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7 Must-Know Tips for Capturing Spectacular New Year’s Eve Fireworks on Your iPhone
Chloe
Dec 29, 2024
Elevate your mobile photography game this New Year’s Eve—no professional camera required!
New Year’s Eve fireworks are one of the most breathtaking events to photograph. Those vibrant bursts of color lighting up the night sky create memorable moments you’ll want to capture forever.
But snapping amazing fireworks photography with your iPhone or other smartphones can be tricky—especially in low-light conditions.Below are seven essential tips to help you master mobile photography of fireworks. Plus, discover how ShiftCam products can take your shots from ordinary to outstanding.
Tip #1 - Manually Lower Exposure
In auto mode, your phone may overcompensate for the dark sky, brightening the image too much and washing out those beautiful bursts of light. Manually lowering the exposure helps fireworks pop against the contrast of the night.
How To Do It
- Tap on the sky in your camera’s viewfinder to set focus on the dark background.
- Use the exposure slider to slightly reduce brightness, ensuring the fireworks remain sharp and vibrant.
Practicing with manual exposure is an excellent way to refine your iPhone photography skills, especially in low-light conditions. By carefully adjusting the brightness, you can capture the true essence of fireworks photography—bold colors, dramatic contrast, and crisp outlines of the exploding fireworks.
Tip #2 - Stabilize Your Phone for Sharper Shots
Fireworks happen fast, and any camera shake can lead to blurry photos or unsteady video. A stable shot ensures you don’t miss a single burst of color.
How To Do It
- Use a compact tripod or a reliable mobile grip to anchor your phone.
- Frame your shot ahead of time so you’re prepared to tap the shutter as soon as the first firework goes off.
When you’re serious about fireworks photography, having a stable setup is crucial—especially if you’re aiming to capture long-exposure shots or continuous video. Keeping your device motionless also reduces strain on your wrists and arms, allowing you to focus on timing the perfect photo. By minimizing camera shake, you’ll produce crisp images that truly capture the beauty of New Year’s Eve fireworks.
ShiftCam Pro Tip
Snap your smartphone onto our SnapStands magnetically, which secures your device and frees your hands for easy exposure adjustments.
Tip #3 - Use a Telephoto or Wide-Angle Lens
Your iPhone’s main 1x camera offers the highest image quality due to its superior sensor and optics, but it’s limited to one field of view. To zoom in on intricate firework details, attach a telephoto lens for crisp magnification, or switch to a wide-angle lens to capture the entire display and surrounding skyline.
How To Do It
- Go into your camera settings and disable both Night Mode and flash before shooting.
- Let the fireworks’ natural glow light up the sky and your shot.
Switching between these lenses is a quick way to add variety to your New Year’s Eve fireworks gallery. Close-up shots convey the drama of each explosion, while wide angles illustrate the grandeur of the show and the collective excitement of the crowd. This dual approach makes for a more engaging and share-worthy photo reel.
ShiftCam Pro Tip
Try the LensUltra 60mm Telephoto Lens for jaw-dropping close-ups or the LensUltra 16mm Wide-AngleLens for panoramic shots of multiple fireworks bursting simultaneously.
Tip #4 - Capture Slow-Mo Video to Show the Action
Slow-motion video reveals each spark and trail, immortalizing the blossoming effect of fireworks in a captivating way. Slowing down the action adds a cinematic feel that will make your highlights reel stand out.
How To Do It
- Select the “Slow Motion” mode on your phone’s camera before hitting record.
- Press record just before a rocket launches, and keep rolling until it fully bursts into color.
- After recording, trim or edit your video to slow down the moment right before the firework explodes in the sky, ensuring maximum impact.
- If you have an iPhone 16 Pro or Pro Max, switch to 120 fps or higher for more dramatic footage.
Incorporating slow-motion into your fireworks photography repertoire brings a fresh perspective to your mobile photography. By highlighting each firework’s trajectory and blossoming effect, your audience can appreciate every nuance of the display. This technique works especially well on social media, where short, dramatic slow-mo clips consistently draw high engagement.
Tip #5 - Use a Mobile Grip for Extended Shoots
Slow-motion video reveals each spark and trail, immortalizing the blossoming effect of fireworks in a captivating way. Slowing down the action adds a cinematic feel that will make your highlights reel stand out.
How To Do It
- Attach a mobile grip that contours to your hand for a more natural hold.
- Pan slowly across the sky to capture each firework burst without introducing camera shake.
Long events demand both stamina and stability in mobile photography. By using a grip, you reduce fatigue and can focus on creating visually stunning videos and photos. Whether you’re shooting in portrait or landscape, a steady hand is crucial to achieving professional-looking fireworks photography results, especially when you’re capturing multiple bursts in quick succession.
ShiftCam Pro Tip
The ShiftCam's ProGrip Starter Kit and ShiftCam's SnapGrip not only gives you a comfortable handle but also includes a built-in battery, so you can film the entire show without running out of power.
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Tip #6 - Turn Off Night Mode & Flash
Night Mode and flash can overexpose or distort the vivid sparkles of fireworks. Since fireworks are already bright, any additional artificial light can wash out the colors and diminish the spectacle.
How To Do It
- Go into your camera settings and disable both Night Mode and flash before shooting.
- Let the fireworks’ natural glow light up the sky and your shot.
Remember, mobile photography is all about working with your environment. Fireworks provide their own dramatic light, so trust that brilliance to elevate your images. Turning off the flash and Night Mode also gives you more control over exposure, ensuring the fireworks remain the focal point of your New Year’s Eve shots without any distracting glare.
Tip #7 - Light Yourself for Firework Selfies
While the fireworks fill the sky with brightness, they can leave you or your friends in the dark. A small, portable light helps balance exposure so that the background fireworks don’t overshadow you in the shot.
How To Do It
- Use a compact LED or ring light to softly illuminate your face.
- Adjust the brightness so that you’re clearly visible but not washed out, keeping the fireworks as the dramatic backdrop.
What better way to kick off the new year than with a selfie or group shot capturing both you and the jaw-dropping fireworks in the background? With just a touch of controlled light, you’ll stand out in the frame instead of blending into the shadows. This simple lighting trick ensures you capture all the excitement and joy of the celebration without losing a single burst of color in the night sky behind you.
ShiftCam Pro Tip
Try the SnapPocket Light – a magnetic LED Ring Light, or a similar portable lighting accessory, for professional-looking selfies that capture the moment without compromising on clarity.
Elevate Your Fireworks Photography with ShiftCam
These 7 tips for mobile fireworks photography will help you capture extraordinary New Year’s Eve fireworks without needing a bulky professional camera. Whether you want to get in close with a telephoto lens, showcase the entire display with a wide-angle lens, or maintain comfort with a mobile grip, ShiftCam has the gear to make it happen.
Don’t settle for blurry pictures or missed moments—
Our Mobile Photography Gears ensure you shoot like a pro and take your fireworks photography to the next level. Get ready to capture all the excitement and color that New Year’s Eve has to offer with confidence and style!