On the Sept 22, we were supposed to get a beautiful harvest moon rising over the Capitol and then across the National Mall. This supposedly happens only twice a year, so when weather prevented me from getting the shot, I was very disappointed. (See my 9/23 blog entry.) However, I had heard that the moonrise changes only a half a degree or so each day. So, I figured that just two days later I should be able to get a very similar shot.

Unfortunately, since the sky is so large, a mere 1 degree can make a really big difference. When I went to the Washington Monument on Sept 24, we still had a harvest moon and it was gorgeous, but it rose over a bunch of trees—nowhere near the Capitol.

Nonetheless, another night out on the Mall at sunset is never wasted. I got some great shots from the Washington Monument of the Lincoln Memorial.

I used a telephoto lens to take this shot. A telephoto lens compresses things, reducing the apparent distance between objects. Here you can see Arlington, Virginia, which looks like it’s right behind the Lincoln Memorial rather than being completely on the other side of the Potomac River. You can also see that the very long Reflecting Pool looks very short.

Sunset over the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington, VA

I love the purple in the following two photos. I suppose that I have a special affinity for evening shots. I love how at night, the lighting can be quite dramatic.

Lincoln Memorial and Arlington, VA, at dusk

The lights at the bottom of the following photo are from the World War II Memorial.

An Evening at the Lincoln Memorial Besides the Lincoln Memorial, I had a great view of the Capitol from the Washington Monument. The white tents are for the National Book Festival that took place the following weekend.

The Capitol at dusk with preparations for the National Book Festival

I think you can only get these deep blue skies at dusk. I really like it.