My first real gig as a freelance photographer was shooting sailboat races in the Pacific Northwest. I'd stand near the bow of a 16 foot long powerboat, taking pictures, as we sped alongside crazy fast racing dinghies plowing through turbulent seas.

Taking group selfies (groupies?) is a challenge in the best of times, but social distancing adds a whole other dimension. Space. These days, when we'd love to celebrate our get-togethers, we want to be both creative and safely distanced at the same time.

For me, Fourth of July Fireworks are the milestone that officially launches Summer. June is a tentative month, with one foot in the work/school/graduation/picnic/beach transition. July is the real stuff. And fireworks are the starting gun. If there are any fireworks in your plans, here is a cool way to capture them.

This is a little different riff than how Live Photos offers motion eye-candy in the form of loops, bounces and animated GIF's. This is about the same pre-exposure images the can get the smile, the jumping cat, or the bolt of lightning that you weren't quite fast enough to catch.

If ever there was a case for motion, it's email. Email can be boring. Text kind of sits on the page, hoping you'll connect. It's tough to format and impossible to predict how the message will look in someone else's mailbox. A good picture can add interest, but what really stands out is movement.