How to shoot better firework photos with your smartphone
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Loading... - Aidan Moran
- 04 Jul 2022
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If you’ve ever tried to snap photos of fireworks with your phone, you probably weren’t very happy with the results. Thankfully, with a bit of care and the right tools, you can get much better images.
Use the right lens
The ultra-wide-angle lens has an aperture of f/1.8 while the telephoto lens has an aperture of f/2.8. Both use 1/3.4-inch sensors. The main wide camera, however, has an aperture of f/1.5 and a 1/1.65-inch sensor. Not only does its wider aperture let in more light, but its larger sensor (it’s got roughly 3.6 times more area) is better able to capture it. It doesn’t matter that all three have the same 12-megapixel resolution, at night when you’re shooting fireworks, the main camera is far superior.
So, whatever smartphone you use, the best camera to use is normally the default one. (If you want to dig deeper, check the specs.)
Control the camera manually
The exact settings will vary depending on your situation, but some good values to start with are:
- Shutter Speed: 1 Second to 5 Seconds.
- ISO: 25 to 400.
Oh, and make sure the flash is turned off.
Some smartphones have default camera apps that allow you to manually adjust settings. If not, you have plenty of options. On iPhone, check out Manual ($3.99) and ProCamera. ($14.99). We also love Halide Mark II (but at $12/year after a free trial, it’s harder to recommend if you don’t take a lot of smartphone photos). On Android, Open Camera (free), Camera FV-5 ($3.95), and ProShot ($4.99) are all also worth checking out.
Keep your smartphone steady
With shutter speeds between one and five seconds long, any optical image stabilization in your smartphone is going to be working pretty hard.
If you have a smartphone tripod (we love Joby’s GorillaPod), it’s a good idea to use it. Otherwise, go with a slightly shorter shutter speed (say, one or two seconds), hold your smartphone close, and brace your arms against your torso. Read More...
