Every kid should hold a sparkler at least once in his life....
Yesterday on the 4th we were gone from morning 'till night hanging with good friends and eating our way through the day. The weather was beautiful, perfect for a water balloon fight and hanging out on the front lawn. We ended the day with some sparklers that I had purchased at an out-of-town firework stand.
Street works are completely illegal in our part of the state so it makes me sad that my kids have not been raised to experience the once-a-year agonizing wait for the fall of darkness on the 4th, when their father and uncle would drag out the boxes of fireworks to set off in the street. (I always felt that the sun set slower than usual on Independence Day. Anybody else feel that way?)
I am having to create a new kind of 4th memory, so yes, I broke the law, and splurged for some sparklers. I feel quite confident in posting these pictures even though my brother works for the state law enforcement. It's not that he wouldn't turn me in because I am his sister, it's because--ahem, cough cough--he knows what he was doing in his front yard at the same exact time we were lighting our sparklers. If you get my drift? Ok, that's all I am going to say about that.
So anyway, back to the sparklers...
Honestly, night photography is an art form at which I am not very skilled. But my Picture Inspiration assignment this week was to "dig in" and explore another art form, have some fun, get a little messy. I think I was a little broad with my interpretation of this assignment but I went with it. I have always wanted to try some night photography so I decided to make this my "dig in" moment. I discovered how fun it was to play with the settings to see what I could create. It was also fun to watch the kids "dig in" and explore what they could do with their sparklers. They wrote their names in the air, twirled and danced. Here's Bean writing her name on the street...
I learned a little bit in the process of having fun. I learned how to work with my shutter speed, and follow the light and work in darkness, which is tricky. It was a successful "dig in" moment for me.
And a super fun way to end Independence Day.
A happy belated 4th to you all. Hope it was a fun one.
t
8 comments:
Great interpretation of "dig in" (I have such a hard time thinking outside the box!) I think these are great night photos!
It was like a war zone here in Clark County, WA. Fireworks are legal down here. It may be the only county in WA where they are legal. And I love every minute of it! And love that Max will get to experience the noise and all the sparkle. The sights, sounds and smells all remind me of being a kid...back when they were legal in Seattle.
Happy post Independence day!
Hugs - A
these are such amazing photos! wow, tracey - great job shooting in the dark!
These are so gorgeous!
I have the same sadness about fireworks bans as you do. I'm not saying I'm in favor of breaking the law but sparklers are just part of the 4th of July like eggnog is part of Christmas. Actually I'd be way more ok with an eggnog ban. ;) LOVE the night shots! LOVE LOVE LOVE!
I love your night/sparkler shots.
We had some fun with sparkers too, until my poor little E got a nice burn. :-( Lots of tears and lighting the sparklers in the grass after that.
night pictures are the trickiest!! i love the ones you captured of the smoke though; awesome.
sparklers are my favorite!
I just found you through Stacey's blog and I'm so glad I did. Your work is inspiring and I feel like you've given new life to sparkler photos. I'm now following and can't wait to see more from you. Enjoy the rest of your week!
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