Fireworks resemble a time of celebration for many throughout the world, often marking special occasions. In the UK, one such occasion is the 5th of November when we celebrate the failed attempt by a group of conspirators to destroy the Houses of Parliament in 1605.

This year, as I have done in the last two years, I attended the Scottish Love in Action’s Fireworks Extravaganzas.  A series of three fundraising fireworks concerts in aide of the charity; with the first being held on Friday the 3rd and following two shows on the 5th of November – Guy Fawkes night itself.

Scottish Love in Action (SLA) is an Edinburgh based charity with the overall objective to care for and support destitute children in India. By working with Indian partners, SLA aims to reduce all forms of child poverty and enable the beneficiaries to lead independent, fulfilling lives and to break cycles of poverty.

With my own endeavours aimed at capturing photographs of these events, there has been a crucial change in my own workflow this year compared to the previous two years – namely the camera I used! For some years I have been using a Nikon D700, a great camera in itself and one which still works well, but earlier this year I acquired a Sony A7rii.   With manual focusing “legacy” lenses available, I did find that these concerts was a challenge And there is something I need to admit – night-time portrait and firework photography is something I need more practice with!

Despite this, there was a variety of entertainment prior to the show; namely a pipeband, Indian Dancers and the Delighters Fire Circus Theatre, and I was able to capture a variety of images

Whilst SLA’s purpose is (in collaboration with its partners) to transform children’s lives, thus enabling them to lead independent poverty-free lives; it has been an enjoyable weekend with a worthwhile cause!