4th of July Fireworks & Tall Ships: 14th Floor Views Boston # 4
Post #008 - A Holiday Weekend of Fireworks, Tall Ships, and Serendipity
Boston 4th of July - Celebration
The smell of gunpowder, the snap of flags, and the distant boom of fireworks—Boston’s July 4th never gets old. Welcome to the 4th episode of 14th Floor Views Boston. Even with my mobility still limited, it’s been a treat to rediscover Boston from above—scanning the harbor, city skyline, and neighborhoods from our balcony perch. July fourth weekend has been entertaining, freeing, and fun so far. I’m finally getting out more—camera in hand—shooting from the balcony, the ground, and, for the first time this summer, out on Boston Harbor itself.
Boston Harbor Boating Starts the Day
While the USS Constitution floated by last September in full flag regalia, this July 4th, I was lucky enough to catch her from the water—camera (well, phone) at the ready. She’s the oldest, still-commissioned warship in the US Navy, and seeing her under escort by military and police boats, slipping out of her Charlestown berth—a rare event—never gets old. There was a military, coast guard, and police escort along with a flotilla of boats, big and small. The harbor’s edges were also lined with onlookers craning for a glimpse from the Boston Aquarium and other piers including the Seaport waterfront.
Stan Lee, My Boating Buddy and Maxine
Given my injury and long recovery, this was my first time on the boat this summer. It was great having my daughter here for the weekend and she brought a friend. My boat buddy, Stan Lee, just loves the fresh air, breeze, and was so chill on the boat.
And he couldn’t be more happy than when his sister is here with him.
The massive size, the web of lanyards and lines criss-crossing the masts never fails to impress. I was so happy to have great timing, unknowingly being on the boat when she was leaving for her short jaunt out from her pen. Bonus: for once, the tugboat was hidden from my angle—no photobombs. Confession: these shots are from my phone, not the Canon R6M2. Given my large leg boot and Knee Roller, I opted to not bring a my Canon Camera on board. Sometimes you just grab what you can and hope the moment makes up for the megapixels. What do you think, does it compare?
Back to the Balcony
The fireworks in Boston Harbor were early this year and I actually captured them on Wednesday night, July 2nd. I brought out my tripod, weighted it down with some photo books in a bag, and tested before it got dark. I decided to use the Canon Connect app from my phone, and since I switched to a new phone, I knew I had to test it beforehand.
The app connected and tested well. It’s a nifty setup—controlling the camera from my phone, tweaking focus, aperture, ISO, and shutter speed, all without nudging the tripod. For the fireworks, I also put the camera in Bulb setting as I take 3 to 20 second exposures and keep the ISO low at 200, and vary the aperture from F8 to F22 for focus variations. I have loved capturing the fireworks from our 14th Floor Balcony in the Boston Seaport for 6 years now.
I’ve been playing with intentional camera movement (ICM)—and, let’s be honest, plenty of unintentional movement too (klutz points!). 😄
The Fireworks Barge: Dead Center in My View
As I set up, I spotted the harbor police boats circling the fireworks barge, while tug boats were positioning it for the upcoming show. For once, the barge was perfectly framed between the buildings from my balcony—YES!
The Fireworks Barge: Then Moved
I could already picture the sequence: first ignition, rocket trails, and the grand bursts lighting up the sky. But the wind had other plans. It picked up, and the barge repositioned—likely for safety. That moved the show just enough that the buildings blocked nearly half of the fireworks. Bummer.
Plan B: The City of Boston Becomes the Star
No way was I letting a good setup go to waste. I moved the tripod and swung the camera toward the city, capturing long exposures of Boston’s night lights. And with all the holiday traffic, I thought it would be good capture the parade of headlights and taillights streaming across the bridge. I experimented with varied exposur times of 5, 8, and 14 second exposures on bulb. Sometimes, plan B turns out to be the real show.
Bonus Round: Fireworks on the Horizon – July 4th Finale
While the Seaport fireworks were on July 2nd, other parts of Boston and our surrounding cities were hosting their shows on the 4th. I really love seeing the whole southern and northeastern horizons, from our 14th Floor balcony, covered with fireworks. There were no less than 25 different fireworks emanating from the many towns surrounding Boston. Here are a couple of triptychs of them.
