I made it back to my usual spot above Donner Lake for this year's 4th of July fireworks show — the same rocky overlook I've shot from in years past, where you can see Old Hwy 40 winding up out of Truckee below. This time I had new gear in hand: the Canon EOS R5 Mark II and a newer version of my go-to 24-105mm lens. It was fun to see how much more the sensor pulled out of the dark compared to what I was shooting with before.

The Fireworks

This was the shot I came for. The burst lit up right over the lake, with the reflections doubling the color on the water and the scattered boats glowing below. Shot on the Canon EOS R5 Mark II with the RF24-105mm F4 L IS USM at 81mm, f/4.0, ISO 640, and a 6-second exposure on a tripod.

View or order a print of "Fireworks at Donner Lake"

The Panorama

From that same ledge, just after the show, I also put together a wide panorama — multiple frames stitched into one very high-resolution image, each shot at 24mm, f/4.0, ISO 1600, with a 10-second exposure per frame. The final file comes in at roughly 19,000 x 7,100 pixels. You can see the Milky Way overhead, the lights of Donner Lake and Old Hwy 40 curling through the valley, and that gnarled old juniper hanging over the edge of the rock in the foreground.

View or order a print of "Old Hwy 40 At Night"

These Also Make Great Large Prints

Both of these images are available as fine art prints, and both happen to be especially good candidates for going big. The fireworks shot has that punchy contrast — deep blacks against vivid color — that really comes alive as a metal print. Metal brings out the glow and saturation in a way canvas can't quite match, and it holds up well in a mountain home where humidity and temperature swing around.

The panorama is a different story: since it's stitched from multiple frames, the file is extremely high-resolution, which means it can be printed very large without losing any detail — think a feature wall above a fireplace or a long hallway. It works well as a canvas for a warmer, more traditional feel, or as metal if you want that wide sweep of the Milky Way and the valley lights to really pop. It's also available as a more traditional framed print if that suits your space better.

All of my prints — canvas, metal, and framed — are available in oversized dimensions well beyond what you'll see in a typical print shop. If you're not sure what size or material is right for your wall, I'm happy to help you figure it out — just reach out through my contact page, or browse sizing options directly on each print's product page above.

Bonus: Video From the Ledge

Here's a quick Reel I shot from the same spot right before the fireworks started:

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Scott Thompson (@scottshotsphoto)

Thanks for looking, and I hope you're having a great day!

Scott Thompson
www.truckeetahoephotos.com