Thunder in the Mountains
It was fireworks and explosions for the fourth of July as Stan and I traveled to the New River Gorge area of West Virginia to enjoy the long weekend.
This was our first journey into West Virginia and I think we chose an excellent area to get started in. There is plenty to see and do, lots of backroads to wander down, hiking, beautiful drives, tons of state parks, and more.
This was the first year I’ve attempted to shoot fireworks. I did a little research and decided to just give it a try and see what I ended up with.
I’ll admit that there’s so much to concentrate on when shooting them that it takes a little of the fun out of the fireworks experience. But on the other hand, looking back on them and enjoying their beauty again along with my memories is more than worth it.
We watched the fireworks in Beckley, WV. Having never been there before, I had no idea where the fireworks would be in the sky. I asked some locals and they pointed me in the right direction. I setup the tripod and took some test shots. They fired some test fireworks, so that was good for some initial practice. But once the show got started, I soon realized I was out of my league. None of the camera settings I was using was producing anything near decent. My timing was off. I couldn’t leave the camera pointed at one spot because they were inconsistent in where they were firing them. It was very frustrating. I believe I was cursing under my breath. But I didn’t give up. I kept shooting and trying different settings until I finally got something I could work with. I was happy with the handful of decent shots I ended up with. I will try fireworks again at the next opportunity.
As for the thunder, that was the fireworks as well. I grew up in the mountains of Tennessee and I was always a big fan of the fireworks on the 4th. I believe these fireworks in West Virginia were the first ones I’ve experienced in the mountains since leaving Tennessee many years ago. I enjoyed them more than I can ever remember. The mountains make ALL the difference. The thunder of the explosions echoing through the mountains is amazing. I loved it. Fireworks in the mountains cannot be beat.
Click here to read the very helpful article by Frederic Hore that got me on the road to shooting fireworks. Click here to view some of his photos.
