The Fourth of July is right around the corner, and with that comes many summer fun traditions, including our favorite: fireworks.
The tradition and spectacle of fireworks dates back to the late 1770s and is best enjoyed outdoors, cuddled up on a blanket, giving your undivided attention. That means, those folks who are watching through a screen, struggling to capture the moment, are missing the magic. This is why we want to teach you a hands-free way to capture the show.
The following is our ultimate guide to capturing fireworks with a GoPro.
Step 1: Use a stable mount.
We recommend grabbing the new 3-Way 2.0 mount. It comes with a built-in tripod thats paired with a ball joint that swivels a full 360 to change your camera angle without having to reposition the mount.
Shorty, Gumby and the Magnetic Swivel Clip are more great options. Shorty has the same stable, built-in tripod. Whereas Gumby and Clip allow you to get really creative with using your surroundings to come up with unique mounting angles and locations.
Step 2: Dial in the proper camera settings.
Mode: Night Lapse Photo Mode
Shutter: 2, 5 or 10 seconds.
Shutter speed will depend on how large the fireworks are. In general, the sweet spot is a 5-second exposure, and a longer shutter speed will work nicely for larger fireworks. Mix it up for different looks!
Interval: Auto
White Balance: 3200 - 4000K
ISO Min: 100
ISO Max: 800
ISO Min and Max also depends on the size of the fireworks. 100 will result in a cleaner and crisper photo but darker, while 800 will be noisier but much lighter.
Sharpness: Low
Color: GoPro
For a set it and forget it option, try the following:
Mode: Night Lapse Video Mode
Resolution: 4K 4:3
Shutter: 2, 5 or 10 seconds.
Interval: Auto
White Balance: 3200 - 4000K
ISO Min: 100
ISO Max: 800
Sharpness: Low
Color: GoPro
PRO TIP: Newer GoPro cameras also have modes called Night Effects that offer an easy preset options for capturing pro-quality Vehicle Light Trails, Star Trails and Light Paintings. These are great options to quickly dial in low-light settings for capturing fireworks.
Step 3: Enjoy the show.
Double-check the action is framed up properly by connecting your GoPro to the Quik app to use your mobile device to preview what's in the frame. Then, sit back and let the GoPro do the work while you enjoy.
After you take your firework photos and videos using these tips, you can use the Quik app to edit footage, pull frame grabs and even share content direct to your social channel.
Hopefully this guide has provided some helpful tricks for taking the best photos and videos of fireworks in all their glory. And if you really like what you capture, send us your fireworks footie for a chance to be featured on GoPro social channels through the holiday weekend. Submit at on GoPro.com/Awards or via the GoPro Quik app.
For more night photography tips and tricks, check out this GoPro Tips tutorial on night photography with GoPro engineer and night-photographer extraordinaire Shreenivasan Manievannan.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Riedel Communications today announced its return as a sponsor of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, where the company will serve as the Official Connectivity ...
08/05/2026
For the second straight year, Miri Technologies Inc. has been honored with a pair of coveted awards at the broadcast, media and entertainment industry's pre...
08/05/2026
Nine Alumni Nominated for Tony Awards More than 20 alumni contributed to this year's Tony-nominated productions.
May 7, 2026
By
Tori Donahue
Boston Co...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Liberty University on why broadcast technology isn't just a technical invest...
08/05/2026
COW Jobs: UGC, On-Camera Video Content
Brie Clayton May 7, 2026
0 Comments
UGC, On-Camera Video Content
April 17, 2026Documentary Editor - US,......
07/05/2026
Journalists reporting on Sudan are working in one of the most complex and fast-m...
07/05/2026
Multi-year partnership positions Victory+ as a free home for Dallas Cowboys orig...
07/05/2026
From sideline reporting to directing and producing, the talented sophomore is building a well-rounded foundation for a career in live sports production
In the ...
07/05/2026
Cobalt Digital has received two Future Best of Show awards at NAB Show 2026. The COBALT blueCORE platform was recognized by TV Tech, and the COBALT PACIFIC ULL-...
