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John Caplis Photography

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Sunrise over the National Mall During the Spring Equinox

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The Spring Equinox is a special time for photographers in the Washington, D.C. area.  This is due to the east-west alignment of the National Mall and the sun rising due east and setting due west on the horizon during the spring and fall equinoxes,.   The Netherlands Carilion Bell Tower at the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington, Virginia is a well known photo spot for photographing the full moon when it rises due east on the horizon over the National Mall, due to its spectacular view that features an alignment of the Mall’s most iconic landmarks.  This same principle applies here for sunrises on the days leading up to and immediately after the equinox.  I recently made a trip down to this spot on March 23, 2025 to photograph the morning twilight and sunrise behind the U.S. Capitol.   

The Photographer’s Ephemeris (TPE) screenshot showing times for civil twilight (6:40 am) and sunrise (7:07 am at 87 degrees on the horizon) and the alignment of the sunrise (gold line) with landmarks on the National Mall.  

 

Once I arrived at the Bell Tower, I went to shoot a quick image of the beautiful twilight sky over the National Mall.  I like this particular spot due to the good separation and spacing between the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, at the Capitol dome.

Morning Twilight, 6:30 am, 270 mm.   What a beautiful red sky against the well lit landmarks!

 

I then used the Augmented Reality tool in the Photopills app to fine tune my location in front of the bell tower for the sunrise.  I had to move about thirty feet to the left from my twilight location to make sure the sun first appeared slightly to the left of the Capitol.   This new location closed the spacing between the landmarks, but gave enough space that the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument were just beginning to overlap.  More importantly, it ensured the sun would begin to rise on the left edge of the Capitol dome.

Pointing the camera in my iphone toward the National Mall,, I was able to see where the sun would be rising in relationship to the landmarks in the scene from where I set my camera up using the Photopills app.  From where I set up my camera (you can see my lens at the bottom of the image), the sun should follow the diagonal line and rise somewhere between Washington Monument and the Capitol.  Keeping my fingers crossed as there can be a small margin of error between what your phone shows and the exact location where things actually happen, but its pretty close.

 

The following is my series of images for the sunrise over the U.S. Capitol!   The first three images are a combination of two exposures for the overall scene and the sun’s disc.   

The sun appears! 7:08 am  

 

7:09 am.    Love the sun bursting through the windows of the Capitol dome.

 

7:11 am

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7:14 am.    I was surprised that most of the other photographers had already packed up and were leaving when I took this image. It is a single shot exposed to give a smooth transition from the sun to the rest of the scene, which makes most everything else appear dark, creating a nice contrast of shadowy silhouettes and highlights in the trees.

 

I love how the light and colors change over such a short period of time between twilight and sunrise.

 

 

 

Related Images:

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March Worm Full Moon Rises Over the National Mall

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Worm Full Moon Over the National Mall

 

The full moon in March is sometimes referred to as the “Worm Moon”.   As the last full moon of winter, it signifies the transition from winter to spring, coming two weeks before the spring equinox.  It’s named for the thawing ground, as new worm tracks can now be seen in the soil.   For members of the Christian faith, it is also called the “Lenten” moon, and signifies the fasting season of Lent that precedes the Easter.  In this image, the Worm Full Moon rises over the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol, with light streaks from passing cars on the Arlington Memorial Bridge, which spans the Potomac River and connects the District of Columbia with Northern Virginia.  This image also captures another notable event on the National Mall, as the Capitol building is surrounded by scaffolding while the building exterior undergoes renovations.  

Related Images:

IMG_9268 IMG_9293_4_5_tonemapped IMG_9313_4_5_tonemapped IMG_9327 IMG_9335_6_7_tonemapped IMG_9396 IMG_9439_40_41_tonemapped