Photo tips for the 4th of July

Wed Jul 2, 2008 11:32AM EDT

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Friday is the day you get off work to grill meat and watch fireworks explode (oh, and celebrate Independence Day), and that means the camera shutters will be snapping like crazy.

But taking a good picture of your BBQ ribs or a girandole isn't quite as simple as just pointing your camera and pushing the button. Here are five sites full of tips for taking perfect pictures on the Fourth of July and throughout the summer.

Digital Photography 101 with Ritz - Use Natural Outdoor Light to Your Advantage - Best tip: People (especially kids) squint when the sun is in their eyes. To keep eyes open, keep the sun behind your subject (though I'll add that it can be difficult to keep faces out of shadow this way), or better yet, shoot in the morning or evening when the sun isn't as harsh.

Digital Photography School - How to Photograph Fireworks Displays - Best tip: Use a tripod, and set the aperture setting to somewhere in the range of f/8 to f/16 for the best results.

Your Photo Tips - How to Photograph Amazing Fireworks - Best tip: If you're near water, include the surface of the lake/pool/ocean in the shot to capture some cool reflections.

Kodak - Photographing Fireworks - Best tip: Film a sequence of shots using burst mode, so you capture a series of pictures encompassing an explosion from start to finish.

National Geographic - Action and Adventure Photography Tips - Best tip: When photographing action shots (like the annual three-legged race), planning is everything. Stake out a good position to frame your shot properly well in advance so you don't end up with a technically great and perfectly-exposed shot... of everyone's backside as they run away from you.

See also: How to Photograph Fireworks

Photo credit: Stuck in Customs

Comments on Photo tips for the 4th of July

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  • 6 Posted by jdefay2@verizon.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:31PM EDT Report Abuse

    these are basic tips... dont take a pic of ppls back, include water... take more than 1 picture...ive heard this stuff abazillion times.

  • 7 Posted by z1rckeller@verizon.net on Fri Jul 4, 2008 9:29AM EDT Report Abuse

    God, its diggy, take the flick and send it home to China, tell everybody if it ain't from china we don't want it. geeeeee figure it out dummy

  • 8 Posted by thethunderlizard2002 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:06PM EDT Report Abuse

    The key here is the type of film you use. One must use 800 speed film, not 400, not 200....but 800 speed.

  • 9 Posted by sandy43935 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:03PM EDT Report Abuse

    And make sure you get people and not a lot of background. Nobody likes to see a lot of background and an itty bitty image of someone standing in it. Get up close! And don't pose your shots, the best ones are of people acting naturally.

  • 10 Posted by dktrpepr on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:45PM EDT Report Abuse

    Tripod, tripod, tripod. Nothing like blury fireworks to make your shot a bust.

  • 11 Posted by adamchen_1196 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:45PM EDT Report Abuse

    it would be a very nice July 4 video! it could be a good youtube video too!

  • 12 Posted by falconbladez on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:58PM EDT Report Abuse

    No need to use flash. Photos can always be brightened in post later if neccessary.

  • 13 Posted by ltddave803 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:58PM EDT Report Abuse

    use a very slow shutter with small aperture... that gives you a large window to capture the burst and get a deeper field of focus. you'll also capture the movement of the flares with a slow shutter. and yeah, No flash if the subject is farther than 30-40 feet away.

  • 14 Posted by dreamsound54143 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:48PM EDT Report Abuse

    yeah the tips were ok, there is a lot better ones. Take a picture of yourself or someone with the fireworks background, after all.. who just wants to see pictures of fireworks or mountains or statues?? You can see those anywhere, nobody bothers to browse through them unless you or someone they know are there!!

  • 15 Posted by buckets416 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:15PM EDT Report Abuse

    great for you Rosa! if that is ur reel name! if it is that is 1 UGLY name! no1 cares!

  • 16 Posted by fireant3 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:00PM EDT Report Abuse

    If you're still using film like I sometimes do, you want slow (low ISO) film like 100 speed or less. A tripod is almost required too.

  • 17 Posted by fireant3 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:00PM EDT Report Abuse

    thunderlizard has it all wrong. I thought that too, and used 800-speed film last year. Turned out too grainy, and it was nearly impossible to get that nice streaking effect without making my shutter speed so slow that a tripod became a necessity. You want SLOW film (low ISO), NOT fast (800). Look it up, expert.

  • 19 Posted by palmerpix on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:48PM EDT Report Abuse

    Its always best to be near the fireworks and use a wide angle lens. You dont have to be a pro http://www.sandnames.com

  • 20 Posted by fireant3 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:00PM EDT Report Abuse

    Hey folks, if you don't know what the heck you're talking about because you have little to no experience with photography beyond your 3.2 megapixel point-and-shoot, please don't give advice.

  • 21 Posted by chshrecat on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:25PM EDT Report Abuse

    The picture used was using a technique called HDR photography. None of the tips on this page will give you a photo that looks like that. He forgets to mention this little tidbit. Go to Stuck In Custom's page for info about HDR photos.

  • 22 Posted by sokkerchick33 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:31PM EDT Report Abuse

    put the photos on your computer after you get them developed and increase contrast and increase the intensity of the colors on you photo enhancing program!

  • 23 Posted by janebee26 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:28PM EDT Report Abuse

    you might want to put your camera on self-timer to get a great picture of fireworks and you can plan it. if your taking a picture of someone facing away from the sun is a great tip, but if they are wearing a hat, it creates more shadows. also try shooting someone or something at the same level as it so you can get a good picture.

  • 24 Posted by janebee26 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:28PM EDT Report Abuse

    yeah rosa uploading pictures of yourself and trying to get a "rich man" is cheap and not worth it.

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