28 Photogenic Options for July 4th Fireworks Nationwide, Part 2: MI to WY

As a follow-up to Part 1 of our fireworks story, it’s worth noting that photographing a fireworks show is no easy feat. Readers seeking a how-to guide to this subject need look no further than this Explora article, by Todd Vorenkamp.

Yet, as that article notes, and the photos featured here make evident, the challenge of capturing bursting pyrotechnics in images offers great opportunities for experimentation and fun. This is perhaps best expressed below, in the sentiment by photographer Mercedes Morgan, who traveled with her family for a fireworks show in rural Johnson City, Texas.

“Keeping the camera away from my face made it much easier to interact with the friends and family around me,” she says. “I got to play with a new-to-me camera technique and enjoy being present with others, as well.”

Above photograph of fireworks over West Point, NY © Julian Diamond

In Part 2 of our story, we feature photographers’ images and stories of fireworks shows in the states of Michigan, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Not far from Michigan’s Great Lakes region, 25 miles east of Traverse City, photographer Sean Patrick Doran takes in July 4 fireworks on a small lake near Kalkaska, Michigan, where he has family friends.

“Every year, families gather together at their homes, cottages, and a campground around the lake,” he says. “When darkness comes, the fireworks begin, sometimes small ones that sparkle just feet off the ground, and then large ones that burst into the air. Although the fireworks are all privately owned, it turns into quite a show, and sometimes even a competition to see who has the best fireworks of the night. It usually lasts about an hour, ending with everyone launching their remaining fireworks to create a finale. As the smoke settles and the lake becomes quiet once again, campfires crackle as groups continue their festivities.”

Setting up his gear on a sloped hill leading down to the small 40-acre lake, Doran stabilized his Canon 6D and EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS II USM lens on a vintage Bilora tripod. Using an ISO of 160, he zoomed his lens to 28mm at f/14 for a 20-second exposure time. “There is something special, even a bit mystical, as local folks celebrate the outdoors during the northern Michigan summer, while celebrating our country’s 4th of July,” he notes. “Up here, there is no worry or hint of crime, and when you walk down the street, you wave to that stranger coming towards you, as if to say, ‘We all have something in common, we love this place!’”

The Cornhusker state celebrates Independence Day with dozens of local celebrations in communities surrounding Omaha, Nebraska, featuring parades, music, fireworks, ice cream socials, and other types of small-town American fun. From the 58^th Annual Independence Day Celebration, in Ralston, to a Freedom Festival, in Murray, to Geneva Days, in Geneva, to a 4^th of July Summer Performance and Fireworks, in Blair, to the Uncle Sam Jam, in Lincoln, and beyond, Nebraska residents are bursting with community spirit.

In keeping with such homespun ways, Rodrigo Miramontes shares a photo from an intimate 4th of July celebration at a relative’s lake house near the historic city of Plattsmouth, Nebraska, just south of Omaha. “I was only able to celebrate there a few times, but every time I did it was a blast,” he says. “Shooting with my trusty Canon 5D MK II and EF 16-35mm 2.8L II USM lens as wide as possible, I used my heavy Manfrotto 190XPROB tripod to keep the camera steady.”

After setting his ISO to 100, Miramontes adjusted his aperture to f/5.6 for a 25-second exposure. With an eye to safety, he notes, “Fireworks were set off from the shore of the lake and the dock. I was sure someone was going to end up in the hospital, but it always turned out fine.”

Eight miles south of the Colorado border, at the junction of New Mexico Highways 84/64 and Highway 17, the village of Chama, New Mexico, hosts what is arguably the best fireworks show in northern New Mexico, featuring approximately 1 hour of continuous fireworks at the Rodeo Grounds on the south side of town.

What’s more, the Cumbres and Toltec Railroad runs a special July 4 dinner train from Chama to Cumbres and back that ends with the show. Photographer and locomotive engineer William Diehl photographed this special event on its inaugural run on July 4, 2010. Using a basic tripod for stability, he shot with a Nikon D90 and set his AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-105 mm f/3.5-5.6 lens to 24mm at f/14 for a 10-second exposure.

He notes, “If you take the train, you'll ride from Chama to Cumbres in the late afternoon, where you'll eat a catered dinner at an elevation of 10,015 feet, one of the highest active railroad passes in the country. At sunset, you'll ride the train down the same tracks, some of the steepest in the US, back to Chama. At the end of the trip, you'll enjoy the fireworks from onboard the train, either inside the coaches, or from the open-air gondola.”

While the dinner train is a ticketed event, the fireworks has many other spectators within the village, who can enjoy the show for free.

New York’s Hudson Valley is rich with American history, and July 4 celebrations abound in the small towns dotting the pastoral landscape. The village of Cold Spring, New York, gets a head start on the festivities with an Independence Day celebration and fireworks display, on Saturday, June 30, which also celebrates the Bicentennial of the West Point Foundry.

