Despite some genuine effort on my part, my attempts at getting some great firework pictures this year were either completely or partially foiled. My family and I went to see two shows over the weekend prior to the 4th, the first of which was canceled due to rain, and the second of which we were far away from and was also cut short because of rain. So when I returned to Austin I planned to find a spot on the bridge near where they were to be launched and get some nice close shots with the river in the foreground, maybe even with some cool reflections. The weather was looking threatening, but I packed up my stuff (with some ziplocks just in case), strapped my tripod to my bike, and headed over there. I got there over an hour early and it was already crowded, but I found a spot next to a reasonably congenial, if a bit tipsy, guy (who turned out to be homeless) and waited. 45 minutes before the show was to start, it began to sprinkle. Then 30 minutes before it really started raining. As people began to leave, I decided it wasn't worth getting soaked to wait for a show that very well may be cancelled, also knowing that if I headed out early enough I could be back at my dorm/apartment in time to see the show from a distance out my balcony. Sure enough, not long after I returned, the show began and the rain had stopped. In retrospect I wish I had stuck it out and found a dry spot under the bridge (which wasn't completely full of people). But I still got some decent shots. My biggest gripe is that I couldn't seem to keep the camera still on these long exposures, which I attribute more to the fact that I was on the 6th floor of a building with an air conditioner nearby than to anything I could have done to prevent it. I took some pictures earlier from the ground and they didn't have nearly as much shake (the 4 best from that shoot are at the end of this gallery). Maybe next year the weather will behave and I'll get some nice close ones!