Use Live Photo Mode for Cool Fireworks Photos

Try Using Live Photo mode for fireworks photography

Looped Live Photo image

For me, Fourth of July Fireworks are the milestone that officially launches Summer. June is a tentative month, with one foot in the work/school/graduation/picnic/beach transition. July is the real stuff. And fireworks are the starting gun. 

Sure, it’s not going to be the same this year with most big displays cancelled, and others scaled back to discourage large gatherings. But if there are any fireworks in your plans, here is a cool way to capture them. 

Live Photo on your iPhone captures 1.5 seconds BEFORE you take the photo AND after. So you end up with a 3 second video. This is perfect for fireworks because it’s about the length of a burst. Go crazy with it. 

Make sure the Live Photo mode is turned on by touching the bullseye icon on the upper right corner of your Camera App. If you see a slash through it, then Live Photo is disabled and you need to touch again to activate. 

The magic happens when you apply one of the 3 effects - Loop, Bounce, and Long Exposure - to the Live Photo image. On iPhone, view the image full screen and slide up to expose the options. On Mac, take the image into Edit mode and look for effect choices below the image. 

Also fun for home fireworks, running through sprinklers, sparklers in the dark, big bubbles, and other fun Fourth of July activities.