Happy 4th of July!

Happy Independence Day to everyone in the US, US citizens all over the world and everyone else who wants to join in the festivities!

Here are some pics from my attempts at capturing the fireworks display in Louisville, Colorado last year. I had no clue what I was doing and fiddled with the settings until I got pictures like these.


Fireworks are dynamic and depending on the kind of fireworks being shot, you may need to change your settings on the fly. I looked it up after the fact and found that it's a good idea to start off with an aperture of f/8, ISO setting of 100 or at most 200, and a shutter speed of about 2 seconds. Or if you have a remote, use the Bulb setting for best results. Reduce the aperture if the explosions or trails appear to be over-exposed. Turn off your auto-focus and set it at infinity as the fireworks are usually far enough for that to work. A tripod is essential.

I'm hoping to get some better shots this year!



All said and done, my most fave shot from last year was one taken with my little P&S:

I'm off to a barbecue where the menu is mojitos. I think there will be lots of food, too. But when there's mojitos, food is just by-the-way!

Hope you have a great celebration!