The key to getting good fireworks shots is preparation and equipment. Get in a good spot is the first step but shooting with an cellphone is not going to work. Have to keep the shutter open to get the long streaks. And this shot, because I was far away, I used a 70-200 telephoto at 1.6 seconds with a mid-level aperture of f8. I kept the ISO or film speed low at 250. Yesterday, at the White Sox fireworks show, I used a faster shutter speed and a faster ISO as I didn't have a tripod. You can get good shots that way, but I like this shot with the light trail better. Lastly, software helps to pull the shot out as the chips we use don't see the scene as the human eye sees it.