The fun begins at 4:00 p.m., with contests for bicycle decorating and pie baking, a patriotic pet parade, music from the West Point Fyfe and Drum Corps, as well as mainstage music at Dockside Park. The event also includes kid’s inflatables, a 50/50 raffle, and specialty foods and beverages leading up to the fireworks.

Local photographer Julian Diamond found a prime seat for the show, in 2016, when he decided to hike up nearby Mount Taurus, because of its proximity to the fireworks site.

“This was the result of my desire to incorporate fireworks into a broader landscape, rather than the ubiquitous close-ups of the pyrotechnics themselves, and I considered an elevated viewpoint to be ideal for this purpose,” he says. He settled in at Table Rocks, an overlook about one third of the way up the mountain, setting up his Nikon D750 and Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G lens on a Manfrotto 294 tripod.

Shooting at ISO 400, he adjusted his aperture to f/8 for an 8-second exposure. “I used a Vello ShutterBoss to minimize camera shake, and to precisely control the timing of my shots,” he points out. “With cable release in hand, I could begin exposing at the very instant the fireworks would launch, ensuring complete ‘tails,’ as well as the bursts. Although I took nearly 100 pictures over the course of the display, the one I chose to publish was captured near the beginning, when there was still enough ambient light to illuminate the village and background.”

There is perhaps no better spot for a true holiday getaway than North Carolina’s Outer Banks, a thin strip of land that includes the villages of Corolla, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, and Manteo, among others.

In 2018, the Outer Banks hosts July 4 fireworks displays in the following four locations: Historic Corolla Park, the Avalon Fishing Pier, in Kill Devil Hills, the Nags Head Fishing Pier, and along the waterfront in the town of Manteo. “Each village has a pier that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean, and every year, the villages shoot off fireworks from the piers,” says Charlottesville, Virginia-based photographer William Walker. “Vacationers all flock to the beach to watch from the sand. If I'm ever there around Independence Day, I bring my camera and set a long shutter while we enjoy the show.”

Walker’s 2013 image from Kill Devil Hills captures the full spirit of the celebration, both organized and unsanctioned. Shooting with a Canon 5D MK III and Canon 24-70 f/2.8 lens atop a Manfrotto 3021 Pro tripod and Giottos MH-1000 ball head, Walker set his aperture to f/5 for a wide-angle view at ISO 160, and a 20-second exposure.

He notes, “If you sit on a beach in the Outer Banks around dark on the Fourth of July, you’re sure to get a spectacular show.”

Approximately 45 miles southwest of Oklahoma’s capital city, Chickasha, Oklahoma serves as the gateway to the southwestern part of the state. Weather permitting, the city holds an annual July 4 fireworks show at Shannon Springs Park.

In 2016, Lawton, Oklahoma-based photographer and filmmaker Chris Martin captured the show’s vibrant colors in a 15-image composite, shot with a Sony A7R mirrorless camera and Canon 16-35 f/4 L IS USM lens mounted on a Metabones adapter, and a MeFoto GlobeTrotter Carbon Fiber tripod to stabilize his setup. “I shot from the bank of the lake in the park, where the show is centered. Fireworks are launched from the dam at the north end of the lake,” he explains. “My shutter speed varied between 5-second and 10-second exposures, and was triggered with a Miops Camera Trigger.”

Martin estimates that several hundred to more than 1,000 spectators gather to view the fireworks, from the banks of the lake to the perimeter of the roughly 50-acre park. “The show can also be viewed from several nearby residential neighborhoods,” he notes, “so a lot of people don't travel to the park itself to watch. But, when it comes to photographing this show, setting up early is a must,” Martin advises. “If you don't grab a prime spot in time, you may be out of luck.”

Nestled between the Willamette and McKenzie Rivers, 66 miles south of the capital of Salem, the city of Springfield, Oregon, hosts the celebration Lights of Liberty every July 4, at the riverfront gathering place, Island Park. This ticketed event costs $5 in advance or $8 at the gate, which opens at 4:00 p.m. Featuring live music by bands on multiple stages, pony rides, and other activities for kids, numerous food vendors, and a beer and wine pavilion, the excitement peaks with a 10:00 p.m. fireworks show over the river.

“It's the best display in Lane County and it’s choreographed to music,” says local photographer David Putzier. For the image above, Putzier positioned himself on a 1-foot wide ledge inside the railing of a bridge with vehicles passing next to him. Using a Canon 7D and Canon 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 lens at its widest settings, he made a 6-second exposure at ISO 100 to nail the shot.

“I had no room for a tripod,” he says. “All I could do was place the camera atop a cement railing post on a towel wadded up under the lens to get it pointed in the proper angle and direction. I used live view with a remote release—and tried not to get hit by traffic whizzing by.”

