![Great fireworks photos take preparation, but they don't necessarily mean lugging a big camera around. Photo: Michael Valdez Great fireworks photos take preparation, but they don't necessarily mean lugging a big camera around. Photo: Michael Valdez](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/GJZ5TVpAk84wrTzsQfLQRB/663fd4fb-038f-4e07-b492-620b9142d2ab.PNG/r2_0_1014_569_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
It’s time to ring in the new year with the traditional display of explosives. Of course, part of that tradition now is trying to get the clearest, least blurry picture of the fireworks ready for Instagram, without resorting to carrying a camera around the whole night. So, here are the tips you need to get the best possible photo with the camera on your smartphone.
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General tips
The first thing you need to do is make sure your camera lens is as clear as possible by wiping it with a clean microfibre cloth. All the oil from your skin and lint from your pocket is going to get in the way of the perfect shot, no matter how much the ol’ Vaseline lens trick might work great of Days Of Our Lives.
The second thing is to find a way to hold your arms steady. While that sounds obvious at the start of the night, by the time you’ve had a couple of glasses of champagne things get a little less stable. Unless you have the steady hands of a surgeon, try to find a table or railing to brace yourself on. Or, better yet, get a tripod. Tripods come in all sizes; from your regular massive pro one to tiny pocket-sized ones that sit on a table or wrap around a pole.
You’re also going to need fast hands to tap on the screen where the firework is about to burst (you can usually see the little outline of the ordinance before it bursts) so you can get the right shot before the drama has fizzled out.
Also, don’t forget that you don’t have to choose whether you want photos or a video. On most newer model phones, like the last few generations of Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel and Apple iPhone, the circle next to the stop button while you’re recording a video is there for you to take photos. The photos won’t be quite a good quality as if you’d taken them separately using fancier settings, but it allows you to have your cake and eat it too.
While taking a video, why not consider slow-mo instead of regular speed to up the drama? Another good option is making a time-lapse video, though you’ll definitely need a tripod to make it good.
Another tip is that on most smartphones you can change the exposure on a slider once you’ve selected where to focus. On iPhones you just move your finger up or down anywhere on the screen once you’ve tapped to focus. On the Google Pixel 3 there’s a slider bar on the right side of the screen once you’ve picked your focal point.
Burst mode is a great choice when photographing fireworks so you don’t miss any extra explosions of colour that you weren’t expecting. Just hold down the shutter button for as long as you want to take hundreds of photos in a short amount of time.
For better framing of a photo, turn on grid mode so you can get your proportions right. And for one-handed photography, remember that you can use the volume buttons in place of tapping on the screen.
Make sure you have the quality turned up to max, and HDR on, because that will better capture the details, light and shade of the scene.
On the iPhone XS, XS Max and R, try taking a long exposure with Live Photos. Make sure Live Photos are turned on by pressing the circles on the top left of the camera screen – you’ll know it’s on when it turns from white with a line through it to yellow. Once you’ve taken the photo, you can swipe up on it in the camera app to turn it into a loop, a “bounce” (not a boomerang), or a long exposure. A very cool effect that will make your photos pop.
On the Google Pixel 3 you can use Night Sight, which is amazing for taking low light shots. It uses a burst of individually noisy images, stitches them together, and creates one good, clean image.
And, remember: There is often a kids’ fireworks at 9pm that you can use to test your photography strategies to see which mode you like the best. A dress rehearsal, if you will. Use it wisely.
Have a happy and safe new year’s eve. Can’t wait to see your photos.