Can you believe this Saturday is the 4th of July?! Time to brush up on my picture-taking skills and to prove to David that, YES, I can take AMAZING firework photos! Ever wonder how photographers capture those amazing fireworks and sparkler photos? Well, wonder no more because here are my fool-proof tips!

take sparkler photos

Here is a little photo magic for your festive day to celebrate our country’s freedom!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

  • Sparklers & lighter or matches
  • DSLR camera or point-and-shoot camera
  • Tripod or a flat, sturdy surface
  • Friends & Family

 WHAT TO DO:

  1. For Point & Shoot set camera to “night-scene” so you won’t have to make any f-stop or shutter adjustments. That’s WAY too fancy for me!
  2. For fancy people using DSLRs, set the camera to “manual” and if you are adventurous…
    1. Adjust your aperture to 16 and your ISO to 1000.
    2. Your shutter speed (non-flash photo) should be about 3 seconds to capture the sparkler’s light and your friends.
    3. Or… you can use S for “Shutter Preferred” mode – allows you to tell the camera to set everything else…except the shutter speed.
  3. Ok once settings are set, place your camera on a tripod or flat surface as any movement of the camera will affect the outcome of your picture. Trust me on this one!
  4. Now for some sparklin’ fun! Make a design or spell something out like USA (need to spell backwards!) then push down the shutter release and have your friends & family start drawing (slow-thicker line vs. quick-thinner line) their desired design in the air with their sparkler and do it as many times while the shutter stays open.
  5. If not right, try adjusting the shutter speed up if the pictures are too bright, and down if the pictures are too dark. Note: hopefully David will read this and let me do this photo with him…let love shine and sparkle on…celebrating our 18th wedding anniversary this Sunday!

sparkler photos