Damsels in Distress

Damsels in Distress

This is the photograph that really started it all for me…

I used to spend every Fourth of July in Washington, D.C.   A group of friends and I would arrive on the mall in the morning.  We would  stake out some territory near the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial, which would allow us a wonderful view of the magnificent fireworks extravaganza that would follow in the evening.

We were surrounded by thousands of people and interesting things going on, and of course, I noticed the small twig breaching the surface of the reflecting pool, covered by blue damselflies.  They were perched so delicately on the puny stick.  The water was so still, creating a perfect surface for reflection.  The image was taken hand held (What did I know about tripods??? – -I had just started to learn about this photography stuff!), on film.  The lack of sharpness resulting from not using a tripod and the scanning process will keep this image out of competition, but it still remains one of my all -time favorites!