It’s that time of year again. This weekend, millions will be posting blurry pictures of Bonfire Night fireworks on Instagram. Photographing fireworks is trickier than it looks; even the best mobile phone does not offer great technology for nighttime photography.

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Here we offer ten pointers for capturing and sharing your fireworks photographs on Instagram.

1. Get as close as you (safely) can. Many fireworks photos are grainy because they are taken too far away. The closer you are, the lights will be clearer and you won’t have other spectators’ iPhones blocking your way.

2. Don’t take a photo of the first explosion in the sky. Work out where the action will be and frame the shot beforehand so you’re ready to angle the shot. However, don’t wait too long or the sky will get smoky and cloud up your picture.

3. Make sure your flash is switched off. The colourful lights will be enough as camera LED flashes make awful night pictures. If you’re in a crowd, you will only see the backs of people’s heads.

4. Don’t bother zooming in as it diminishes the quality of the photo. Crop the picture later if needs be.

5. Shoot like a real photographer with your whole body, not just waving your arm high in the air hoping for the best. Use your arms and torso as a tripod or take an actual tripod with you to guarantee a steady shot.

6. To take lots of photos at once, hold down the capture button.

7. The filter and editing tools on Instagram allow you to adjust the brightness, contrast, shadows and highlights on each photo but don’t let the filter overtake your image.

8. Recommended Apps to enable better nighttime photography include Google Camera, Camera ZOOM FX, Camera+ and Slow Shutter.

9. Suppress the urge to publish on Instagram if your picture is hopeless. You will regret your decision in the morning.

10. Or... the best bit of advice: ignore the above, keep your phone in your pocket and enjoy the glittery show in real time.

By Annabel Jack
Updated November 2023