Category Archives: Featured Photo

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Spice Girls Suck!!! Miley Rules by borderstan

As a full-blooded American who was born on the Fourth of July, whose favorite memory of playing soccer as a kid is eating orange slices after the match, I have to wonder what makes you die hard fútbol fans tick.

To you Brits from across the pond, you do realize that you’re standing in your lost land?  Sure, your ball kicking skills may be slightly superior (oh wait, it was a tie), but your inferior musket loading, cannon firing, and battlefield positioning skills are spread all over the pages of history books like beans on toast.  I’ll take my apple pie and Cherry Coke any day of the week over your bland food and high tea.  The only thing you have on us Amerikuns is that sophisticated accent of yours, and the women* who speak with it.

To my fellow Americans, please, let’s just give them this one small thing shall we?  Even though we were raised to believe that we’re superior to the rest of the world in every way, we don’t have to squash their hopes every chance we get do we?  Let them win this tiny, silly game.  Just remember the following facts.  We invented McDonald’s.  We’re home to the companies that build iPods and Windows 7.  We have spacious skies and amber waves of grain from sea to shining sea.  They have the Spice Girls, and the Spice Girls suck!

* Kate Beckinsale – call me!

Featured Photo, The Features
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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of
‘Pentagon, etc’
courtesy of ‘volcanojw’

Art is a bit subjective. Modern art, doubly so. Some people look to art to make them think, others to give them a sense of peace and tranquility. When making art, it is often the things we obsess about which become our best or, at least, our most favorite.

Flickr contributor volcanojw has been obsessing about blur. Bokeh, it’s called. The term describes the quality of the out of focus areas of a picture. For many, taking bokeh to the logical conclusion and producing shots of blur like this one is frowned upon. But from where I sit, it looks pretty, peaceful, and gives a new look on our old city (click through for notes pointing out what’s what).

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Featured Photo


fare increase? by maria jpeg izaurralde

With Metro’s new fare increase, you gotta do what you gotta do to make ends meet.  Whether it’s getting a third job as oil rig repairman, as a mental coach for Stephen Strasburg, or as a medicinal marijuana distributor, it’s time for the tough to get going.  I mean do they think we’re made out of money?  Do they think not killing us is justification for charging more money for each trip?  Maybe they’ll start offering discounted fares for those of us willing to ride on top of the train or use handcars.  At this point I’m ready to start handing out the Express to wealthy passengers in the morning and then hopping on the train when my shift is over, just to break even*.  In the absence of money growing on trees, this girl has got the right idea.  I mean she has really got the right idea.

* This post has been brought to you by the word ‘sarcasm’.

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Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘julianne’s’

There’s nothing like a nice day in the park to get your photographer creativity flowing, and Dupont Circle is one of those recurring themes in our pool. And Dupont isn’t short of characters or things that make for good pictures.

But every now and then you have to take a new perspective on the ordinary. User julianne’s got down low to get this angle of people playing chess. It’s not an angle we see often, and I like it a lot.

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Zebra by Amberture

It’s one thing to snap a few pictures here and there, but when you come up with an idea for a series and actually execute it, you’ve stepped your game up a notch.  Case in point, Flickrite Amberture has created a series in which she has every day people, including family members and coworkers, dress up in animal masks.  By wearing the masks, her subjects’ mundane tasks become interesting and cause you to look at their environment in a whole new way.  Are we much different than caged zoo animals, forced to sit at our desks for 8+ hours a day?  They should arrange field trips for school kids, parading them around our cube farms, pointing out the different species.  “Hey look kids!  It’s a pinstriped lawyer stalking her prey.  She can spend months or even years preparing for the kill.  And over there in that cube, hiding behind the computer screen and stacks of O’Reilly books, is the wild and wooly systems administrator.  Don’t get too close to him or that smelly sucker will bite your head off!  OK, who wants ice cream?”

If you have an idea for a photography project, no matter how wacky it may be, your friends and family are likely to help.  Creating a series can help inspire your photography, build your skill level, and motivate you to get out there and shoot.  And on that note, I’ve gotta get back to cleaning up my fellow zoo animals’ dung before feeding time.

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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘Michael DeAngelis || mdeangelis.net’

Featured Photo is a day late this week, mostly so we could get you our Metro round table wrap up in a timely fashion. That reflects in no way upon this week’s Featured Photo.

