Those of you in the US are likely making plans on where, when and with whom to celebrate the Independence Day holiday. The three basic components of the 4th of July are BBQ, Beer and Bang Bang. Ok, Fireworks doesn't begin with a "B" but you get my drift. In retrospect, we were very fortunate to have found this summer rental on Lost Lake in Shelton on Washington State's Olympic peninsula. Our place was pretty chill, we had a semi-retired couple upstairs and their amazing dog Fanny to accompany us on wilderness hikes. Two doors down, however, was a completely different story. Kids screaming, music blaring, the going and coming of boats, massive amounts of beer, laughter and chatter until the wee hours of the morning. You know...'Merica.
On the evening of the 4th, it was starting to get dark and those with little patience and plenty of fireworks began setting them off before it was completely dark. To me, this was a clear indication that might be a photo-worthy pyrotechnics display in the not too distant future. Without hesitation, I went inside and got my tripod and camera and tried to figure out where to position the tripod and what angle would make the best composition.
Life has taught me that every event means different things to different people and that's great. Now when I am in the States, Independence day means an opportunity to capture some wicked cool fireworks images. And enjoy a burger and a beer. When traveling, one learns about other people and how they do things, for better and for worse.
And here's the best image of the evening - a 25 second exposure that illuminates a huge pine tree and reminds me of a Christmas Tree in July. maxdobens.com