Washington Monument Reflection 10-10-2026

Back in 2019, we spent 4th of July week exploring Washington, D.C. After walking through the Lincoln Memorial, I turned around and saw a classic perspective lined up directly ahead. The National Mall was packed with holiday visitors, but from the memorial steps, the scene opened up into clean symmetry. It was an iconic view of the Washington Monument that I knew I had to capture before moving on.

I framed the monument dead-center between the tree canopies, letting the clear summer sky balance the vertical height of the obelisk. Midday sunlight illuminated the stonework and cast an elongated, rippling reflection straight down the center of the pool. The deep green tree line along both banks draws your eye inward, while the subtle turquoise and blue water tones give the composition a crisp, calm feel despite the summer heat. It turned out to be one of my favorite straightforward landscape shots from that entire trip.