When those fireworks go off at midnight on 31^st December, phones and cameras throughout the UK will be snapping away trying to capture the moment. Unfortunately, many attempts to capture this special, magical moment come out as indistinct blurs.

This is because fireworks are notoriously difficult to photograph. They travel extremely fast through the sky and it’s this motion along with the lights and colours makes it tricky to get a clear shot. Don’t worry though, you don’t need to splash out a fortune on a professional camera. Simply follow these top tips for snapping amazing Instagram-ready shots of 2018’s NYE fireworks, right from your phone.

1. Enable HDR

This is the best way to get a great quality fireworks shot, so switch it on if you have it. This is because HDR takes many photographs at different exposures and combines them into a single image for more detail, light trails and more.

2. Get some people in your shot

This is what sets your fireworks pic apart from all those others you see on Instagram, and what gives you a really memorable shot of a personal moment. If you’re really skilled, you’ll snap a great fireworks selfie this NYE!

3. Take loads of photos (or cheat and enable Burst mode – on iPhones)

To boost your chances of capturing the perfect shot, it’s a smart idea to take absolutely loads of photos. So that you don’t spend the entire display snapping pictures, you can always enable what on iPhones is called Burst mode (although there are similar functions on other smartphones). This mode means that your camera will take many photos in rapid succession, which is great for moving objects like fireworks. Simply set it to Burst mode and point the camera in the right direction.

4. Try an app

There are a number of apps out there that can help you to boost the capabilities of your smartphone’s camera. For example, Slow Shutter Cam for iPhones, which lets you take motion blur and light trail photographs.

5. Get a better camera!

If you’re worried about blurry NYE photos and have been meaning to replace your phone anyway, why not snap up a new one with a great camera in the January sales?

6. Get a mini tripod

Smartphones come with all sorts of accessories these days, like mini tripods so you don’t have to worry about shaky hands when snapping away. Set up the tripod, set it to record or automatically take photographs and enjoy the show!

7. Make sure you have enough storage

Before NYE, make sure you clear out enough space for all of those HDR fireworks photos – you don’t want to leave it until the crucial moment and miss everything.

8. Make sure you enjoy the display

Last of all, make sure you aren’t so caught up in trying to snap the perfect NYE fireworks image that you don’t actually enjoy the show! Do your best to capture the moment, then live it – give your nearest and dearest a squeeze and drink in those lights and colours.

From everyone here at 1^st Galaxy Fireworks, have a wonderful, safe and firework-filled New Year’s Eve!