Smartphone Fireworks Tips
It’s hard to believe that the Fourth of July is already here. That means that millions of people are going to use their smartphones tonight to take pictures of fireworks. If this is your first time owning a smartphone on the Fourth of July, or your fireworks photos have come out bad in previous years you may want to check out these tips to shooting great fireworks photos with your smart phone.
1. Location Location Location: Make sure that you and your family find a great location with an unobstructed view of the fireworks display. You also want to make sure that you’re not too close to the area where they’re shooting the fireworks off. The launch area of a fireworks display sometimes emits too much light which can cause the fireworks photos to come out poorly. Your should pick a location that’s great for both sitting and laying on your back. So in other words make sure there’s no trees above your head.
2. Make sure your battery is charged. This probably goes without saying but make sure your battery is charged or if your battery is going to run out make sure you have a rechargeable battery pack like the Dark Energy battery pack. Keep in mind that at a fireworks display you’re probably going to be doing a lot of texting to friends and family trying to meet up with you. You may also use your smart phones flashlight a lot of it’s dark and in a poorly lit area (which is good for a fireworks display). Also keep in mind that shooting photos drains your battery faster than say playing a few rounds of Candy Crush.
3. Use an app: You may want to try using an app designed for low light. NightCap, Slow Shutter Cam and even Kit Cam have great functionality in dark places. KitCam was acquired by Yahoo and is not readily available in the iTunes store but if you have it in your account you may want to blow the dust off that one and use it for the fireworks.
4. Accesorize: There are great lens attachments and even tripods and monopods that work well with smartphones. You may want to use a tripod or monopod to insure that your not shaking while you shoot the photos. Remember the fireworks move in the air and if you’re moving as well the photo isn’t going to come out quite right. Lenses will help you optimize your shot as well. Best Buy and Radio Shack sell a lot of these accessories now.
5. Absolutely positively don’t use HDR, Zoom or Flash. Using any of these features on your phone itself will ruin the pictures completely. Use the fireworks natural light for the best pictures possible.
Keep in mind that the 4th of July is a very big day for Instagram so there will be a lot of traffic and millions upon millions of fireworks photos. Have a happy and safe 4th of July.