The color red is very eye catching. So much so that many people in photography point out that if you see something red, you should stop and take the shot. I think that’s a pretty good rule, often better than most other photographic rules. It often works, but not solely because of the inclusion of the color red.

The photo above by Michael DeAngelis is more than about that red wall. The composition of the shot tells a story. Or, rather, several stories — like a pick your own ending adventure book. Even in black and white, the composition is strong enough to carry the day.

Just because there is an established photographic rule, doesn’t mean that blind obedience to it will result in a good picture. Composition, story telling, those thousand words, they need to be present to make a good shot.

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4.29.10 by moxie.marmalade

It’s summer now, right?  What, this is spring?  You could have fooled me.  It’s as if we jumped straight from winter into the sweltering days of summer with only a few enjoyable days in between.  The good news is that Mother Nature wasn’t fooled as many flowers are in bloom across our region.  While this beautiful calla lily may have been found in a bucket at the Penn Quarter Farmers Market, I saw many flowers as I toured the area this weekend.  Mount Vernon’s gardens were filled screaming kids and loads of colorful blooms.  The roses in the Bishop’s Garden at the National Cathedral weren’t as abundant as I’ve seen them, but there were some beauties there for sure.  And at Fort Reno Park (the highest natural elevation in DC) and the National Arboretum, buttercups covered the ground like a sea of gold.

While not necessary, the best way to photograph flowers is with a macro lens.  The photograph above was taken with a Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro lens, showing us the details of the calla lily and throwing the background out of focus for some beautiful bokeh.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go turn up my air conditioner and pour myself a sweaty glass of iced tea.  Let me know when the temperature is down to 75 degrees and the humidity is gone.

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Photo courtesy of
‘Earth Day 5’
courtesy of ‘erin m’

We get a lot of pictures of objects, places, bits and bobs at We <3 DC. What we don't get a lot of are pictures of people. Stories of people. One of the reasons I like to highlight photographs of people is the story behind the person and the photograph. Erin M wandered down to the Mall while the Earth Day festivities were going on this weekend. She decided she’d find interesting people, shoot them, and ask a couple of questions. And while the whole set is interesting, this picture sums up Earth Day pretty well. From the composition and cropping to the subjects, their hula-hoops and bare feet, the feel of this picture is less modern day Washington and more summer of love Woodstock.

So go out there, with your camera and some time on your hands. Say hello to a stranger, start a conversation, find part of their story. And share it with us all.

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Featured Photo


Barber Shop by Give Me a Vote!

While I generally shy away from featuring photos with watermarks, I readily made an exception for this one.  This photo by Joshua Cogan depicts a lot more than an oddly placed giant hand in a barber’s chair.  It’s part of a creative project by Albus Cavus and DC Vote called “Give Me a Vote!”  If you’re a resident of the District then you should be well aware of the fact that we pay taxes just like every other “state” does, yet somehow we lack full congressional representation.  In a country founded on liberty and just for all, one full of promise and Hope, our leaders tend to look the other way when it comes our voting rights.  In an effort to raise awareness, Give Me a Vote! will be placing these big hands across the city to represent our lack of a “voting arm”.  To quote from their website:

“Give Me a Vote! comments on the lack of democratic process available to DC residents. The voting arms represent new hope, and symbolize DC residents requesting the opportunity to practice one of their basic rights as U.S. citizens.  We aim to attract the attention of and promote action from DC residents who support DC democracy.”

You can even take an active part in this project by designing and adopting a sculpture to display in your home or business.  Eventually our collective voice will be heard and one day we’ll have representation just like the rest of the country.  That said, I’m also a fan of the alternative, that is, you keep your vote and we’ll keep our taxes.

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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of
‘the meet cute’
courtesy of ‘(afm)’

Street photography takes many forms and is done for many reasons. This shot looks like a private eye tailing one of the two, as if to document an illicit love affair. The subjects certainly look like they aren’t aware of anything around them, much less the camera. And the processing just adds to the feeling of someone hiding behind a mailbox, peeking above it to get the shot.

There’s a fair bit of street photography in our pool, and I encourage you to get out there and to that body of work.

