Washington, DC Favorites

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Scott Thomas Photography

Thought I would end this week with a few favorites from last week’s trip to Washington, DC.  I will add shooting tips to the challenges I faced in hopes of helping other traveling photographers.

I will start with the reason for our trip to Washington, DC which was to visit with my daughter, Krystal, who was completing a business trip for the Theodore Roosevelt Center and was able to spend some time with us.

A young woman in front of a flowering Japanese wisteria tree on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

Krystal in front of a flowering Japanese wisteria tree on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/125s, f/4.8, ISO 720, EV +0.3, 62mm focal length.

Not much photographically challenging here but I could not find out what kind of tree Krystal was in front of.  They were all over Washington.  I thought I saw the same tree on Nye’s recent post about the Biltmore Estate.  A quick email exchange confirmed the trees to be the Japanese Wisteria.  Thanks, Nye!

The night I re-shot the Lincoln Memorial from the World War II Memorial, we got there early and I took my favorite photo of the beautiful WWII memorial using a set of five photos to create this HDR image. The real challenge here was waiting for people to move away long enough to take the photos.  It took a few tries. 🙂

World War II National Memorial in Washington, DC.

World War II National Memorial in Washington, DC. Nikon D700/28-300VR, f/16, ISO 200, EV 0, 28mm focal length, tripod, HDR Image.

The day we visited the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, I took many photos of the animals on exhibit.  None more interesting than this Orangutan who was calmly enjoying the warm Spring day as everyone was watching him.

Orangutan hanging out at the National Zoo in Washington, DC.

Orangutan hanging out at the National Zoo in Washington, DC. Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/125s, f/5.6, ISO 560, EV -0.3, 250mm focal length, spot metering.

There is a lot going on here.  He was in shade with bright sunshine behind him which required me to switch to spot metering to get a correct exposure on his face. That in turn blew out much of the background.  In a studio this is called a High Key portrait. Even with all its flaws, it is still one of my favorites from the trip.  Maybe some heavy duty photo manipulation could save this.

We took a tour of the U. S. Capitol building and the new Capitol Visitor Center is an outstanding historical museum. It details how the building was built over the centuries and the men and women who helped to mold the United States inside it in displays, informational signs, photographs and interactive computer stations.  Even if you do not take the tour, I would recommend stopping here for the exhibits.  It’s free!

Ceiling above the US Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC.

Apotheosis of Washington in the eye of the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol was painted in the true fresco technique by Constantino Brumidi in 1865. Nikon D700/Tokina 11-16mm, 1/60s, f/6.3, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 15mm focal length.

The big challenge here was to photograph the inside of the huge dome in the U. S. Capitol’s rotunda.  I put on the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens which I can use on my full frame Nikon D700 dSLR camera as wide as 15mm. I could not stand in the exact center as that is reserved for Congressmen to walk through.  I liked how this off center composition came out anyway.

The last building we visited was the Library of Congress.  I did not do any research beforehand as it was not on our initial list of places to see.  I was pleasantly blown away by the beauty of the Great Hall in the Thomas Jefferson building of the Library.

The Great Hall inside the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.

The Great Hall inside the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. Nikon D700/Tokina 11-16mm, f/8, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 16mm focal length, bean bag, HDR Image.

To capture the grandeur of the Great Hall, I again used the Tokina wide angle lens and took a set of 7 bracketed photos to cover the range of light.  No tripods or monopods are allowed in the Library of Congress so I used a bean bag on a marble pedestal to steady the camera as it took photos with shutter speeds ranging from 1/25th of a second to 2.5 seconds.

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A War Forgotten

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Scott Thomas Photography

The Korean War Veterans Memorial was very different than the Vietnam Veterans Memorial we visited earlier this week.  The Vietnam Memorial was more personal with the names of all those soldiers lost in the conflict.

As I entered the Korean memorial, I walked along another black reflective wall. This time there was only shadowy faces looking back at me.  Hard to focus on them as they seemed to be placed randomly from top to bottom. Across from the wall was a squad of soldiers making their way through swampy terrain somewhere on the Korean peninsula.  Maybe a rice paddy. They had on rain gear which covered them and any gear they were carrying. However, that is not what I remember most about them. I remember the faces.  Haunting they were and almost ghost-like in their appearance and purpose. The Korean War is often called the Forgotten War.  I will tell you now, I will never forget those faces…

Faces of the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC.After taking the top photo you see above, I walked down the other side of the soldiers.  I was again concentrating on the faces when I saw the reflections of the soldiers in the black wall which was now behind them filling in the areas around the shadow faces of other soldiers.  The squad became an army of soldiers lost in the “police action” which accounted for over 54,000 American causalities with another 103,000 wounded.

