Fireworks Over the Potomac

Alexandria, Virginia celebrates its founding with fireworks on the Saturday after the Fourth of July. A riverside patio is an ideal viewpoint. Years of mixed success have taught me to spend only a small portion of the show shooting a few photographs. I want to enjoy the evening breezes, the flashes of color, the whizzes, bangs and pops. Last July, I came home with just a few images, all underwhelming. For fun, I experimented with filters and tried balancing the light this way or that. Surprise! My image suddenly looked the way it felt to be there! I try to adhere to reality in the photos I post, but perhaps, sometimes, it takes more than that to capture an experience.