Fireworks are no longer a part of the Independence Day celebration at the Mount Rushmore National Monument; however, 21 miles northeast in Rapid City, South Dakota, you can sometimes see multiple fireworks shows on July 4, if the events align, according to awarding-winning Black Hills-area photographer Bonny Fleming.

The festivities start at 2:00 p.m., on July 4, in Rapid City’s Main Street Square, with an afternoon concert by the US Air Force Heartland of America Band, followed by a 6:00 p.m. community picnic and a 100-year anniversary concert by the Rapid City Municipal Band at the Memorial Park Bandshell.

Fleming notes, “It looks like both the city of Rapid City and the Arrowhead Country Club will be shooting off fireworks at around 9:30 p.m. So, if you grab the right spot, you could certainly catch both shows.”

In 2014, Fleming and two friends set out to watch the Arrowhead fireworks show from Skyline Drive, “A historic road that cuts Rapid City in half and crosses the tops of some of the foothills of the Black Hills, offering spectacular views in all directions,” she explains. Placing her Canon 5D MK II and Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 lens on a tripod, and setting her ISO to 500, Fleming framed a wide-angle shot facing south to take in her friends in the foreground and the moon glistening over the city and the show. With her aperture set to f/10, she captured multiple fireworks bursting over the city with a 30-second exposure time.

“People gather pretty much everywhere to watch the fireworks,” Fleming points out. I’ve watched the shows all over town, and even from my front yard.”

Approximately 50 miles west of Austin, at the crossroads of Texas Hill Country, Johnson City, Texas, welcomes Independence Day with an old-fashioned celebration called Fourth Fest. The fun kicks off in downtown Johnson City at 10:00 a.m. on the morning of the 4th with a parade around the Courthouse. Later in the day, the celebration moves to the Blanco Country Fairground, where families can kick back on a blanket with a cooler, and snacks. At 9:15 p.m., Fireworks at the Fairgrounds will be launched near the Pedernales River. 

Austin, Texas-based wedding photographer Mercedes Morgan captured the Johnson City fireworks in 2010, when on the hunt with her family for a small-town firework show to visit. “The crowd was quite small, perhaps two or three hundred people at the most,” Morgan says of the event. “We were seated close enough that we could feel an occasional ash fall near us. There's nothing quite as fun as getting so close to the action!”

After securing her Canon 5D MK II and 24mm f/1.4 L II lens on her Manfrotto MT190XPRO3 tripod and 496RC2 Ball Head, Morgan set the aperture to f/6.3, for a 6-second exposure at ISO 100. She combined the slow shutter speed with slight adjustments to the focusing ring to make the firework trails appear more like bokeh. “Having the camera on the tripod for these photos had a nice but unexpected result,” she explains. “Keeping the camera away from my face made it much easier to interact with the friends and family around me. I got to play with a new-to-me camera technique and enjoy being present with others, as well.”

In Austin, Texas, the H-E-B Austin Symphony Orchestra’s Annual July 4th Concert and Fireworks show is considered by many to be the main fireworks event, where spectators take in the show on the lawn at Vic Mathais Shores, along with 100,000 of their closest friends. Yet, a bit farther northwest, along the Colorado River, a more exclusive show at the Austin Country Club can be viewed from the span of the nearby Austin 360 (Pennybacker) bridge.

Austin-area photographer Steven Ng captured a panoramic view of this show in 2017, “It’s the best place to watch the fireworks,” he says. “The pedestrian walkway is safe, and there’s a concrete wall that separates the walkway from the car lanes.”

Ng recommends arriving around 7:00 or 7:30 p.m. and then walking up the east side of pedestrian walkway to grab a tripod spot facing downtown Austin and the Club. After securing his Nikon D810 and Nikon VR 16-35mm F/4G ED VR lens to a Gitzo GT2543L Mountaineer Series 2 Carbon Fiber Tripod with a Gitzo GH3382QD ball head, he adjusted his lens to 17mm, setting his aperture to f/14 for a 5.8-second exposure at ISO 200. He adds a Cokin Z-Pro Series Soft-Edge Graduated Neutral Density 0.9 (3-Stop) Filter to reduce dynamic range, basically limiting the brightness of the multiple fireworks, but preserving the much dimmer light below, so he can capture multiple fireworks in a single shot.

“If weather permits, around 8:20 p.m. a skydiver performs a precision diving formation to a target on the golf course carrying American and Texas flags before the fireworks start,” says Ng. “It all depends on the wind. Sometimes the fireworks start around 8:50 p.m., and sometimes around 9:00, so you can catch some beautiful blue hour glow in the sky.”

Located 13 miles east of Burlington in the western foothills of the Green Mountains, the small town of Richmond, Vermont, puts on an annual July 4 fireworks display at the public recreation field Volunteers Green.

