Photography: Hazy, Humid Sunrise

The sun rises over the Lincoln Memorial at 6:53am on Sunday morning. This photo was taken from the Netherlands Carillon.

This time of year, the sun aligns with the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and Capitol. I usually hope for a hazy or foggy day so that I can photograph the sun in the sky over the monuments without under-exposing the monuments and foreground. Usually, the rising sun is so bright it is difficult to capture in a photograph while properly exposing the rest of the surrounding scenery. Fog and haze can serve as an atmospheric filter to the camera, dimming the sun's light to allow the surrounding area to expose in the photograph, even while the sun is facing the camera's lens. With Sunday morning's humid and hazy conditions, everything aligned perfectly for a unique sunrise photograph.

Keep reading for a photo of the sun emerging from behind the Lincoln and a dawn photo.

The sun emerges from behind the Lincoln Memorial. This photo was taken from the Netherlands Carillon at 6:52am.

Dawn breaks Sunday morning. This photo was taken from the Netherlands Carillon at 6:13am.