text: Phantom Fireworks wants to help you take quality pictures that capture the beautiful and amazing fireworks displays so you can share the memories for a lifetime. July 4th celebrations are right around the corner, and every year onlookers at firework displays want to share the excitement and joy of fireworks with friends by taking pictures of the fireworks on their phones and sending or posting them on social media. And every year, we hear about how bad the pictures came out. Sometimes they are too blurry, didn’t catch the fireworks burst at the right time, too bright, etc. This year, start taking pictures like a pro by following these tips and tricks.
  iPhone and Android Tips:
  1. Use a tripod.
  This eliminates shaky hands so you can get a good quality picture. Tripods are actually fairly cheap and worth the investment. You can also plug your headphones into your iPhone to take pictures to avoid touching your phone.
  2. Flash off
  Turn the flash off and use HDR mode. Flashes are only useful for to illuminate something a few feet in front of the camera. Since fireworks are so bright, you don’t need to use the flash. HDR mode will allow your phone to take a series of pictures with different exposure levels and combines those pictures into one photo which results in a more vivid picture. Take pictures with and without HDR on to get the best results.
  3. Landscape mode
  Use landscape mode to get a wider range.
  4. Don’t use the digital zoom
  You can always go back later and crop the image down to rid the picture of hands, trees, or other objects in the picture. Digital zoom can sometimes make the image blurry.
  5. Less exposure the better
  Decrease the exposure or brightness. This will allow you to take a picture of a firework without overexposure. You can lock the focus on iPhone using AE/AF lock, and adjust the exposure by sliding your finger down on the yellow box.
  6. Disable the ‘Review Pictures’ setting for Android users
  Usually after you take a picture, your phone will automatically display the photo. Since fireworks are quick, turning this off will allow you to take more pictures.
  7. Take the picture
  You could also experiment with live pictures and burst photos. To take a burst photo, hold down on your shutter.
  Most photographers will take hundreds of pictures just to get a few good ones. If you’re not totally satisfied with the pictures you’re taking, play around with the exposure or try other settings. You might also want to try using slow motion, time lapse, or panoramic to capture cool firework effects.