Happy 4th of July!

“You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten but it is patriotism.” Erma Bombeck

As you might have noticed, I like using quotes in my blog posts from time to time.  As I was searching for the perfect quote about our nation’s Independence Day I came across the lighthearted words above from Erma Bombeck. They made me smile.  I hope they do the same for you. As you BBQ today and spend time with family and friends, take a moment to appreciate the freedoms we share as Americans. It truly is a beautiful thing.

If you are planning on photographing the fireworks this evening here are a few tips:

• Use a tripod and cable release – this will allow you to take longer exposures (think 2-3 seconds) so you can capture the movement of the light
• Shoot in manual – your settings will depend on where you are shooting and how much light is around you, but a good starting point will be f/8, 2-3 seconds, ISO 100. Check your LCD preview and adjust from there.
• Experiment and most of all, have fun!

If you don’t have a tripod and cable release, don’t let that stop you from pulling out your camera tonight. The photo above was captured in 2005, before I knew anything about photography. I didn’t own a tripod and was shooting with an entry level DSLR and kit lens. It was shot handheld and on some sort of automatic mode (I don’t remember the specifics). The settings the camera gave me were 1/30 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400. I think it turned out pretty good!

Have a wonder-filled 4th!!