'Boom City' takes a beautiful look inside your Fourth of July fireworks

Typically, fireworks are celebrated for their explosive beauty, but Seattle-based photographer Andrew Waits has found another way to enjoy them: by cutting them in half. In a series titled "Boom City," Waits presents a number of workaday fireworks you might find in your local seasonal shop — everything from Roman candles to pop-its, the wadded-up pieces of paper you throw at the ground for a quick bang. Most have been meticulously cut down the middle, displaying the different layers of colorful explosives that are just waiting for a lit fuse to make your Fourth of July celebrations a little more sensational.

A few of Waits' best examples are presented here; head over to his site for the full gallery.

All photos courtesy Andrew Waits