Hot Tips for Photographing Fireworks This 4th of July

It's that time of year again! Independence Day! What does this mean? Well, if you're American, then your day and night will be filled with grilling out, fireworks, and frosty adult beverages. If you're outside of the states, then it's just another weekend and I hope it's a groovy one for you.

If you're like me then you're probably thinking about capturing the amazing fireworks display with your camera. Truth be told, I've never really done this. I always stand there mesmerized, dumbfounded, and forget to snap pictures. My first attempt at really capturing fireworks didn't go so well. I wasn't prepared at all and had no idea what to do when I got there. Unfortunately, I won't be out snapping some frames tonight as I'll be tired up with work. However, it hasn't stopped me from doing a little research because, well, I just want to know. I surfed the interwebs and found some helpful hints.

1. GRAB YOUR TRIPOD!

• Really? How could this not make sense? You're taking pictures at night. You need something to steady your camera. My first mistake was not bringing mine.

2. USE A REMOTE OR HANDHELD SHUTTER RELEASE

• No brainer here too. The less shake the better. If you don't have one, you could always try a timer, but that's dodgy. Too many things could go wrong and you'd miss the shot - Ti Ming, as the Chinese say, Ti Ming. So forget I even suggested it.

3. MID-RANGE F-STOP

• It will be dark and while the inclination is to open up as wide as possible, forget it. Go for a mid-range f-stop, like an f/4. Why? Fireworks are bright. Really bright and our goal is to capture as much of the color and brilliance as possible. Right? Right. So, a mid-range f-stop will allow you to capture as much color without junking up the image with white streaks and allow you a greater focus. Totally gravy!

4. GET RID OF AUTOFOCUS!

• Just do it. Lock your focus down ahead of time. This just makes sense. Once you've got your frame and focus set, all you'll have to is worry about snapping frames. You won't be wasting time hunting for focus.

5. BULB OR SLOWER SHUTTER SPEEDS

• Setting your camera to bulb is pretty smart. This way it allows you to control when your shutter opens and closes. This is particularly handy while working with your cable or remote release. I've been seeing people suggesting a shutter speed between two and ten seconds. Sounds reasonable, but I think I'd stick with bulb as I like the notion of total control. It's totally up to you. Play around with both approaches and see what happens.

6. TELL A STORY

• There are tons of firework images out there and millions of people will be snapping black skies with bright shinny fireworks. What does that mean? THEY'LL ALL LOOK THE SAME! Our goal as creatives is to capture a moment. Give that moment something to ground it and tell a story. My suggestion is include something in the foreground or background. Something that gives you a sense of atmosphere, location, mood. It's all important for creating captivating images.

Finally, don't forget to play around. Experiment. You might just discover something you never knew. If you have any suggestions or thoughts, let me know. I'm always looking to learn something new. And I'd love to see some of your captures from tonight's festivities.

Happy 4th of July!