July 2nd 1776, Continental Congress voted in favor of Independence, and two days later delegates from the 13 colonies adopted our Declaration of Independence. Every year since then we celebrate together as a family, and as a nation on the 4th of July with parades, fireworks, barbecues and festivities.

We all celebrate differently when it comes to special events. The 4th of July in particular definitely goes off with a big “BANG”, if you guessed it! FIREWORKS!

Fireworks have been around for a long, long time. Some believe that they were originally made in the second Century BC in Liuyang, China to ward off evil. In 600-900 AD from a Chinese Alchemist that mixed potassium nitrate, sulfur and charcoal to make that flaky black powder that we believe may have also been the first gunpowder. By hallowing out some bamboo sticks and filling them with the flaky power, it created a natural firecracker when tossed into a fire.

That black powdery substance then came to Europe in the 13th Century and explorer Marco Polo was completely fascinated by these firecrackers he had seen in his travels to China. He brought them back to Italy in 1292. During the Renaissance period between 1400-1500, the Italians started mass production of fireworks.

It was in 1777 that Colonists brought them to America and by the 1830’s, an Italian Scientist introduced colors to fireworks. Present day, we have a wide variety of fireworks and have celebrated with them every year since.

Mount Rushmore

Just think of it.. On a hot summer day, with the smell of hamburgers and hotdogs on a grill. Maybe your Mother’s perfected sweet Jell-O Cake with cool whip on top with tall peaks to fill the senses. The sound of the ‘POPs, CLICK’s and BOOM’s’ in the distance with a big FLASH and a BANG! Even the firefly’s come out to enjoy the show. Sounds like memories that need to be captured!

When we capture these precious moments to cherish for a lifetime, we want to preserve not only ourselves but our History. While you are out and about enjoying friends and family, you can capture these moments. Fireworks can be pretty tricky but with some quick tips and today’s day in age of technology you can capture some pretty amazing shots. Try a Tripod, wireless remote to trigger the shutter, long exposure, and setting your camera to a low ISO. The higher the file quality the better.

Check out a few of our favorite firework captures of a recent photo scanning order from Ohio!

Fireworks

Photos from our customer Christina

Happy Independence Day! Be safe, and don’t forget to capture those memories.