Replay: How to Capture Fireworks on Your iPhone

PUT SOME SPARKLE IN YOUR POCKET

Capture the complete scene | photo by Paul Einarsen

Updated from July 1, 2024

I’m a sucker for fireworks. It’s the slam-dunk easiest way to capture a photo that everyone will “ooh” and “ahhhh” over when you share it with friends.

At least the first dozen. Fireworks. Not friends.

Fireworks have a short half-life.

But everyone can relate to the festivity and they are easy to capture with your trusty iPhone.

The thing is that fireworks happen very quickly and are somewhat unpredictable, so what’s the best technique?

I’ve found that the Live Photo setting is perfect for most fireworks displays. If you aren’t a fan, this will change your mind.

The magic is that the Live Photo setting captures 1.5 seconds before and after you tap the shutter button. So you can either go into Edit and pick a better frame than the one you got, or you can loop the image and create an animated GIF on your Mac.

Use the Long Exposure mode to get creative effects | photo by Paul Einarsen

CAPTURING

First, launch the camera app and make sure that Live Photo is selected.

Then, be sure to hold your iPhone steady. Figure out where the most fireworks happen and frame that area of the sky. Wait for the fireworks to come into the frame rather than follow them as they rocket upward.

Also, if you press and hold on your screen for the first couple of bursts, the Camera App will lock on the Exposure and Focus for that brightness and distance. Along with holding your camera steady, you’ll get better exposed, sharper images.

Another thing is that fireworks shows are not just about the fireworks. There are often light-up accessories, campfires, and the silhouettes of the people watching. Take the time to step back and capture the whole scene.

Live Photo Loops can be exported as GIFs | photo by Paul Einarsen

Finally, be ruthless about editing down the event to the very best images. You can go into the Edit mode and look for the best frames and for a few images that would make a nice video loop. If you have kids, playing with the image edits can be a whole event in itself.

Give fireworks a shot. It’s a lot of fun.

If you would like a step by step tip sheet for capturing and editing firework images on our iPhone, click the button below.

VIEWING

Live Photo pictures let you create 3 different effects:

1. Loop - This shares as a 3 second loop of the photo capture. It’s my personal favorite for fireworks in general because it shows a snippet of what I actually saw at the event.

2. Bounce - This is the bounce back or “boomerang” effect that became popular on Instagram. I’m not fond of it for fireworks, but that’s just me. If you like boomerangs, you’ll love bounce.

3. Long Exposure - This effect combines the frames from all 3 seconds to make a blurred still photo of the display. With the right firework this can be beautiful.

What’s great is that because Apple Photos is non-destructive, you can try all 3 effects to find the one you like best with each fireworks display. And if you later decide to change it, you can.

EDITING

Best of all, Live Photo lets you pick the frame you missed. In Edit mode you can select a moment before you reacted and make that your Key Photo.

Be sure to turn off Live Photo after your fireworks event, but remember that it’s a terrific creative tool whenever you are taking pictures of fast moving subjects and find that your shutter finger isn’t quite fast enough to get “the moment.”