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Featured Photo


Woman Watching PDA by Matt.Dunn

When the drab days of winter finally yield to the refreshing days of spring, we see a transformation in our fine city.  The gray skies turn blue, the barren trees sprout leaves and flowers, and people swap their grumpy attitudes with feelings of love.  It makes you wonder, why is spring such a catalyst for love?  Does warmer weather encourage the production of hormones?  Is it because members of the opposite sex are wearing less clothing?  Or is there just something in the air?  Whatever the answer, there seems to be an awful lot of love going on in our Flickr pool.  We have people loving their cameras behind the bushes, gorillas spooning at the zoo, people loving their pooches, couples getting it on under the cherry blossoms, people hooking up on the ice, and even people making out where they’re supposed to, in a Make Out Room.  The couple above, clearly victims of love, just can’t get enough of each other.  But if Cupid’s springtime arrow hasn’t pierced your heart just yet, as may be the case for their onlooker, I have but one piece of advice for you: find a mate, don’t hate.

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Photo courtesy of
‘Stranger 100 – Jacob’
courtesy of ‘jim_darling’

Taking portraits isn’t easy. Taking portraits of strangers is even more difficult. Doing that one hundred times seems like a Sisyphean task: finding just the right subject; working up the courage; approaching them; getting rejected; trying with another; getting them comfortable; taking the shot, then another. Endless and repetitive. Many people start projects like the 100 Strangers to try and get some inspiration. Some do it without much thought, as if the mere act of getting the shot is enough to make them good. Some become bored and abandon their projects midway. But a few think (and over think) their project, and they learn from it as they go. The latter is exactly why I’m featuring Jim Darling‘s 100th stranger.

It’s not about the shot itself, which is a good portrait. It’s about the journey and the entire work taken as a whole. If you’ve got some time, go and take a look at the slideshow of all 100 portraits. You can see Jim’s style evolve as he wandered DC and other locales to get the next stranger.

“At #22 I discovered that this project could really be something,” Jim wrote. “And by #44 I was finding that I really cared about the art of the portrait. Granted they weren’t all winners, and sometimes when I thought a location or event would garner something inspiring, it just didn’t quite make it.”

As he shot these strangers’ portraits, Jim also got to be a part of their lives. Sometimes, only for those few minutes that it takes to get the shot, but sometimes he’s become friends with his strangers. Maybe tonight, on your way home or at the bar, you might consider having a brief conversation with a stranger. You never know where it will lead.

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Pizza Bagel by Chris DiGiamo

Ah, times sure have changed haven’t they?  This photo immediately reminded me of a modern day Normal Rockwell painting.  Rockwell often based his historic paintings on photographs, manipulating the scene with his brush however he saw fit.  So I wonder, how would he have treated this subject?  Surely the boy’s checkered shirt and overalls would stay, but how about the ugly American cars in the background?  I’m guessing those would be replaced by classic buggies or removed altogether.  The three dollar yuppie juice would likely have its place taken by an old fashioned bottle of Coca-Cola or perhaps a cherry-topped chocolate malt.  And the vegan pizza bagel?  Well I don’t think vegans existed back in Rockwell’s day, so instead I’d guess the boy’s face would shine with grease from a delicious burger.  Alas, for better or for worse, America as we once knew it is long gone.

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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of
‘The Lockhouse at Lock #10’
courtesy of ‘andertho’

If you didn’t read the title of this picture, you might not have noticed the lock house at first. It doesn’t catch your eye, hiding in the trees. A different take on the phrase “cannot see the forest for the trees.” The lock house stands at lock #10 on the C&O canal.

Andertho went for this old look processing and hit the spot. It looks old, spooky, and a little haunted. I like the look, and it makes me want to head out and explore the locks and trail on the C&O, again. Maybe once it’s dry.

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Kid & Gorilla by architeuthis dux

A great photo can evoke many emotions from the viewer, much like the one above.  My first reaction was, “Awww, look at the cute kid at the zoo.”  Do you remember those days, when your parents or siblings took you to the zoo and you couldn’t believe your eyes?  How amazing was it that there was a magical place full of animals that you’d only seen in your books and on TV?  Oh and the only things to eat at this place are snow cones and cotton candy?!  Nice knowing you Mom and Dad.  I’m coming to live here with the elephants and tigers.  I appreciate all that you’ve done for me but the zoo is a bazillion times cooler than our house and I can poop wherever I want to!

My next thought after I’d looked at this photo for a while was, “Damn I feel so sorry for zoo animals, particularly the intelligent ones like the gorillas.”  There aren’t too many things that separate humans from primates, yet somehow it’s OK to keep them locked up in a cage for their entire life.  I know that zoos help protect endangered species and educate the public about animals, but that doesn’t keep me from wanting to let them loose into their natural habitat.

