I love photographing fireworks. I only get two opportunities a year to capture them: On the 4th (5th) of July, and when the Boston Pops come to town in August. Usually the sets only lasts about 15 to 20 minutes so I get a total of 40 minutes a year to try and nail some good shots, which means working fast to get more than just a few compositions.

This year, I'm grateful it wasn't raining. It was a mild night, and beautiful despite the band of fog that decided to cut the fireworks display pretty much in half. Fitting though considering we live on the Grey Lady. 

I know there was some disappointment among the crowd that the fog was obstructing part of the show, but after the first few bursts, I was really digging the otherworldly glow being produced as a result, and I knew that I would be able to pull a lot of detail back in post production with the photos. 

I really wanted to experiment with a few techniques for capturing some more creative shots, but thanks to the fog, I had to roll with what was being dealt. I did try a few shots playing with the focus during long exposures that resulted in some interesting and abstract compositions, but being precise, in the dark, with fog obstructing the view and never really knowing exactly where or when the next firework will explode made it beyond difficult to capture what I had envisioned in my head.

Regardless of the shooting limitations, I had fun, and I'm happy I was able to capture some good ones! Looking forward to practicing some more next month at the Boston Pops!