Some photographs happen by accident. This one happened by obsession.
A Few of My Favorite Things brings together three of my most beloved Minneapolis subjects in a single frame: the iconic Spoonbridge and Cherry sculpture, the glittering Minneapolis skyline, and fireworks (from the Holidazzle winter festival in this image), captured from the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden on a December night in 2018.
This composition can never be recreated. The Holidazzle no longer launches fireworks from this location, and the precise geometry that made this shot possible, sculpture in the foreground, skyline to the left, fireworks bursting to the right, no longer exists. What you're looking at is the only photograph of its kind that will ever be made.
It looks best as a panoramic metal print or canvas gallery wrap, where the full width of the skyline and the burst of the fireworks can stretch across your wall the way that night stretched across the Minneapolis sky.
The story behind the shot
The Holidazzle festival moved to Loring Park in 2017, bringing nightly fireworks to the heart of Minneapolis each December. That first year I tried photographing the fireworks from Loring Park. For 2018, I wanted something bigger. From that moment, I had one thought: the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is directly across Interstate 94 from Loring Park. If the fireworks launched from the right position, I might be able to put the Spoonbridge and Cherry, the skyline, and the fireworks together in a single frame.
I had no way to confirm it would work until I was actually there.
On the night of the shoot, I walked up onto the Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge to scout the fireworks launch site. I couldn't quite pinpoint it. So I went back down into the Sculpture Garden, chose the position that felt right, set up my tripod, and waited. For forty minutes, I stood in the cold while crowds of festival-goers walked past on their way to Loring Park. I heard the comments. Why is that guy just standing there? What is he even trying to photograph? I didn't move.
When the first fireworks launched, I made one small adjustment to my framing. The skyline glowed to the left. The Spoonbridge and Cherry anchored the center. Fireworks burst to the right. My favorite things, together in a single frame exactly the way I had imagined it.
The wind moved the smoke across the skyline within minutes. I had only a handful of usable frames before the moment was gone.
It was enough.
The Holidazzle has not returned to Loring Park in many years now. This photograph represents a moment in Minneapolis history that no longer exists and cannot be replicated by any photographer, from any position, on any future night. It is a genuinely one-of-a-kind image, not as a marketing phrase, but as a simple fact.
Print details
A Few of My Favorite Things is available as a metal print, canvas gallery wrap, and fine art paper print. Each order is custom-made to order, typically within 5 business days. Free shipping on all orders over $100.
For custom sizes, contact me directly.
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This means you can use the camera on your phone or tablet and superimpose any piece of art onto a wall inside of your home or business.
To use this feature, Just look for the "Live Preview AR" button when viewing any piece of art on this website!
