Labor Day Weekend at VMI

Stonewall Jackson and the setting sun

Over Labor Day weekend, I returned to one of my favorite photographic subjects, the Virginia Military Institute located in Lexington, VA. It was fun watching the upper class cadets start to mold the new cadets into VMI citizen soldiers.  The sky was cloudy or overcast for most of the weekend, so I focused most of my shots before sunrise or after sunset to capture the "blue" sky rather than a white overcast.

Jackson Memorial Hall

Virginia Military Institute

Cadet Battery

A "Rat" gets some extra instruction

Morning Formation

Virginia Military Institute

While in Lexington, Virginia over Labor Day weekend, I made an early Saturday morning trip to the Virginia Military Institute Post.  Even at the early hour of 6 AM, the cadets were quite active, especially new cadets living on the 4th (top) floor of Barracks.

VMI Old Barracks

Cadets streaming out of Barracks for morning formation

Cadet walking past Jackson Memorial Hall

VMI Cadet Battery

VMI Cadet Battery

Claude Moore Park Photo Expo

I am pleased to announce that a couple of my photographs and three of my daughter's will be shown in the 4th Annual Claude Moore Park Photography Exposition.  If you are in the Northern Virginia area this weekend (September 18th and 19th) , I hope you will stop by and view these and all the images of the local photographers.

Being shown at the Expo include an image of an Eastern Box Turtle that I captured at Balls Bluff Regional Park.

Eastern Box Turtle, Accepted into juried show

I am very pleased that my image of the cadet cannons at Virginia Military Institute received Honorable Mention in the Advanced History and Heritage Category.

VMI Cadet Cannons, Honorable Mentioned, History and Heritage Category

For the 2nd year in a row, my daughter earned more, or at least better, ribbons than I did at the expo.  Her image of Great Falls received 2nd place in the Youth Nature's Backyard Category.

Great Falls, 2nd Place, Youth Nature's Backyard Category

In addition, her image of a Butterfly at Brookside Gardens was accepted into the show in the Youth Winged Wonders Category.

Butterfly on Pink, Accepted into juried show