4th of July

They say as you age, time starts to fly by faster and faster with each passing year.

Guys, it's true.

Did last week even happen? I don't know. It was that fast. I almost feel like it was just a wild dream I had during a Sunday evening nap. 

If you follow me on Instagram (@freespiritfun1), you know I just got back from New Hampshire. I lived in that cold, green state for 15 years. I have a lot of wonderful friends there, and most importantly my mom and brother. It was an eye opening trip and I plan on writing a separate post on that later this week :)


I spent my 4th of July holiday there and it was awesome. I finally taught myself how to do the cool sparkler photos and let's just say it got wild. My brother was the creative genius behind the majority of these photos....he came up with some crazy good ideas for poses!
Like for instance, a cat:

Or a rainbow:

And best of all, a wizard battle!

These photos really aren't as hard as they look, and best of all, they require little to no editing.
I have a Canon Rebel t3i and to create these photos I just needed a good tripod and creative minds.

If you're using a canon, here's some tips:

1. Use the TV mode on Manual Focus. With this, you can adjust the shutter speed and not worry about the camera not taking a photo because it can't focus on anything in the dark. As for shutter speed, it depends on what you're doing. For a simple star or heart, use 5 seconds. For an epic wizard battle, use 15.

2. TRIPOD. This isn't actually a necessity, but with it you'll be guaranteed to get the sharpest flames.

3. Buy a LOT of sparklers. You'll go through them quick trying to get the perfect photo
:)

I hope you had a fun 4th! I'll be back with lots of pictures of the Granite State
:)

And let me know in the comments below if you have any questions about how to take these photos!
I'd love to help