Soaking in a professional fireworks display is a Fourth of July tradition in many parts of the United States. Between the barbecues and good times spent with friends and family, you'll no doubt be bombarded with images of fireworks over the coming days. And while those Instagram and Twitter users certainly mean well, the truth of the matter is that most of those photos will suck.

The good news is, you don't have to be a professional photographer to snap some amazing pictures of fireworks. All you need is some basic equipment and a little know-how, the latter of which we'll be offering up here today.