GoKawiilWhether you've got the latest iPhone 17 Pro, an affordable Android phone like the Nothing Phone 4A Pro or a much older handset, your phone camera is still capable of taking some glorious photos of fireworks this July Fourth. The bright lights and vibrant colors of Independence Day fireworks contrast incredibly well with the dark night skies, making your photos look beautifully dramatic with very little effort on your part. So whether you're going to a public display or simply letting off a few bangers in your back yard, don't forget to whip your phone out to capture the moment.
While taking photos at night used to be something you'd need a big DSLR for, today's best camera phones are capable of taking stunning photos after dark. I've been a professional photographer for over a decade and I've taken a plethora of fireworks photos in my time -- not to mention testing almost every phone on sale today. Here then are my top pro tips on how to take photos of fireworks that are sure to wow your friends.
Try night mode
With most firework displays taking place at night, you're likely going to need to use your phone's night mode to capture a bright image. While some phones, like the iPhone 17 Pro, have night modes that kick in automatically when they detect it's dark enough, other phones might have a dedicated mode for taking photos at night. Before you head out to your show, make sure you know how to turn on night mode on your phone.
Taken with the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, the fireworks aren't exactly spectacular at Taylor Swift's Eras tour, but this shot shows the importance of having more compositional elements in your scene than just some fireworks by themselves. Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Lock the exposure
Night mode is probably going to be the easiest way to get good-looking results with little effort, but it's not foolproof. Its main problem is that it'll try to make the whole scene brighter, and that might not look great -- those dark skies need to remain dark in order for the fireworks themselves to really stand out.
If you find night mode shots looking a bit lacklustre, try pressing and holding on an area of the image to lock the exposure, and then use the slider to darken the image until you think it looks good. By locking the exposure like this it'll stop it resetting back to default after you take each image. If your phone has a pro mode, you can likely set the exposure to a darker point manually.
Get creative with manual controls
Most phones should be able to snag a great looking image with little extra effort on your part, but sometimes it pays to get a bit creative with your camera settings. One of my favorite tricks for photos of fireworks is to use a long exposure -- maybe a second long -- which turns the crisp fireworks into light streaks in the sky. It's a very different look, but I really enjoy the abstract impression it gives.
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