6. Avoid the use of Live View: This will eat up your battery really fast. Live view is really for shooting video and using the display screen extensively uses a lot of power, as does making long exposures. Save your battery for actually shooting and set up your shot using the eyecup viewfinder.

7. Prefocus & turn off Auto Focus: Prefocus if you know where the fireworks will happen and more importantly turn OFF AF after pre-focusing. Otherwise the camera will keep trying to refocus every shot and you may end up with missed images or blurry fireworks if the camera misses. Assuming you’re a fair distance away from the fireworks you shouldn’t have to refocus at all unless you change your angle of view or want to focus somewhere else. And if you are a fair distance away it will also help to increase the depth of field and bring everything within the focus plane.

8. Scout & know your location: Scout the location ahead of time and get there early. A good spot makes all the difference. It allows time to think about the background (what’s behind the show) and if you want the people around and in front of you as part of the shot. In general the good viewing areas fill up sometimes 1-2 hours prior to the fireworks show. If you want a good spot with enough room for you and your tripod, go early and take a good book or something to entertain you while you wait. There was a time I got to the location at 3pm for an 8.30pm show and I was still getting nudged and shoved as the crowds built up. Also some thing that has actually helped me considerably is know which way the wind is blowing and how much of a gust there is. This allows to avoid the generous amounts of smoke generated and gives a cleaner image. The last thing you want is smoke obliterating a magnificent display. Another is to preferably shoot into the eastern sky as much as possible because the skies are generally darker than when shooting into the west.

9. Anticipate the Fireworks: Make sure there is enough room in the frame to anticipate the height of the bursts. Adjust as necessary if you miss on the first shot – it’s a lot of trial and error and correcting. It’s often hard to tell where the highest fireworks will end up in the sky, you may want to try both horizontal and vertical compositions.

10. Finally a few additional points - there are no set rules - you can use wide angle lenses, telephoto lenses, zoomed in or out, 10 second shutter speeds or 2 minute long shutter speeds, low perspectives, high perspectives, with ND or GND filters or without them. The more you experiment the better you get at it. Know your gear and adapt to the situation you are in to get the best possible shots.

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For all the gear I have used to take these photos including the various lenses and filters.

NDP Fireworks from various locations around the Marina Bay

The Singapore National Day Parade is a national ceremony in Singapore that, as its name implies, includes a parade on Singapore's National Day on August 9, in commemoration of Singapore's independence that is usually held at the Float @Marina Bay and various decentralised venues all over Singapore, Padang and the National Stadium.

In 2019, the NDP brought the mobile column to five heartland sites on 10 August 2019 travelling to Bishan, Geylang Serai, Jurong East, Punggol, and Woodlands, where there will also be carnivals organised by the People’s Association. The one-day celebrations will culminate with dazzling fireworks displays at each of the five sites.

These are a series of photos, long exposures of the Marina Bay and Central Business District from the Sail @ Marina Bay - The structure of The Sail is 245 m (804 ft) with 70 storeys and is one of Singapore's tallest condominium/apartment. The building was erected on reclaimed land and was designed by Peter Pran and Timothy Johnson with leading design firm NBBJ. The two buildings include a glass facade, sculpted Marina Bay Tower to look like a sail, and configured the complex representative of a huge canyon, reflecting his utilisation of inspirations by the sun, the wind, and the water respectively.

For all the gear I have used to take these photos including the various lenses and filters.

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