Bonfire Night: how to take better firework photos - 5 steps to take

• You might be heading to a Bonfire Night display this year. 
• However capturing the perfect snap of fireworks can be tricky. 
• Luckily O2 has offered up some sparkling advice to elevate your Bonfire Night photos. 

Remember, remember, the fifth of November. And what better way to make memories for Bonfire Night than by heading to a firework display. 

If you are taking your family to a local event - no matter how big or small - you will probably want to take pictures to mark the occasion. But you might be worried about capturing the perfect moment as the fireworks light up the sky above. 

With so much going on in the moment, you may have ended up with blurry or disappointing snaps from bonfire events in the past. Fortunately O2 have offered up some sparkling advice to absolutely nail your firework photos this year. 

Avoid flash

You may be tempted to use the flash on your smartphone camera during after-dark festivities. However this could actually be a disastrous mistake, O2 explains. 

On its website it said: “Bonfires are too bright and fireworks too distant for the flash to make any difference, and it’ll just illuminate stuff in the foreground of your shot. Portraits of friends and family will look much more atmospheric when lit by the golden glow of flames, sparklers or even street lights.” 

Stay stable

It can be hard to keep your phone steady when taking a picture or video, but that can be the difference between a winning snap and a disappointing one. It is especially important at night because your smartphone camera takes in less light when it’s dark making it harder to capture stable images. 

O2 suggests that you might want to think about taking a tripod with you to give you extra stability. On its website it explains: “For sharp photos, your camera needs to be as steady as possible. Portable mini tripods are great, but if you’d rather not cart around the extra kit you can create extra stability by setting your phone against a wall, chair or tree or even the ground. 

“Pressing the shutter using the timer setting or volume buttons can also reduce the wobble caused by touching your phone’s screen.” 

Person taking photo of a firework display. Photo: ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Images | ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Images

Experiment with exposure

“Exposure” refers to the amount of light that reaches your camera’s sensor, and it’s affected by factors including shutter speed and ISO (light sensitivity). Adjusting the exposure can help you get your perfect shot, especially when photographing light in the dark. 

O2 offers the following advice: “Snapping fireworks? You’ll want a lower ISO. Want to capture your niece’s sparkler trail? That’ll need a slow shutter speed. 

“Some Android phones let you adjust exposure factors manually, but it may be easier to download a specialist app such as Camera FV-5 Lite (Android) or Camera+ (iOS).” 

Use night mode

If you have a newer smartphone it will have many shiny features that you probably don’t take advantage of as much as you should (I am certainly guilty of that with my device). But one that can really help you on Bonfire Night is ‘night mode’. 

The in-built mode is designed for after-dark photography - so you don’t have to mess around with an exposure-adjusting app - and it can brighten your images by keeping the camera’s shutter open for longer. 

On its website, O2 adds: “All iPhones since the iPhone 11 have the powerful Night mode feature, Samsung devices have Nightography, Google Pixel has Night Sight... the list goes on. If you haven’t familiarised yourself with your smartphone’s equivalent feature, now’s your chance. Bonfire Night mode: activated.” 

Get personal

Let’s be honest: once you’ve seen one photo of fireworks, you’ve seen them all. Make your images unique by incorporating people, whether that’s your mate Paul munching a toffee apple or the stark silhouettes of strangers around a bonfire. 

O2 says on its website: “Most phone camera apps let you switch on a composition grid, so you can map out striking images according to the rule of thirds. Portrait mode also comes into its own on Bonfire Night, artificially blurring fireworks and flames in the background for a stylised bokeh effect. 

“Move around in search of the best natural light, look out for unique angles – and stay warm!” 

What are your top tips for improving your firework photos? Share your advice by emailing me: [email protected].