This photo was taken at the height of the oil onslaught following the Deepwater Rig explosion and spill. I rented a boat with another photographer at dawn, and we began looking for the impact of the oil spill on the small islands near Grand Isle. After walking through several yards of oil and mud, I spotted this hard hat sitting in a giant pock of oil. Although the hard hat was not from workers aboard the Deepwater rig, it helps remind viewers of the 11 workers who died and 17 others who were injured in the explosion