Sunday, June 20, 2010

The Majestic Colors of Washington DC

My husband photographed the Washington Monument on a cold November morning at just the right time to capture both the colors of the sunrise while the lighting on the Monument still makes it stand out against the sky.
The flags ring the base of the Washington Monument, with the colors of the sunrise visible even through the windows of the Capitol dome in the distance.
This is one of our favorite photos. On my husband's early morning November walk down the Mall, he took this photo across the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial. The first rays of sunrise light bathed the mist created by the cold morning air over the warmer water, even illuminating the breath of the solitary man on the far side.
We went to Washington last November because my husband was speaking at a conference there. Some noisy high school kids on a trip from Greece to Washington woke us up in our hotel. I suggested Dave that he go take some sunrise photos of the monuments while I stayed warm in bed and went back to sleep. Above are the first rays of light streaking into the Lincoln Memorial.
Abraham Lincoln saw the light. Dave was able to take all of these photos and still make it back to the hotel for 8:30 a.m. professional meetings. I wonder which part of his morning was more productive?
Here is the larger scene of the photos shown above. Sunrise is the best time to visit the Lincoln Memorial, for the morning light from the east and because the crowds have not yet arrived, making in a much more solemn and contemplative place.
Dave lived just a few blocks from here when he went to college at George Washington University, where he also got his Master's Degree. He worked for Members of Congress in Washington from 1971 - 1982, so we always enjoy going back to D.C. to visit museums, monuments, and see old friends.
This is a view from the Washington Monument grounds down the Mall towards the Capitol. It is the beginning of sunrise, and the street lights are still lit. The dome to the right of the Capitol dome is the Library of Congress dome. I hope you have enjoyed these photos, which try to show Washington in a little different light than the many pictures of Washington that we have seen all of our lives. Let us also hope that our government can operate in a way that is as functional and effective as the architecture of our nation's capitol is inspiring and majestic.

4 comments:

brattcat said...

I remember some of these marvelous shots from earlier posts. It's very good to see them again.

Joanne said...

Magnificient! wonderful colours...

glenda said...

These are so beautiful and so appropriate for our upcoming July 4th holiday.

Unknown said...

Absolutely amazing photos! What a fantastic set!

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