And my my final though, or rather my question, is which of these two creatures is more intelligent?  A 10+ year old gorilla or a wee little toddler?  I bet they’d both rather be on the opposite side of the glass.

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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of
‘the moon.’
courtesy of ‘erin m’

When I spotted this picture in the pool last night, I knew it had to be the featured photo for the week. As you might have noticed, we have a thing for the Statue of Freedom sitting atop the Capitol (if you haven’t noticed, look at the logo).

Erin has been taking pictures of the moon rising from and around the Capitol grounds for a few years now. Each is stunning, and in some ways iconic. We see a lot of shots of monuments and official buildings in our photo pool. Most are good pictures, even if we’ve seen the like of them before. But the moon rising over the Capitol dome is special, requiring dedication and timing to get. And we love rewarding good effort, around here.

Adams Morgan, Featured Photo
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Featured Photo


2010-02-19 AdamsMorgan Time Series Pano – 20×30 by m hoek

When I think of Adams Morgan, I think of twenty year old kids drinking enough cheap alcohol to bring themselves to the brink of death.  I think of Big Slice with the smell of puke and hookah drifting through the air.  I think of breakfast at The Diner, coffee at Tryst, and the occasional dinner at Cashion’s.  No offense to those who love Adams Morgan, but if it ceased to exist, I wouldn’t shead a tear.

The great thing about today’s Featured Photo is that it encompasses nearly all of the memories I have in my head about this particular part of DC.  I recommend that you look at the big version to get a better look at all of the images that went into making this montage.  I love that you can see the different personalities of Adams Morgan, from the sober girl drinking coffee, to the woman carrying her groceries, to the stretch limo (which no doubt is carrying a gaggle of drunk bachelorettes with penis-shaped lollipops), to the lack of parking, to the flattened pizza box on the sidewalk.  This is Adams Morgan in all of its glory.

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Photo courtesy of
‘Bender! On the orange line!’
courtesy of ‘Karon’

There’s a lot of snow out there. Lots and lots of snow. And there’s lots and lots of snow pictures in our pool. No, really, go look. Since everyone and their brother is doing snow, I thought we’d take a look at what wasn’t covered in snow.

Karon rode Metro for the 15 minutes it was running last week and stumbled across everyone’s favorite “alcoholic, whore-mongering, chain-smoking gambler” robot: Bender from Futurama!

But what was Bender doing riding our lowly Orange line? Was he here to make sweet love to the Metro fare card machines? Maybe he’s decided he needed a new form of transportation and is studying our advanced 6000-series rail cars?

Turns out, he’s just a costume for the woman that’s toting him around. She made him for Katsucon, which was held over the weekend. Anyone go? What’d you think?

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fling by mennyj

As I write this, the mild winter sun illuminates the pale blue Phoenix sky and warms the earth to a perfect 74 degrees.  Retired people wearing athletic gear and sun visors pass by my window in their electric golf carts, either on their way to the 1st hole or on their way home from the 19th hole.  With nary a breeze in the air, the statuesque palm trees stand tall and perfectly still.  Yet what you may be most envious of are the copious amounts of bread, eggs, and milk within a five minute drive.  Despite the circumstances that brought me here to the desert, life is good.

As you read this, your electricity may be out, your car may be stuck in a snow drift, and you may be out of milk and bread.  As you “work from home”, city workers are doing their best to clear the roads, restore your power, and keep things in order.  The city’s budget goes further into the red as more of the white stuff comes down, but what I’m most jealous of is all of the fun that I’m missing out on.  As a native Coloradan, I grew up in a blizzard and wish I could be there with you building igloos, throwing snowballs, and launching your kid into a snow bank.

The snow is always whiter on the other side of the fence, isn’t it?

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Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘erin m’

The Shadow started with the immortal question, “who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?” Who knows? Well, only the Shadow, it would seem.

For some reason, that line popped right into my head as I looked at this almost sinister shot. Here is where the beloved Zamboni goes to plot its eventual smoothing of the ice. A place of rest, mostly dark and gloomy.

It took some plotting to get this shot: erin_m waited until everyone was distracted by the snow and snuck her way into the Zamboni shed at the National Gallery of Art sculpture garden skating rink. I think the effort and uniqueness, not to mention the sinister moodiness, qualifies this as a damn good photo.