Ahh the Fourth of July is upon us again.  Time to fire up that grill, throw on some hot dogs and crack open a beer.  What a great time of year with hot weather, sun, and people laying by the pool.  It's also our favorite Lady Liberty's birthday today which is why it's such a great holiday to celebrate.  I took the picture below on the 4th of July last year so I thought it fitting to share it today.  The picture was taken with a 45mm Nikon tilt shift lens.  This was my first time shooting with a tilt shift lens and I managed to get the shot below for my portfolio.  Usually tilt shift lenses are used to shoot architecture so that you can keep all the lines from converging, but they also have the ability to make objects look miniature.  For more details see this link.

If you have the luxury of being on a boat today I'm jealous.  It's hot here in Chicago and the weather looks like it is going to be amazing.  Unfortunately, I won't be on a boat today but I will be at some point this weekend. The shot below was taken at dawn while the sun was rising and an early bird boater was out on the water.  It's one of those "classic summer" shots that makes you think of all the things that you do on the 4th of July.

It's not the 4th of July without Fireworks.  Below is a shot I took from the Adler Planetarium of the Chicago fireworks.  The weekly shows are great but something tells me that tonight's show will be even better.  I'm looking forward to seeing the show tonight.  I'm sure Navy Pier will be packed and there will be plenty of boats out in Lake Michigan.