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How to decorate your patio or deck for celebrating the 4th of July!

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure policy for details.

As a photographer, especially in stock photography, you must cover all the bases. By this, I just mean that you need to have a photoshoot for every major celebration or holiday in order to create images that are needed throughout every point in the year. One of my favorite holidays to shoot is the 4th of July!

The 4th of July is one of the most popular celebrations in the United States, so it’s always important to shoot (and celebrate) as much as possible for Independence Day! For me, the 4th of July is much more than an opportunity for a good shoot, I actually like to celebrate it. For this year, instead of my usual star-spangled desserts, I opted to do quite a large and patriotic photoshoot featuring my decked out patio.

So to make the best of the photoshoot and party all in one, I went all out with patriotic decorations, spectacular props, and easy to cook food! Not only did I have to be crafty with my decorations and shots, but I had to be quick on my feet to capture everything in the natural sunlight.

Now you don’t have to be getting ready for a patriotic photoshoot to use these decorating and grilling tips. These 4th of July tips and tricks are perfect for anyone who wants to host a spectacular summer celebration of any kind! Here are my 4th of July Patio Celebration Ideas!

4th of July Decorations and Props

First, I just want to go over all of my decorations and food props that I used for this photoshoot and celebration. Some of the props/decorations might no longer be available in stores so I selected props as close as possible to match those items.

Even if you can’t find the exact items that I used, you can easily find something similar. Here’s what I used to set up for our 4th of July celebration:

4th of July Decorations:

Food Props:

Decorating the Patio for 4th of July

Let’s start with the decorating and props. For decorations, I adorned all the fencing on my patio with American flag banners and put red, white, and blue pinwheels in all the planters on my patio. I also set out red, white, and blue napkins, food baskets, and basket liners for serving the food.

I stuck with the patriotic color scheme when it came to the utensils, paper straws, and even an American flag runner for the table. All these decorations together made the deck look like it was all set for a massive Independence Day celebration! Then, I just needed to prepare the food.

Cooking for the 4th of July

Before starting on the food prep, I began by making some Infused Water that looked as patriotic as possible! I used blueberries, halved strawberries, and sliced lemon to add patriotic flair. Then, I just added water and plenty of ice to a glass drink dispenser and it was perfect for my patriotic photoshoot and celebration!

This infused water will stay cold for the entire day, even in the summer heat! And the taste gets better the longer that the water mixes with the berries. For additional garnishes, I used frozen watermelon cut into the shape of stars using a special cutter. That way my family could keep their water cold and have something to snack on.

As for the main dish for the 4th of July celebrations, two things are important: being able to have plenty of food for everybody, and being able to easily and quickly cook it. This is especially true when there’s a photoshoot involved and the whole process needs to be captured. So I decided to keep the food very simple, yet still completely patriotic, for this shoot.

Here’s my 4th of July Menu:

Grilled hotdogs
A mini “bar” for toppings, garnishes, and sides including:
- Relish
- Cheese
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Onions
- Pickles
- Sliced watermelon
Classic corn on the cob
Infused Water

American Flag Cupcakes

I knew this would be a very easy meal to cook and photograph. Plus it’s easy to make sure there’s enough for everyone, both kids and adults.

Food Styling for My 4th of July Photoshoot

I told you what food and drinks I decided on, now let me tell you about the food styling part of this process. This is mainly just about using cute props that are also functional and getting good shots. When I mention functional props I mean things that fit the theme of the photoshoot that actually have a purpose.

For example, using a cute tub as an ice bucket! The metal tub is a cute prop but it also serves the purpose of keeping the garnishes and toppings cold, which I’ll go over more in the next sections. It’s the same idea for the patriotic-colored baskets, liners, straws, napkins, and utensils. When it comes to necessary items, choose ones that will fit the theme of the party or photoshoot.

Now I chose hot dogs as the main entree because they are easy to cook, and shoot, and there’s plenty to feed everybody. But they are also classic American food. So I also chose a few specific garnishes, like relish, cheese, and ketchup, and displayed them in patriotic colored mugs to naturally give the shoot a feeling of a genuine 4th of July cookout.

Patriotic Food Styling Props:

Preparing for My 4th of July Photoshoot

When shooting outside, there are many variables that can make or break a shoot compared to shooting in a controlled studio setting. The first and most important variable is the sun. Both moving cloud cover and the movement of the sun make for an unpredictable shooting area. One moment I’m in the shade, and the next moment I’m shooting in full sun.

Part of outdoor shooting is being light on your feet and being able to adapt to changing conditions quickly. My best solution for this was to use an ND filter when I was shooting in full sunlight.

Another issue with having the grill outside was that the sun quickly heated up all the garnishes and condiments and started melting the cheese, which you already know is no good! Luckily, this was a simple fix though. All I had to do was fill a cute metal tub with ice to keep all the condiments cold. Every hour and a half I replaced the ice so that the condiments wouldn’t get wet, but would stay at the appropriate temperature.

July 4th Theme

Berry mascarpone tart

Grilled s’mores

4th of July 3 layer cake in 1 hour

S’mores charcuterie board

4th of July Bundt Cake

July 4th Lemon Cupcakes

4th of July Recipes

Now that you’re all set on how to decorate, prepare, and put on a perfectly patriotic party, now you can pick out your own 4th of July menu! Here are some of my favorite grilled recipes, refreshing drinks, and delectable dessert recipes to get you started:

Grilled Meats and Sides:

Summer Cucumber Salad
Easy Coleslaw

Refreshing Beverages:

Spectacular Sweets:

3 Layer Vanilla Cake in 3 Hours

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