07/05/2026
ESPN analyst Mina Kimes will host the televised semifinals and finals of the 202...
07/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that MUBI, the global film streaming platform, has selected Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner. Bitmovin's encoding infrastru...
07/05/2026
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and the U.S. Soccer Federation have announced...
07/05/2026
Angel City Football Club (ACFC) and Victory have announced a regional broadcast partnership bringing live match coverage to fans across the greater Los Angeles...
07/05/2026
Spiideo has announced the launch of AI Highlights inside Spiideo Play, its automated sports production platform. AI Highlights combines video, event data, audio...
07/05/2026
Leostream Corporation has announced a unified remote access ecosystem for high-p...
07/05/2026
The Atlanta Dream has partnered with Victory to stream all locally broadcast Dream games for free, expanding the team's digital distribution strategy and g...
07/05/2026
Riedel Communications has announced the appointment of Marc Engroff as Chief Fin...
07/05/2026
SES and ARD, Germany's largest public broadcasting network, have announced a long-term extension of their satellite distribution partnership through 2039. U...
07/05/2026
UpLight Technologies delivers a flexible video and lighting system for a new televised sportLaunching the Pro Cheer League required more than creating a compell...
07/05/2026
Full Day Productions and GSE Worldwide have announced Spikes Under the Lights, a...
07/05/2026
Seit dem Start im Jahr 2023 hat DJ (Beta) das personalisierte H rerlebnis von 94...
07/05/2026
Da quando stata presentata nel 2023, DJ (beta) ha aiutato a definire un'esperienza d'ascolto pi personalizzata per 94 milioni di utenti Spotify Premi...
07/05/2026
Since launching in 2023, DJ (beta) has helped shape a more personalized listenin...
07/05/2026
Desde o lan amento em 2023, o DJ (beta) j ajudou a deixar a experi ncia de ouvi...
07/05/2026
From our earliest days, Spotify has been built on a simple principle: Great audio should be easy to reach. It's what's driven us to expand from music to...
07/05/2026
Asian and Pacific Islander artists continue to shape the global soundscape, pushing creative boundaries and connecting with fans worldwide. This Asian & Pacific...
07/05/2026
Company announce long-requested choir instrument
In the latest expansion of their Symphonic Elements series, UJAM have introduced an all-new vocal instrumen...
07/05/2026
Modular-inspired sound generation with digital control
Buchla have introduced Ziggy, a new compact synthesizer built around the company's complex oscill...
07/05/2026
Combines analogue voices with digital synthesis and sequencing
Polyend have announced Drums, a new hybrid analogue and digital drum machine that combines sy...
07/05/2026
Control surface now officially supports four DAWs
When Nektar launched the Panorama CS12 control surface, it worked exclusively with Apple's Logic Pro, ...
07/05/2026
In the first quarter 2026, SGL Carbon generated consolidated sales of 184.5 million, which was 49.8 million, or 21.3%, lower than in the prior year (Q1 2025: ...
07/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave achieve precise and fast ESA antenna characteriz...
07/05/2026
Two multi-role L3Harris products - the Red Wolf launched effects vehicle and SK...
07/05/2026
L3Harris will be developing key features of a secure and resilient digital infra...
07/05/2026
Alysa Liu and Shohei Ohtani Help Drive Viewership as 91 of the Top 100 Broadcast...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Cobalt Digital Wins Two Future Best of Show Awards at 2026 NAB Show
Manufacturer Recognized by TV Tech and TVBEurope for Innovation in signal processing
Cobal...
07/05/2026
Software and hardware platforms, AI power and user-friendliness on show...
07/05/2026
Intinor will demonstrate its latest technical enhancements for the Direkt series at BroadcastAsia 2026. With a continued focus on reliable contribution and remo...
07/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that MUBI has chosen Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner, replacing MUBI's legacy on premises encoding setup to improve scalab...
The Fourth of July is right around the corner, and with that comes many summer fun traditions, including our favorite: fireworks.
