I have always loved those fancy sparkler images that you find on wedding and photography blogs (as well as Pinterest).  So when Mrs. Limestone reminded me of them last week, I figured the birthday of our nation would be the perfect time to try my hand at taking one of these pictures.  I would give you a tutorial, but to be honest, I am not an expert.  So I will direct you to a real photographer’s directions here.  Cliff notes is this:  if you have a DSLR, turn up the f stop to at least 10.0 (so everything is in focus), turn up the shutter speed (mine was at about 3 or 4 seconds), and turn down your ISO to 100 or 200.  My mom had a tripod in the attic that I was able to use, but you could also place your camera on a chair or table to make sure it stays steady.  The way I did it, the people themselves will not be visible.  In order for the people to be visible, you would need off camera flashes and jazz, which is kind of beyond the scope of my photography knowledge.  Here are some of my favorite shots taken during our fireworks session: