July 4th Photo Tips!

Food, family, friends, and fireworks…July 4th is the ultimate American summertime holiday. The day is full of activities: parades, BBQs, neighborhood parties, visiting with friends and family, and the culminating fireworks display. Every aspect of the Fourth of July has fantastic photo opportunities, so follow the tips below to truly capture your family’s Independence Day experience.

The Parade

No event represents traditional Americana better than a Fourth of July parade. Flags, fire trucks, face paintings, floats, and red, white, and blue decorations line your city’s streets. Local celebrities march alongside high school bands and candy-throwing politicians. Kids decorate their bikes and laugh with their neighborhood friends. And where are you amidst all this celebrating? Right in the middle of it all, with your camera of course! Photograph everything: the parade, the people lined up on the streets, candid shots of your kids (especially if they are in the parade), the decorations, and anything else that strikes you. These shots of Americana make great framed decorations around the house. And remember, when you are concentrating on photographing the parade, don’t get run over by the Shriners!

The Party

Following the parade, many people like to head home or to a friend’s house for a good old fashioned American BBQ and yard party. Parties provide great opportunities for shooting candid shots. Capture the kids playing in the yard, Dad working the grill, old friends catching up, or the dog in a USA hat. Take pictures of the food and deserts too. Any of these shots make great photos for next year’s party invitations! Another fun thing to photograph at a Fourth of July party is sparkler sky writing. This works best at night in an unlit area outside. Use a tripod and a long exposure (15 seconds) in Manual mode. Have someone light a sparkler and write their name in the air using the sparkler as a pen. Try it once, make any necessary adjustments (like setting a longer shutter speed), and try again. As always, when handling sparklers or any fireworks, keep it safe and legal!

The Fireworks

Fireworks are undoubtedly the main event of any Fourth of July celebration. You may remember last year’s tips for photographing fireworks, but in case you missed it (or forgot), here they are again, along with a few more:
• Bring a tripod and flashlight to the fireworks display. It’s dark and you’ll need longer exposures, so use the tripod to avoid blurry pictures. The flashlight will help you adjust your camera settings in the dark.
• Set your camera to Fireworks mode (if you have that feature), which will automatically take care of the settings. If you don’t have Fireworks mode, set your camera to Manual mode: ISO 200, aperture f/8, and shutter speed between 5 and 15 seconds. After you take a few pictures, take a look at how they are turning out, and adjust the shutter speed accordingly (leave the ISO and f-stop alone).
• Include a landmark in the photo, such as a statue, stadium, park, lake, or whatever the surrounding area includes. As the fireworks explode, they will light up the landmark beautifully.
• Take a lot of pictures! You can take over 100 pictures and only keep 2 great ones. The more pictures you take, the greater chance you have of capturing the perfect shot. Be a ruthless editor; you only need one or a few photos to frame and share!
• Remember that fireworks come fast and furious during the finale of the show. Therefore, you may need to decrease your shutter speed. 15 seconds will likely be overexposed during the finale. Try 5 seconds instead.