General Grant Standing Between the Capitol and the South...er...West

I had always wondered who that figure is standing in front (actually, in back) of the Capitol Building. Recently, I went to get a closer look, and to my delight, it is General Ulysses S. Grant, the general who finally got the job done.  The tricky part of capturing this image is that Mr. Grant was not lit up, as I had anticipated.  Indeed, in contrast with the gleaming Capitol dome in the background, Mr. Grant was a blackened silhouette.  But long exposure and lighting adjustments on the mac brought him out of the darkness.

Taken with a Canon Rebel XS with an EFS 55-250mm telephoto lens, this was the in the middle of photos I captured.  (I wonder if the lights were off that night because of the government shutdown....)