Okay, so you’ve probably been there… you know, the scenario where you are in the middle of a big event, the kind of event that you know is a milestone, and want that champagne pop that just screams “we are making memories!!” Then you get the camera out, get all ready to go and shake the bottle up, and a sad stream bubbles over the neck of the bottle before it fizzles out. The whole moment lasted a half of a second then I guess you move on to the toast? Yeah, I know I’ve had these moments.

So how do you get the perfect champagne pop and spray of sparkling bubbly that is perfect for a picture? Just follow a few simple steps.

1: Open the champagne BEFORE shaking the bottle. I know, this is not how it looks in the movies, but it will give you much more control over the spray. It also provides you some extra time to set up your shot.

2: Remember to follow the rules of Leave No Trace™. Collect all of the foil and cork to throw away properly so you are not littering.

3: Cover the bottle opening with your thumb. If your thumb doesn’t completely cover it, leave the bottom half (away from your body) open so that the spray shoots away from your face.

4: Cover the bottle opening with your thumb. If your thumb doesn’t completely cover it, leave the bottom half (away from your body) open so that the spray shoots away from your face.

5: Shake away! With your thumb covering the opening of the bottle, the spray will be wide spread and last for a long time. This method will give you plenty of time to get a series of wonderful champagne shots, along with capturing all of the excitement and joy of this moment.