Matthew Hayes

I love going down to the Alexandria waterfront when the fog is thick on the Potomac in the early morning. There are always lots of things to photograph anyway down there but to me the fog adds that extra something special.

Here I was trying to convey the sense of peacefulness and quiet of the early morning.

(Where was this taken?)

Vietnam Reflections

This might be a bit cliched, but I still like it. For me the names of our honored dead with the reflection of the Washington Monument says a lot about where we have been and where we are going as a nation. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a powerful place, especially early on a winter's morning without anyone else around.

(Where was this taken?)

Spider on Tulip

I caught this little guy on a neighbor's tulip one spring day. The wind was blowing so I took a number of shots in rapid succession and only this one really came out.

What I love most about the image, even more than the spider itself, are the shadows of its legs on the petal. It took me some time before I realized what they were, and I feel it really adds to the overall depth of the image.

Unknown

Before I move on from black and white images, I wanted to post this one, which has meant a great deal to me. I was out shooting at the Netherlands Carillion early one morning and decided to wander over to Arlington National Cemetery, which is right next door. As I walked along the path near an old section of the cemetery, the morning light splashed across this headstone making is light up and leaving the others in shadow. Here lies an unknown - not the more famous Unknown at Arlington. They are unknown as to name, as to gender, as to how they lived, and as to how they died. Truly known only to God.

(Where was this taken?)

Budding Photographer

My wife prefers the color version of this image, but I really like this blue toned monochrome.

Toes and Binky

Staying with the black and white theme for this weekend, I am putting up an image I took a few years back. This is a shot of Duncan's foot (he was 10 months old at the time) and his trusty binky. This was one of my very first black and white images.

"The Three Soldiers"

This is my first blog entry of my own personal images. I have resolved this year (year defined by my photo club's calendar year starting in September) to put myself out there more with my photography. I have been taking pictures but have not been sharing pictures. Maybe that was because my photography was a personal creative outlet; maybe it was just fear. Fear can be a trap. Thus I am resolved to do more to try to get what I like out there, come what may - good or bad.

So anyway, here is my first posting of an image that I have taken recently. This is from the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial down on The National Mall in Washington, DC. I was out shooting there in the evening after a rain shower. I was drawn to this spot and this image because of the rain. It was hot and muggy, and I could almost imagine the feeling of stepping out of a jungle with sweat pouring off my face. The image of this soldier to me captured that feeling.

(Where was this taken?)