Take heart worthy firework photos this 4th!

First, open the camera app on your iPhone and tap photo mode.

Turn on Live Photos

This will be the three circles icon in the top right corner of your screen. The icon will be yellow when on.

Live Photo mode will take a short video. It will grab 1.5 seconds of video before the photo is taken and 1.5 seconds of video after the photo is taken.

Normally, we advise turning this feature off but in this situation, it's definitely a good thing. That short 3 second video is actually made up of tons of still images. If you open the photo and click "edit" in the top right corner, you will get the option to look through all those still images and pick the best one!

We love Live Photos for this reason!

HDR

There's varying opinions on whether or not you should set HDR to on or off. But you definitely need to know it's there and that you have options. Try it both ways and see what looks best to you. Here's how:

If you have an iPhone 12 or newer, HDR is automatically on by default but you can double check this in Settings > Photo. If you have an earlier iPhone version, you'll find HDR in Settings > Camera.

Turn the flash off

The phone flash is not powerful enough to be useful past a few feet in front of you. Turning it off in this situation is best.

Choose the right lens

Have you ever heard the term "Optical zoom" or "Digital Zoom?" Understanding the difference is essential to taking better quality photos with optimum clarity.

Digital zoom results in a lower quality image. You are digitally zooming when you pitch the screen and zoom in and out with your fingers.

Optical zoom will result in a much higher quality photo with beautiful clarity. You achieve this by selecting one of the numbered options on the bottom of your screen.

As an example, my iPhone 14 Pro Max has four lens options to choose from:

.5 1x 2 3

You might have different options depending on your phone model and how many cameras you have on the back of your device.

Reduce Camera Shake

If you have a tripod, use it.

If you don't, stand firm with your elbows tight against your side and your hands/phone near your chest. You'll want to hold the camera as steady as possible. We want to reduce as much camera shake as possible.

All that's left is saying "CHEESE".

With the ability to take unlimited photos these day, just start shooting and have fun experimenting with your settings.

Just remember, at some point, put the phone down, snuggle up to the loved ones around you and enjoy the show!