Some people in my neighborhood, apparently, couldn’t wait until 4th to celebrate 4th of July. That’s fine with me since I just read an article on how to take firework photos and was anxious to give it a try. Even though the article said that we had to use a tripod, I didn’t use one because I only wanted to test the camera settings tonight. And I do like what I see. However, I will definitely use a tripod next time 😉 If you are interested in reading it, here is the article: Taking Pictures of fireworks.
Happy 4th of July!
Thanks for visiting my blog.
HHC Blog 
They look fabulous Helen!
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Thank you, Roberta. I have read several articles on this subject, and I think this one is easier to follow ;-).
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Your photos are really nice – and thanks for the link – I am doing some reading this weekend and looking forward to it!
Oh and we had some early celebrations in our neighborhood too – but can’t really see much – just hear things!
Have s nice day!
💥💥💥❤️💕😎
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Thank you, Yvette. I think 5 families in my neighborhood were celebrating tonight. I had a hard time to decide which direction to shoot 😉
Have a great day, my dear friend!
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Oh lucky you! That must be pretty – and at first when I read your post about the early celebrations – it reminded me of someone I knew who complained about the racket – ha! -‘but then u shared how you were doing an informal photo shoot! And it really brought a smile…..
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She let Go
She let go. Without a thought or a word, she let go.
She let go of the fear. She let go of the judgments. She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around her head. She let go of the committee of indecision within her. She let go of all the ‘right’ reasons. Wholly and completely, without hesitation or worry, she just let go.
She didn’t ask anyone for advice. She didn’t read a book on how to let go. She didn’t search the scriptures. She just let go. She let go of all of the memories that held her back. She let go of all of the anxiety that kept her from moving forward. She let go of the planning and all of the calculations about how to do it just right.
She didn’t promise to let go. She didn’t journal about it. She didn’t write the projected date in her Day-Timer. She made no public announcement and put no ad in the paper. She didn’t check the weather report or read her daily horoscope. She just let go.
She didn’t analyze whether she should let go. She didn’t call her friends to discuss the matter. She didn’t do a five-step Spiritual Mind Treatment. She didn’t call the prayer line. She didn’t utter one word. She just let go.
No one was around when it happened. There was no applause or congratulations. No one thanked her or praised her. No one noticed a thing. Like a leaf falling from a tree, she just let go.
There was no effort. There was no struggle. It wasn’t good and it wasn’t bad. It was what it was, and it is just that.
In the space of letting go, she let it all be. A small smile came over her face. A light breeze blew through her. And the sun and the moon shone forevermore.
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WOW! Nice poem. Thank you, Yvette. At this moment, I really want to let go my fear and anxiety 😉 … that will take a lot of work already ;-). And I will work on the rest later. Ha.
Is it easy for you to let go?
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Yes – for the most part – and not to get religious here – because I hate religion – but it really is my faith and relationship with the Lord that anchors me.
And I have been growing in my walk with him since late 80s and so I have seen so many things work “for” good – or just see his hand at comforting and giving me His peace that passes understanding – ya know?
But in the 90s I might have gotten too good at “letting things go” to where I (we) had a year or two of problem solving some layers – part of it was youth – and his profession – but because I was so compliant I ended up a little pissed off – because good intentions do not always fix what is wrong – but super cool how God used two big moves to help us see that – then sort it out – and then even anchor from the lessons –
But I also read a lot of motivating stuff and stay under faith teaching – which is like vitamin C for the soul- and psyche – and well – one of my favorite dude teachers who is very old now – he always reminds us that worry is second guessing God….
And when we cast our cares and rest in His bigness – whew – it is a very stable place.
like this guy reminds us that if God is all knowing – all powerful – ever present and fully in control – it Changes how we see things and if we are to let go or need to hang on a end grapple.
