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Photography plays an integral role in our memory keeping efforts—“a picture is worth a thousand words” and all that. And while it’s easy to pull out your phone and take a quick snapshot, being intentional about the photos you take can help you craft a meaningful record of family traditions that will be treasured by future generations.
But sometimes, it can be hard to think of specific photos to take—especially if you’re trying to wrangle a whole crowd of people or planning enough food to feed the Continental Army. If that’s where you find yourself this 4th of July, here are some photo prompts to help you tell the story of how your family likes to celebrate.
Download this free 4th of July Photo Scavenger Hunt and invite everyone to help document your celebrations. Consider giving prizes to whoever captures the most items on the list, and be sure to have a way to share photos with each other!
Family & Friends
The people we celebrate with are the most important part of our day to document. Try to get a picture of each person in your group. A mix of candid and posed photos gives you the opportunity to be as creative and spontaneous as you’d like. If your group includes children or pets, getting down on their level will result in better photos.
- Group photo
- People laughing
- Someone waving a flag
- Someone in uniform
- Someone wearing sunglasses
- Someone blowing red, white, and blue confetti out of their hands
- Posing respectfully with or near a flag
Activities
- Bonfire
- Playing Games
- Blowing bubbles
- Swimming
- Sidwalk chalk
- Water fight
- Boating
- Face painting
- Buying fireworks
- Your favorite spot for watching fireworks
- Parade floats
- Rodeo events
- Watching a parade
- Car Show
- Baseball game
Food & Drink
- Hotdogs and hamburgers on the grill
- The Grill Master
- Drinks in a cooler
- Picnic table spread
- Picnic Blanket
- Hotdog with all the toppings
- Someone eating a popsicle
- Someone eating watermelon
- Ice cream sundae with all the toppings
- Rootbeer float
- Apple pie
- Making s’mores
Some simple composition techniques can help you level up your photos from snapshots to works of art. Check out the post How To Take Better Pictures (Even Without A Fancy Camera) for lots of tips!
Patriotic Details
- The American Flag
- Patriotic clothing
- Party decorations
- Bunting
- Streamers and Ribbons
- Balloons
- Pinwheels
- Something Red
- Something White
- Something Blue
- Stripes
- Star
- Eagle
Long Exposure
Perhaps the most iconic 4th of July photos are long exposure shots of fireworks and sparklers. To create shots like these, you will need a sturdy tripod and a camera that gives you exposure control. (If you don’t have a dSLR, Piper & Scoot have a great tutorial for using an app called Slow Shutter Cam to get long exposure photos with your phone.) Set your ISO to its lowest setting and pick a long shutter speed. Depending on your ambient light levels, you might need to play around with your settings to get things just right. I also recommend using an external shutter release or your camera’s built in timer so that pressing the shutter doesn’t cause your photos to blur.
- Fireworks
- Posing with sparklers
- Writing with sparklers
- Drawing with glow sticks
Now that you’ve taken all of those lovely photos of your family enjoying Independence Day, don’t let them just sit on your hard drive! Check out my Etsy shop for a collection of InDesign templates perfect for creating beautiful family photo books!
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