In this season of giving, we are sharing five tips to improve the quality of your fireworks photos. Impress your friends & family with spectacular photos of the fireworks on New Years Eve. The good news is, you don’t have to buy anything. The quality of your photos can improve dramatically with just the camera in your phone.

In this season of giving, we are sharing five tips to improve the quality of your fireworks photos. Impress your friends & family with spectacular photos of the fireworks on New Years Eve. The good news is, you don’t have to buy anything. The quality of your photos can improve dramatically with just the camera in your phone.

1. Turn OFF your Flash

The flash on your camera is meant to add light to an object near you. Since fireworks are typically very high in the sky, the flash does nothing to help, and often times adds a ‘hazy light’ in your photos.

2. Exposure/Focus Lock

It sounds complicated, but it’s very simple. While you’re composing your shot of the fireworks, TAP & HOLD the screen where you want to lock your focus. Once the “AE/AF LOCK” shows up on your screen (about 1-2 seconds) then you can tap the SHUTTER BUTTON to take your photo. I would shoot a few photos at once. Then you can tap anywhere on the screen to unlock the focus & exposure to re-compose and shoot another photo later.

BONUS TIP – After you see the “AE/AF LOCK” on your screen, you can also adjust the exposure/brightness to make the photo lighter or darker. Just swipe up or down on the photo and you’ll see the effect.

3. Burst Mode

Take a bunch of photos at one time. Just tap & keep your finger pressed on the shutter button to take multiple photos at one time. This way you’ll capture many photos at one time. When you get home you can pick the best photo later.

4. Avoid Zoom

Anytime you zoom your mobile phone camera, the overall quality of your photo will be distorted. Shoot the photo at the default zoom level to ensure you capture the best overall quality photo.

5. Get a Tripod

A tripod will help avoid any kind of camera shake or movement. You want to find one that provides good stability and it does not have to be expensive at all. Make sure you set the tripod on a flat surface. If you’re sitting outside on the grass watching fireworks, as long as you’re not on too steep of a hill, you should be able to find a good solid flat surface.

If you don’t have a tripod, here are 2 tips on holding your mobile phone steady:

1. Tuck your elbow into your body, as you hold your phone. This will help stabilize your mobile phone for a steadier shot.
2. As you’re about to shoot some photos, inhale & hold your breath. Just don’t forget to breathe afterwards.

In Conclusion

We hope you, your friends & family have a wonderful New Years celebration. And hopefully with the tips above, you will see an improvement in the quality of your fireworks photos.