Oh sorry to ramble – and as a counselor I actually have s couple of issues with the “she let go” poem – hah! But overall I see the freedom message it has – and so with out knit picking it I see the empowering message –
💕❤️
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I don’t know… my first thought, after reading the poem, was: “she must be dead”, and after a person died, he/she certainly can let go everything 😉
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heading to Japan for the largest fireworks display in that country, August 1, thank you for sharing the article.n Unfortunately I can’t travel there with a tripod, but seeing your efforts with out one, I might try for a few anyway. =^_^=
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Thanks, Dymoon. Definitely give it a try. You may be surprised 😉
I hope you will post your photos on your blog. I wonder how Japanese fireworks look like. 😉
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Love the bright streaks, Helen. Looks like your settings were decent and there isn’t much blur to your fireworks images. Very steady hand too 😀 Fireworks are so hard to shoot, and I’ve tried with and without a tripod and both instances my shots are either blurry or I timed the fireworks wrong. Happy 4th of July and hope you are enjoying summer and the occasion 🙂
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Thanks, Mabel. I like this article because most of the settings like ISO, F-stop… are constant. Since it is set on Bulb, all I have to do is to keep the shutter release button down for the entire length of a fireworks burst. For some reason, this instruction is easier for me to follow 😉
So far, we have a very nice summer. We’ve visited a lot of state parks. Hope you have a wonderful summer too.
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Remarkable shots without the tripod, Helen! Thank you for link of the article. Happy July 4th!
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Thanks, Amy. Since I took these photos in my front yard, it was hard to come up with an impressive foreground 😉 I was happy that I figured out how to do those settings without my camera manual (couldn’t find my manual ;-( It took me a while though. Ha.
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Your photos are always wonderful, Helen. Happy Fourth to you!
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Thanks, Lois. It was the first time I used manual setting. Took me a while to build up the courage. Ha.
Happy today!
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I have yet to switch to manual. It confuses the heck out of me! But, I really should sit down and read the instructions.
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Helen, I have not been reading WordPress because for the last year my mother has been dying, and on May 5, she passed. It is a time of terrible grief for me. I am getting back to reading WordPress blogs, and yours are so wonderful. Yesterday I realized, “hey, I don’t have to stay in town, I can leave for the Fourth of July” I could not go anywhere for so long, but I wish I still had my mom. No matter how old a person is, she wants her mother. At the end, that is who my own mother, at age 98, was calling for. Your bright fireworks photo inspires me to take some photos tonight. Carol
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Hello, Carol. So sorry to hear the news about your mother. My mom passed away 15 years ago; I still think of her often, wanting her to be by my side. I even talk to her from time to time 😉 And sometime, I sense her existence. Really.
I have learned that life is a temporary thing, so we have to treasure every moment. I have learned to appreciate the time I had with my mom instead of grieving my loss. I have learned to let her go because she had a better place to be. Still, whenever I thought of the day she died, I cried. But that was a positive cry, I insist 😉
Take care of yourself and be patient with yourself. It’s ok to do nothing but thinking of the wonderful past. It’s ok to take yourself out for a nice dinner or buy yourself an ice cream. No matter what we do, every moment is precious.
Wish I were there, my friend. Looking forward to seeing your firework photos.
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Very impressive Helen — and Happy Fourth!
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Thank you, Jet. Hope you had a wonderful Fourth too.
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Wow – I’m trying to imagine how it will be better with a tripod. Nicely done and thanks for the link.
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Thanks, Joanne. To be honest, when I first look at the photos, I questioned how important it was to use a tripod 😉 Later, when I enlarged it 100% in Photoshop, I knew why. Ha.
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ahhh – that’s good to know. I wouldn’t have thought of that.
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Gorgeous photos! Happy 4th July.
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Thank you, Anabel.
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I also learned how to photograph fireworks when I got my first DSLR four years ago from a similar article on the Internet. It turned out not to be too difficult. The only issue is how to get a good vantage point to capture all those bursting blossoms. I am sure you will do fine.
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Thanks, Hien. You were right that getting a good vantage point is the hardest part since there were so many people in the park and it was so dark. ;-(
I also think having many mosquitoes was a big issue.
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