Edinburgh Hogmanay — Fireworks from Calton Hill

Description

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay — Scotland’s New Year celebration — produces the largest public street party in Europe and a fireworks display launched from Edinburgh Castle rock that is viewable from most of the city’s elevated points. Calton Hill, immediately east of the New Town, provides the most compositionally complete view: the castle rock in the centre-left of the frame with the fireworks launched from its battlements, the Scott Monument and the city’s Victorian skyline below, and the Firth of Forth visible in the background. This image was made from the Calton Hill summit with the Old Royal High School columns providing the foreground architectural element. A 2-second exposure at f/8 and ISO 1600 captures both the fireworks at their peak burst density — the midnight sequence lasting approximately 10 minutes — and the city’s ambient illumination in its full extent.