Obstructed View

f/16, 13sec, ISO 100 at 52mm

Last night was the second night of the Telus Fireworks On Ice fireworks display down at the Old Port of Montreal.  Being a fan of bright lights and loud explosions, I couldn't help but want to photograph another show from this four weekend activity.  Those of you who have followed my summer adventures with the Loto-Quebec International Fireworks Competition, which you can find all over the rest of this website by clicking on the July & August links on the side of this posting, know that I like to find new locations for shooting the fireworks.  The same can be said for these shows as well.

f/16, 6sec, ISO 100 at 52mm

 

This week I decided that I'd try my luck by shooting the fireworks from the bicycle path of the Jacques Cartier Bridge.  The path is closed for the winter, but it still somewhat accessible by foot.  This location was in the back of my head since November 2013 when I had been up there to take some other photographs that for some reason still haven't found there way here to the blog.  Remember a while back when I mentioned that sometimes I get backed up in my photos and some end up getting pushed back on the docket and then forgotten?  Yep, still guilty of doing that.

f/16, 21sec, ISO 100 at 52mm

 

As I was making my way home from the Day Job, I noticed something a little odd.  There was a huge cloud hanging over Montreal.  It ends up that there was actually a mist warning for the city as a thick cloud hung over the city and pretty much blocked everything from view.  Needless to say, I was pretty sure that this would be a problem, and sure enough, it was.  All of that darkness you see at the top of the photographs, that's not the sky, that's the giant cloud of mist.  A good example of how thick it was can be seen in my third photograph.  If you look at your left-hand corner, you'll notice that only the bottom half of a large explosion can be seen.  The top is completely blocked by the cloud.

f/16, 6 sec, ISO 100 at 52mm

 

I stayed long enough to take a couple of photographs, but didn't even wait for the end of the show to begin packing up my gear and leaving.  I ended up cropping all of the shots to 12" x 4" as the cloud ended up blocking out not only the fireworks, but the buildings of Montreal as well.  No point in showing an 8" x 12" of darkness.  Those photos will probably find their way to these pages as well, if they don't end up getting forgotten on the waiting list.  As for the fireworks, I guess not every outing can be a winner, though I think these shots are still kind of cool.  It's not every day that a giant cloud of mist crosses your path.