Sparkler photos are so cool because fire and light, yaaaaaas. Independence Day is one of the few days it’s acceptable to play with fire so let’s do it! I’ve always seen sparkler photos and have been amazed at how elaborate and damn pretty they are but I’ve never tried to recreate my own because it looked like it required I skill I don’t have. As it turns out, all you need is to adjust your point-and-shoot camera (standard digital camera) or your DSLR (fancy camera) to a few simple settings and snap the picture. It literally will take you a couple of minutes and the pay off is just well, I mean, LOOK AT IT.
What You’ll Need
Darkness
Sparklers
A Camera
Flashlight
Friends? Cats? Dogs? Stuffed Animals?
How To Take A Sparkler Photo
1. Adjust the setting of your point-and-shoot camera to “Night Scene.”
If your camera does not have a “Night Scene” option or if you are using a DSLR, adjust your camera to the manual setting.
Adjust the F-Stop to 5.6 and the ISO to 100.
2. Decide if you want only the sparkler image in the photo or if you want your friends to appear in it as well.
Only The Sparklers: Turn the flash off. Set the shutter speed from 8 to 25 seconds.
You And Your Friends: Turn the flash on. Set the camera to “rear flash.” Set the shutter speed to 8 seconds and pose at the very end!
3. Place the camera on a flat surface on tripod.
4. Because you’re in the dark, the camera can’t autofocus. Use a flashlight to shine a light in the direction of your friends. Once the camera is focused in the proper direction, switch to “normal focus” so it doesn’t go cray on you, basically.
5. Now click and take your picture. Swirl those sparklers. Jump up and down. Get creative.
Here’s Your Inspiration
