Big Bangs

Maybe I am rushing the 4th of July, but photographs of fireworks just grab your attention because of their bright colors. They provide an interesting uplift to our emotions because they are always used in celebrations and festivals. At Wintergreen resort, there are usually two fireworks displays during the year, and sometimes there are three. I make it a point to photograph each of them.  I have been photographing fireworks for several years and over that time I have developed my own technique and developed my own vision of what I want to create.

I practice what we call in the trade "Painting With Light." Multiple air bursts will paint the sky in wonderful shades of color, and if captured properly the results can be beautiful. This can be carried to an extreme by photographing bursts separately, and making a composite in post processing. I used to do this and although the work looked nice, for me it seemed fake. I wanted something real and more organic. I want my works to show what was actually displayed at the show rather than something that I put together. What you see here was captured in a single photograph with no photo editing trickery. I hope you enjoy it. I will publish a more technical post sometime next month.

Cheers, Paul