Friday, July 4, 2008 - 10:12PM 
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Less than stellar 4th
Between Charleston's fireworks starting 15 minutes early, the launch barge being 1/2 mile upriver from where it was supposed to be, the valley smeared with light-reflecting fog/mist, and getting poured on by a rain shower walking back to the house, this definitely wasn't the greatest of all 4th of July photography sessions.
Instead of being at Haddad Riverfront Park like all the media coverage said it would be, the fireworks were set off on the river around Morris Street and Kanawha Boulevard, about four blocks east of the South Side Bridge. This totally bombed my planned vantage point from Spring Hill Cemetery - instead of being behind downtown buildings, the fireworks were behind trees to the left of the city. They might as well have been anywhere, though - the saturated atmosphere from two straight days of continuous rain was reflecting the city lights and washing out exposures of any appreciable length. One flash of distant lightning and a rumble of thunder to the southwest was enough to get me to change to the wide lens, hoping for the long shot to happen.
Charleston seems to have half a dozen fireworks displays during the summer (not counting the semi-weekly small displays at the ballpark), so there will be other opportunities.
