This pyrotechnics expert turned his Minnesota backyard into a DIY fireworks testing ground
Ken Miller designs smoke displays for NFL games and air shows, but he tests his most destructive creations at home.

Good smoke volume, Miller says, “is the result of the correct mix of chemicals and confinement.” He creates a dense and tactile quality—which sometimes makes plumes look like billowing velvet—by compacting his explosives (here it’s red dye, sugar, and potassium chlorate) just the right amount. Kevin Cooley
You see Ken Miller’s smoke displays at NFL games and air shows. What you don’t see are the explosions, DIY rockets, and smoldering craters that speckle his Minnesota farm. His personal pyrotechnic experiments don’t belong on the 50 yard line or in anyone’s backyard.

Hot rod

Trial and error

Rocket man

Go or no go

Fountain

Night shift

Pack of smokes

Hell hole

Cloud and clear

Dry heat