Light show at the Brewery

Last night we had a date with Matt and his girl to go camp out on a rooftop. Sounds good, right? No crowds, nice fireworks, cameras. What could possibly go wrong? It’s not like we’d never been to that roof before. Heck, even though it had rained like crazy that afternoon, the precipitation stopped and it was a balmy (though humid) 80 degrees. The clouds made for a dramatic sunset, very promising.

Matt is handy. He knows lots of stuff and has a really innocent face to go with it. He’s really good to keep around so anyone reading this, make sure you stock up on canned salmon and kidney beans. Once we were in (thanks, Matt!) we climbed pretty much right to the roof, picked a spot and lay our coats down. The bumpy asphalt-like material was a little wet, but nothing serious. I had more of a problem with the rocks poking me in the rear, but hey… I’m Asian!

We sat there shooting test shots as the light faded, taking in the smaller fireworks displays that people will inevitably drive to PA or WV for and launch from their back yards. The harbor fireworks weren’t scheduled to start until 9:30. We were really enjoying the breeze, the view, the company. The freedom. The only thing that would have made it better would have been Chipotle, but that’s neither here nor there.

Right when things started getting dark, thunderclouds started crawling in from the west. Headed right towards the city… and us! A few raindrops wouldn’t kill the camera and I was bound to get some good shots tonight. It was a while before I noticed my companions had grabbed their tripods and run for shelter. Determined, I just tossed my raincoat over the two of us (30D and me), just like in the old fashioned days to make a little slice of darkness. In this case it was dryness. Good shots don't come easily, right? Maybe...?



Right when the lightning bolts started to get good, the heavens opened and we were practically swimming. Jeebus! Being in the middle of a long exposure sure makes me stubborn, but even after a certain point it was obvious it was time to turn tail and run, too.

Time: 9:08 PM.

Note to my crew: next year if it storms, pick a location that does NOT have a roof completely occupied with steel towers and structures composed of corrugated metal.



I’m fairly new to the art of fishing for lightning, but I have definitely done worse than these in the past. Next time I try this I’m going to put in a request for some brighter bolts right over the skyline, and maybe slip in an extra $20 to make sure more of them coincide with the fireworks.