Monumental Crossings & Reflections
The Washington Monument shares its reflection upon the still waters of a winter morning.
The Washington Monument shares its reflection upon the still waters of a winter morning.
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Mar, 2014Views
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Awards
Top Shot Award 21
Summer 2020
Contest Finalist in 500 Reflections Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Biggest Photofocus Photo Contest
Superb Composition
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
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Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
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One Of A Kind
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Behind The Lens
Location
Washington, DCTime
I took this shot in early February at about 7:30 a.m. It was a brutally cold morning…probably less than 15 degrees Fahrenheit with about a 15 MPH wind.Lighting
I work in Washington and love to bring my camera gear with me from time to time because just about ANY morning with some degree of cloud cover almost guarantees capturing an incredible variety of color saturations using "dawn's early light" as your only option (and there is nothing better!). As with many of my images in my Washington, DC gallery on my website (www.thunderstruckimages.com), I like to take a five-shot HDR composition in order to take advantage of the rich colors and depth offered by using this technique.Equipment
I used a Canon 5D MIII with a Canon 17-40mm f4 L series lens (with a CP filter) mounted on a (packable) MeFoto tripod.Inspiration
I had actually good the day off from work to shoot some homes in the DC area for one of the areas best interior designers, so thought I'd go into town early (mainly to beat the traffic) and try to get some shots of landmarks other then the US Capitol building. I see many of these incredible landmarks several times per week, but I rarely have time to slow down and truly appreciate just how incredible they are and what they represent. When I came upon this scene (I could barely feel my fingers by then), I just new that the reflections of the contrails and of the Washington Monument on the lake along with the early morning colors was going to result in a keeper.Editing
As previously mentioned, this is a 5-shot HDR composition. For post, I exported the shots from Lightroom 5 to Nik Software's HDR Efex Pro 2 for processing/editing.In my camera bag
The love of my life- my Canon 5D MIII, a Canon 17-40mm f4 L series and 70-200mm f2.8 IS USM L series lens, three extra batteries, a Marumi CP and ND filter, a IR remote shutter release, a Lens Pen, and a tripod.Feedback
To capture "something similar," I suggest the following rules of engagement: 1) set your camera to manual mode with an ISO no higher than 100 and with the aperture set to no larger than f16; 2) set the shutter for timed release and for at least three exposures, 5 is better; 3) mount your camera on a tripod and try to frame your shot using the Rule of Thirds and/or taking advantage of "leading lines" (see the contrail reflections drawing the eye into the photo); 4) use Live View to zoom in and manually focus on a distant object (using a higher f-stop with ensure focus throughout); and, 5) take several sets of shots when presented with one of those "once in a lifetime" settings - you don't want to get home only to realize your shots are out of focus or the composition is poor. Finally, try not to "over-edit": keep your image as close to natural as you can. I don't even own Photoshop; using a program to "make" a great shot takes all of the true passion and spirit out of capturing the moment "in" the moment that God presented you with.
