I'm not sure why, but every time I'm around fireworks I have the uncontrollable urge to take a picture of them, as if this might be the last time I ever see something colorfully blowing up in the sky. Yet whenever I do snap these shots, I end up with a blurry splotch of red on a black background. Looking at the pictures later, they might as well be shots of a squashed bug.

Well, fireworks time is just a few days away, and the cameras will be pointed skyward once again. So how to you get a shot of something that looks like a work of art rather than a deceased insect? The website Digital Photography School has the secrets, with some impressive photographic proof to back it up.

If you're planning to photograph some airborne festivities, please check out the full story. But if you just want the quick tips, here's the Cliff's Notes:

• Use a tripod and a remote shutter release, if you can.
• Carefully frame the shot so that the horizon is straight and you don't get a bunch of heads in the picture.
• Set aperture between f/8 and f/16 and use ISO 100.
• Keep the shutter open for a couple of seconds, starting before the explosion. (Manual mode is your friend.)
• Turn off the flash.
• Experiment and have fun!

Good luck, and send me your shots next week!