The Fourth of July is a magical day for Americans to celebrate freedom and show pride in the USA alongside friends and family. People all around the country are planning backyard barbecues, trips to the beach, and wild fireworks shows for the neighborhood.

No matter how you plan on celebrating, you need to spread the word. What better way to get a crowd over than using Smilebox invitations made specifically for the 4th! This post features some of our favorite invitation designs. Click here to see all Smilebox Fourth of July designs in action then read on for some quick party-planning tips.

Once you’ve created fun invitations and sent them out, you can start planning activities, decorations, and food to make your party unforgettable. These are just a few ideas to help you along the way.

Patriotic Pastimes

Help the kids paint beautiful American Flag themed shirts. The creative mom over at “The Family Scientista” blog came up with these easy instructions that will have your family looking the best on the block.

Outdoor games like horseshoes and touch football will keep party guests of all ages entertained. If there is a Fourth of July parade planned in your town, it may feature contests like the egg toss or three-legged race that kids (and kids at heart) will love. Our friends at Family Fun magazine have created a list of fun Fourth of July games and activities that everyone will love. As the night winds down, build a fire and see who can make the best s’more while you admire everyone’s fireworks.

Show Your True Colors

Decorations are key to getting your party site ready, and flying Old Glory is a must. Whether it’s a full-size flag or those cute mini-flags lining the yard, make sure to show your pride by displaying the majestic stars and stripes.

When it comes to decorating for meal time, every party supply store and supermarket will have red, white and blue paper plates, napkins, and tablecloths to help spice up your patriotic feast. We love the look Hostess with the Mostess created for extra stylish Fourth of July soirees.

Feast on the Fourth

In our opinion, the best way to go when it comes to food is the classic All-American barbecue. Have guests share the duties of preparing burgers, hot dogs, and ribs as main course items. Have each family bring their favorite side dish. Watermelon, pasta salad, potato salad, and cole slaw are always favorites on a hot summer day. Make sure you have some extra coolers to keep everything fresh as the celebration continues! Need more inspiration on what to serve?  Good Housekeeping has ideas for patriotic fare that’s designed to dazzle guests.

Light up the Night

Make a trip to a local fireworks stand and buy a variety of whiz-bangs that will have the crowd ooh-ing and ahh-ing. Get some big fireworks for the Dads to help light, and some sparklers for the younger kids and parents that want to keep it low-key. It’s also important to have a bucket of water nearby, just in case the lawn catches a spark. If fireworks are banned in your city, or you just don’t feel comfortable having your family handling fireworks, search for a nearby neighborhood show that will wow all of your guests.

Support the Troops

Lastly, the Fourth of July is a great time to remember and honor those who fight for the freedom you are celebrating. Operation Homefront is an important organization dedicated to helping troops with a variety of basic needs.

We hope these designs and tips spark your creativity and help you plan a star-spangled celebration. From all of us at Smilebox, have a happy (and safe!) Fourth of July.

“Pride and Patriotism” Scrapbook

1. Get to know your camera

Before the firework show begins, take some time to familiarize yourself with all of the features on your camera. Don’t forget to charge the battery and clear space on your memory card to prevent hold-ups later. It’s hard enough to take those great shots even when you’re not fumbling with the camera.

Also check to see if your camera has a “night time” setting, or even a “fireworks” setting. If your camera has either of these functions, use them, if not, don’t worry- we’ve got you covered. Read on for more helpful hints.

2. Slash the flash

When the fireworks begin and you are ready to start shooting, turn your flash off for best results. Most cameras start with the flash feature on, so you will need to manually change the setting. The fireworks illuminate the sky enough for your camera to pick up, so your flash will just make them duller and highlight any low-lying smoke.

3. Slow and steady wins the race

The most important and challenging task while photographing moving fireworks is to keep the camera steady. Any shake or movement in the camera will make your pictures blurry.

Try setting your camera on a table and tilting it towards the sky, if necessary, while using the self-timer feature so that the camera won’t jostle when you press the ‘capture’ button. If you still want to control when the shots are taken, you can steady your arms by resting them on a table, or if nothing else, on your knee.

4. Explore and Experiment

If your camera has a manual option (check for it on your dial or in your menu settings) try playing with the ISO, which increases the camera’s sensitivity to light. Increasing the ISO can have multiple effects: it will increase the shutter speed on your camera but it also has the potential to add grain to your photo.

Try experimenting with an ISO above 800 to get a freeze-frame shot of the fireworks. You can also try a slower shutter speed, by lowering your ISO to 200, to make your fireworks brighter, but expect a little bit of motion blur.

5. Sparklers galore

The booming shows in the sky sure are beautiful, but we know you also want to get pictures of your little ones creating equally impressive sparkler shows. Similar to taking pictures of fireworks in the sky, the most important thing is to keep your camera steady.

Remember to steady your camera on a table and use the self-timer feature. For those closer shots, you can turn the flash on to illuminate your subjects’ faces. If you want to keep the flash off to really bring out the fireworks, try having your kids hold the sparklers close to their face (but not too close!) for a little extra lighting.

You can also have your kids draw designs in the sky and try to get a picture like the one above. The key is setting the camera to a very slow shutter speed so the motion is captured.

Once these tips have helped you take some fantastic fireworks photos, add them to a slideshow with the rest of your Fourth of July photos like this A Festive 4th Slideshow.

To see more of Kinsey’s photography, including more pictures of fireworks, check out her blog.