A soldier reflected in the "Academy Black" granite of the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC.

A soldier reflected in the "Academy Black" granite of the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/60s, f/13, ISO 200, EV 0, 145mm focal length.

As a young boy, I never understood the reason for such memorials as the Korean and Vietnam ones I showed you this week.  As an older adult, I now see and understand why we have them.

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View 224: Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Scott Thomas Photography

In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, I watched the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite after supper.  Cronkite would introduce stories and maps of this area half way around the world called Southeast Asia where the Vietnam War was taking place.  He would always include the daily numbers of how many United States soldiers had been killed or wounded in Vietnam for the last day and for the entire conflict.  To me, that is what the Vietnam War was…numbers.

The Three Soldiers bronze statue overlooking the Wall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

The Three Soldiers bronze statue overlooking the Wall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/60s, f/16, ISO 200, EV 0, 50mm focal length.

I visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D. C. for the first time last week. I walked the entire length of the Wall and saw thousands of names engraved into the gabbro stone.  The numbers now had names and each name on the Wall meant a soldier had died in Vietnam.

Visitors to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial are reflected in the wall of names on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

Visitors to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial are reflected in the wall of names on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/250s, f/8, ISO 200, EV 0, 135mm focal length.

Each name a son or daughter, friend or spouse, father or mother and all loved by someone.  All missed a life beyond their military service.  Panel after panel are filled amounting to over 58,000 names. The Vietnam War will never be just numbers to me again.

Names engraved into the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

Names engraved into the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/125s, f/5.6, ISO 200, EV 0, 300mm focal length.

Most people, as I was, are not aware there are two other memorial statues which make up the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.  When the Wall was first proposed by designer Maya Lin it was a bit controversial as many wanted a sculpture of soldiers.  To satisfy the critics to the Wall, the third place design from the original competition by Fredrick Hart was chosen called The Three Soldiers.

The Three Soldiers bronze statue at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

Sculptor Fredrick Hart depicted three soldiers, purposefully identifiable as White American, African American and Hispanic American. In their final arrangement, the statue and the Wall appear to interact with each other, with the soldiers looking on in solemn tribute at the names of their fallen comrades. Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/250s, f/6.3, ISO 200, EV 0, 42mm focal length, fill flash at -1 power.

In 1993, another statue was added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in honor of the women who were a part of the conflict.  The Women’s Vietnam Memorial statue was designed by Glenna Goodacre.

Women's Vietnam Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

Women's Vietnam Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Charity is tending to the wounded soldier, Hope is looking up towards the sky and Faith (not shown) is kneeling in prayer. Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/80s, f/4.2, ISO 200, EV 0, 44mm focal length.

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Blue Hour on the Mall

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Scott Thomas Photography
The Lincoln Memorial as seen from the World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

The Lincoln Memorial as seen from the World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Nikon D700/28-300VR, 15s, f/16, ISO 200, EV 0, 190mm focal length, tripod.

Last week I discussed how I was going to re-shot a photo I took from the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC back in 2008.  Turns out the fence was still there as the reflection pool is currently drained and under construction.

Thinking about this fact all day, I came up with the solution you see above.  I found a higher location from which to photograph from to hide the fence.  The World War II Memorial was much busier than my last visit with many school groups and other tourists.  I decided to use them to add a human element to the composition.  Finally, waiting for Blue Hour really added to the colors of the memorials.

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Springtime in Washington

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Scott Thomas Photography

The unusually warm weather in March brought out the famous Washington, DC cherry blossoms much earlier than normal.  I had hoped when I was visiting this week to be able to photograph them.  Not to be deterred, I found lots of springtime color like these flowering dogwoods in front of the US Supreme Court.

Flowering Dogwoods in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, DC.

Flowering Dogwoods in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, DC. Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/125s, f/16, ISO 360, EV +0.3, 36mm focal length.

Tulips are the flower of choice currently around the capital including the White House.

Red tulips surround the water fountain in front of The White House in Washington, DC.

Red tulips surround the water fountain in front of The White House in Washington, DC. Nikon D700/28-300VR, f/16, ISO 200, EV +0.7, 44mm focal length, HDR Image.

A cool, windy morning in front of the US Capitol building kept the tulips closed as they were being blown about. Taken during the first golden hour of sunrise.

Tulips in front of the US Capitol building during the morning Golden Hour in Washington, DC.

Tulips in front of the US Capitol building during the morning Golden Hour in Washington, DC. Nikon D700/Tokina 11-16mm, f/22, ISO 200, EV -0.3, 16mm focal length, HDR Image.

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