“Before the fireworks, there is live music, food, and lots of other fun activities while you wait for the sun to go down,” says local photographer Nicholas Erwin. “Most people will watch from the middle of the field, but any place is a fantastic viewing spot because you are pretty close to the launch point and there is a clear view. My tip to anyone who wants to take photos is to get there early to scout out the best spot,” he adds.

Using a Nikon D7000 and Tokina 12-24 f/4 lens, Erwin secured his gear to a Vanguard Alta Pro 263AB tripod. With his ISO set to 100 and his lens at 14mm, he stopped down to f/13 and used a Nikon ML-L3 wireless remote to capture multiple fireworks bursting during an 11-second exposure time.

“It is one of the best fireworks displays in Vermont, and the grand finale is spectacular,” Erwin affirms. “It's something you’ve [got to] experience. Bring your ear plugs though!

Ten miles across Puget Sound from the city of Seattle, Bainbridge Island, Washington, offers multiple options for breathtaking fireworks. While an official Bainbridge Fireworks display is held in the port of Eagle Harbor on the island’s east side, Seattle-based photographer Edmund Lowe captured an informal display on the northwest corner of the island near Agate Pass, which separates Bainbridge from the Kitsap Peninsula.

“This is a small community located near the Suquamish Indian Reservation, which has access to Native American fireworks stands—the good stuff!” he says. “Every 4th of July almost all the neighbors try their best to outdo each other with seriously explosive displays.”

After setting up on a friend’s dock along the waterfront, Lowe secured his Nikon D700 and AF-S NIKKOR 24-70 f/2.8 lens to a Gitzo tripod. Framing a wide-angle view at 24mm, he stopped down his aperture to f/4 for a 6 second exposure at ISO 400. “There is about a 45-minute window when light from the sunset is perfectly balanced with the brightness of the fireworks,” he adds.

According to Lowe, the firework burst in the background of his image was set off from the Clearwater Casino, run by the Suquamish Tribe. “An absolutely eye-popping show,” he declares.

Less than 100 miles west/northwest of Baltimore, MD, and Washington, DC, the city of Martinsburg, West Virginia, holds an annual July 4 fireworks show at War Memorial Park, with a rain date of July 5. While the park is open to the public during daytime hours for swimming and miniature golf prior to the show, visitors are asked to vacate the park at dusk, and to seek other locations to view the display.

In 2017, Martinsburg-based photographer Jon Wright took in the show from the King Street overpass above Interstate 81, to incorporate the moving traffic of the Interstate in his shot. “While not an official viewing spot, as I was on the shoulder of the bridge, a bank parking lot with a good view is right down the road,” he says. “A light drizzle had begun to fall which made the photography a bit more difficult, and hard for the smoke cloud to move.”

Using a Canon 80D and an EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens set to 27mm, Wright dialed in an aperture of f/4 for a 1/13 second exposure at ISO 2000. “I had just upgraded from a Canon Rebel t3i the previous month and was still playing with settings,” he notes. “But I fell in love with the improved dynamic range the 80D provided.”

A ten-mile drive from the frontier city of Sheridan, Wyoming, the Big Horn Equestrian Center hosts an annual July 4 Fireworks Extravaganza, which features the largest fireworks display in Northern Wyoming.

Gates open at 4:00 p.m. for this free event, a benefit for the local Lions Club, which accepts donations at the door. Attendees are invited to bring their own picnic or take advantage of the concessions available on the grounds. Start your own game of Frisbee™, bocce, or hackey-sack, while enjoying live music, and the panoramic sunset from the Center’s rustic porch. The fireworks are choreographed to music and broadcast on the radio through the participation of Sheridan Media.

Canadian adventure photographer Flash Parker has attended the Equestrian Center show for the past five years. “It becomes more impressive and more of a spectacle with every new show,” he says. “The best locations I've found are directly behind the first few rows of spectators, to give the show a sense of scale, or off to the east, where the backdrop of the Bighorn Mountains can be seen when the sky is lit.

In 2017, he captured the action with his Nikon D810 and Tamron SP 15-30mm F2.8 Di VC lens on a Manfrotto Carbon Fiber Tripod and Acratech GP Ballhead with Lever Clamp, shooting at f/5.0 for an 8-second exposure at ISO 400. Notes Parker, “The spectators are a mix of folks from across Wyoming, and plenty of travelers visiting the state for the holiday. Sheridan is a small town, but this is still one of the most impressive fireworks displays you'll see anywhere in the nation.”

Click here to read the companion article, 28 Photogenic Options for July 4th Fireworks Nationwide, Part 1: AL to MA.

Do you have a favorite July 4 fireworks show not mentioned above, or a cherished memory at one of these events? Tell us about it in the Comments section, below!

Please note: in the case of discontinued photo gear, product links in this article offer the closest currently available items.