Crackle and BAM!

To many, the fourth just wouldn't be the perfect celebration unless we had some fireworks! You know, the picnic with hot dogs, potato salad, watermelon and of course ants!! 

I had, what I thought was a major run in with a fire cracker when I was in 6th grade. My sisters and I made our way down to a local fire works stand and after pooling our pennies and managed to buy a package of "black jacks" and a punk. (The little item that kept on burning just enough to light our crackers without having to relight matches.) Of course our parents didn't know and certainly wouldn't have approved.

Being the oldest of 3 girls, I was the brave one. "you do it!!" I lit the first and tossed it so fast that it didn't hold the light. "You have to let it catch fire before you toss it!" my younger sister scolded... yet still letting me do the "work." So I held it, lit it and pulled my hand back to give it a grand toss when BAM!!!! it went off in my hand, right next to my ear! 

We all screamed and dropped the rest of the fire crackers and ran crying all the way home. It was about a mile. My mother was out to the store when we arrived home and still we were all in tears from the fright. Partially of the scare, a lot from the pain in my hand (blackened and singed), and no hearing in my right ear! But my biggest fear was that my mother would find out!  It was a story we held secret for decades and still to this day I have ringing in my ear. Yet every fourth of July I have a sweet memory of an adventure that was a little on the sinister side for three young girls who seldom, if ever, broke the rules.

Because you might be making plans to photograph some Fireworks display I thought I would share some quick tips on how to take some great shots!!

5 Tips for Fun Fireworks Photos

1- Use a tri-pod (or some stationary spot to prop your camera like the top of your car)

2- Use a cable release if you have one

3- Don’t just photograph the fireworks. Look at your surroundings and see what else you can include in the photo. People? Bridges? A significant landmark? Additional elements and identifiable scenery in the frame will add a lot of depth to your image.

4- Shoot in “manual” mode. Use a low ISO, set your aperture somewhere in the middle (usually between f/8 and f/16) and set your shutter speed to “bulb”. Then, as the fireworks go off, hold the shutter open for 5-10 seconds. Try a few different settings within the first minute of the show to get a good feel for the light and speed of the fireworks. Most displays last about 20 minutes so you have time to experiment. (The overall exposure values are going to vary depending on the amount of ambient light/fireworks/etc; there’s really no steadfast formula.)

5- Get creative! Getting good firework photographs consists of some planning, a lot of experimentation and a little bit of luck – there’s no way to predict what you are going to get! Just have fun with it and don’t take it too seriously; you’ll most likely end up having a really good time and will probably go home with some great photos, too.


Or a great article about shooting the works is HERE

I love our country! I feel very blessed to live in a place were are free.  The above photo was taken last year when we still had some snow in the mountains in July here in Utah! This year is just HOT! (but that's another blog post ha ha!)





Enjoy the fourth!  Don't blow up any fingers or ears! Take some fun,  fabulous,  photos (a little alliteration!)

Hugs!

 

PS! Remember to share your WATER photos with us in our Flickr pool!