As a kid, you couldn’t care less about what was inside the firecrackers that your parents wouldn’t let you play with. All you cared about was BOOM. But the chemical mixtures inside those colourful capsules are fascinating to look upon, as proven by the photographs of Andrew Waits.
The series is entitled Boom City, which references an annual fireworks depot outside of Seattle where vendors sell their wares on the Tulalip Indian Reservation. The reservation is not subject to state law, so the selection of fireworks at Boom City is unusually extensive. Waits’ gorgeous cross sections of some of the items available at Boom City are only the start of a larger project documenting the location.
Flying Colour Butterflies Rocket
Lightning Flash
Pop-Its
Orange Ammo Smoke
Ground Bloom Flower
World Class Clay Colour Smoke Balls
Moon Travellers Bottle Rocket
Blue Thunder Roman Candle
Mighty Cracker
Check out more of Andrew Waits’ photography on his website. [Feature Shoot]