8/1/10

Fireworks–the Paintings in the Night Sky


My fascination with fireworks goes back to my childhood on the Chinese Lunar New Year and Moon Festival. As a kid, I was triggered by the sound, light, and smell of the magic of gunpowder. I remember lighting my first firecracker, half excited and half scared, with my eyes wide open. 

Today I feed my passion by watching fireworks. There is art to create a good fireworks display–colors, shapes, and sounds complement one another.  A stunning fireworks design requires a wizard who masters and wields the fleeting art overhead. Mixing science, art and technology, the wizard paints on the big, open nighttime sky with his palettes–chemicals, compounds, and fire.

As much fun as they are to watch, fireworks are equally as challenging to photograph. Here are my shots when I watched Switzerland's Independence Day fireworks in Basel yesterday.

No comments:

Post a Comment