The first triptych was taken with my favorite RF 24-70mm F2.8 L lens, set around 35mm. As the actual light shows are on the lower part of the horizon, there is a balance between the horizon and height of the light displays.
These are three pictures combined as a triptych. Its a panorama of light shows along our whole horizon.
But I also wanted to get closer, so I put on my 100-400mm lens. As I was on a tripod, using long exposures, it didn’t matter that the lens is not as “fast” as my 24-70mm lens. My exposures increased to 15-25 seconds, which was fine. And, contrary to my usual street photography focus of keeping in the 28-50mm focal length range, I really like the compression of images from a zoom like this. (50MM is supposed to be closest to what our eyes see).
Its not July 4th Without the Boston Tea Party from the Balcony
No Fourth of July is complete without a nod to the Boston Tea Party. Right off our balcony, was where the Revolutionary War began. Every year, I grab a shot of the re-enactment—modern-day “insurrectionists” tossing tea into the harbor, echoing the spirit that started it all.
Wrapping Up ✍️
How’d I do this week? Drop an emoji in the comments—😊 (loved it), 😐 (meh), or 😞 (not for me). If you’ve got a July 4th story or a favorite fireworks photo, I’d love to see it! Share your best shot in the comments or reply with your own “plan B” story. Your stories inspire me every week.
I recently just heard from one of my readers that my Post #005 My Quirky Collection: Hanging Out to Dry in Shanghai..” stirred up a wave of wonderful childhood memories. The memory was so vivid, it brought a genuine smile to their face and filled their mind with warmth and gratitude for the remarkable woman who shaped their early years.
It’s moments like these—when a simple story unlocks treasured memories and heartfelt emotions—that remind me why I love sharing these glimpses of everyday life.
Lessons Learned 🧠
So, as I write, and organize my thoughts, several items come up that I think are worth sharing regarding new learnings and thoughts. Here are the ones from today's article:
Plan Ahead for Better Results: Before I set up the fireworks shoot, I dipped into Lightroom to check on settings from previous years. It helped me balance clarity in the fireworks with just the right amount of ambient light. (Also: the internet is full of tips, but nothing beats your own notes.)
Shooting is nearly always tailored, rarely cookie-cuttered. I keep learning that when I find my best shots from my photowalks and events, I do not always get the same success the second time. The art of photography is about being present at the time you shoot and dealing with all the environmental, personal, and other variables that will always be different each consecutive time. Sometimes the first time is better than trying to repeat. Focus in on the now!
Be Nimble and Always Have a Plan B: You take the time to prepare, set up your gear and get ready. But the original intent does not work out. What else can you do with the setup you have or the place you are to get something? In this case, shift the gear to take more pictures of the city, but focus on getting better light trails crossing the bridge. There are always plan B’s that can create fun from frustration.
Culling to a Select Few is HARD: Its hard winnowing down to identify your best photos. Getting from hundreds to double digits is really maddening. Getting from under 50 to your top ten is numbing and sometimes painful. But its important to do. Ask others you respect to help. Use a common language for what you look for.
That’s it for this week. Hope your holiday was fantastic—and if you’re outside the US, I hope your weekend was amazing!
Your Turn 💬
So, its your turn to tell me, especially if you are reading this still;
Have you ever had a perfect shot lined up, only for something unexpected (like a wayward barge or sudden wind) to change your plans? How did you adapt?
What’s your favorite “plan B” image—the one you captured when your original idea didn’t work out?
Do you have a July 4th or fireworks tradition, or a memorable moment from this year’s celebrations you’d like to share?
As I get closer to recovery—still 6+ weeks away—I’ll be photographing more and returning to longer photowalks around Boston. I’d love your thoughts: What kinds of stories or images do you want more of? Projects, themes, locations?
Let me know in the comments—or just drop a ❤️ or 💥.
If you enjoyed this, forward it to a friend who loves city views or fireworks. The more, the merrier!
Copyright & Image Use Notice 📷
All photographs in this post are © David A. Rosen / IMAGE FRONTIERS. You are welcome to share the full post using Substack’s share tools or direct link. However, images may not be downloaded, copied, reposted, or reused without written permission.
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