Category Archives: Featured Photo

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Featured Photo

Blocking the Light Eric Spiegel

Similar to the warning on wide angle dvd cases, the black bar at the top of Eric’s photo is supposed to be there. Because if it wasn’t, your eye would not naturally be drawn to the woman in the right corner. Without it, your eye would also not notice the faint lines of the brick wall in the back ground. And without it, your eye wouldn’t notice the amazing pose that the woman is in, caught perfectly in mid-stride, with a fascinating shadow cast on the wall. It helps that the image is in black and white (and film, no less), which helps focus on the composition of the photo without the distraction of color. Much of what makes this photo so good is tied directly to these two elements. Excellent work!

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Get Exposed, DC

The Photographer pablo.raw

Despite the occasionally nonsensical restrictions, DC is a photographer’s paradise. Incredible geography, amazing sight lines, and the monuments known throughout the country, as well as all of the things that only the locals know about. This is a great place to take pictures, and there are so many who do it well. Our talented pool of Flickr users have some of the best in the city, and I have no doubt that we’ll be seeing their work in the 2013 version of DCist Exposed this Spring.

Entries are $10 and encompass up to three photos per entrant. So comb through your photos, my friends, and start your application process well ahead of the January 9th deadline. DC needs you.

All Politics is Local, Featured Photo, Life in the Capital, News, People, Special Events, The Features
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Election Flashback: Party At The White House

Whenever something big happens politically, locals always have an urge to flock to The White House. Even though President Obama was in Chicago to celebrate his victory over Mitt Romney in last night’s Presidential Election, people from all over decided that the best place for them to celebrate was at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Sure other neighborhoods celebrated with dancing and fireworks, but there’s nothing like reveling in front of the home of the President. When Obama clinched the Electoral College I grabbed my camera and drove down to see the crowds and they did not disappoint. Most of them were young, probably intoxicated college students who held up signs and climbed trees. Phones were out either for calling loved ones, taking photos, or checking in on Foursquare. Over 200 people were checked-in at The White House when I checked-in.

Here are a few images I took as I swam through the crowds.

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Featured Photo Sep 11, 2012

14th Street Bridge Flags kimberlyfaye

Kimberly Faye caught this image on 14th street, part of this year’s 9/11 remembrances. I have nothing profound to say about this day, but this image well captures where it lives in my mind at this point. A sad point in time not quite yet distant but no longer freshly raw.

Update: Tom and I independently picked the same photo about three minutes apart. Great minds, I guess.

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Featured Photo

Lincoln Memorial christopherskillman

One day two of Muggy Hazefest+Sweat I could nor resist picking Christopher Killman’s photo-painting of the Lincoln Memorial. This sense of warm fuzz surrounding everything perfectly describes my feelings about this weather. The lovely orange glow of the sun also gives a sensation of warmth that pushes the damp into an almost-toasty sense of being enfolded.

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Featured Photo

Montgomery County Agricultural Fair - Wave Rider
Montgomery County Agricultural Fair – Wave Rider
courtesy of Glyn Lowe Photoworks

Something a little different today. Glyn Lowe’s photo is more of a painting, with blown out highlights and over saturated colors. While it’s easy to go overboard with both those techniques, she’s able to balance them nicely to create a fascinating stylized image. It looks more like a impressionist painting rather than a modern photograph.

Quick note: this will be my last post for a while. I’m heading off on a mini-sabbatical to Europe for the next few months and won’t be around DC. If you’ve liked my writing, please follow me while I traipse across the Continent; I promise it will be fun, with many, many great photos. And don’t worry DC: I’ll be back (but not in the T-1000 way).

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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of TheRobbStory
Sweet Land of Liberty
courtesy of TheRobbStory

Normally an overexposed picture is not something a photographer wants. Washed out details and weird plays of light can ruin a shot. But, if done just right, an overexposed photo can add a fascinating depth too.

Take Robb’s photo above. It is a noticeably long shot; clocking in at an 8 minute exposure, it’s long even for a long exposure. With the shutter open for so long it allows the camera to pick up the entire light beams from the Capitol’s spotlights, creating a nice framing effect. Also, if you were to only take a quick glance, you’d think there were no people in the shot; but if you look closer, you’ll see the blurring effect of people’s movement at the base of the building. (Added bonus: Look really closely and you’ll see the distinct out line of a family portrait being taken.) The black and white film (yes, it is an analog shot) allows the viewer to focus more on the composition of the photo and not be distracted by any off colors. Yes, overexposed but not ruined, the shot is definitely a keeper.

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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of furcafe
0920-12Crop
courtesy of furcafe

Random sights of the city; they seem to becoming rarer and rarer. I remember growing up and driving along New York Ave and North Capitol Street, seeing unusual remnants of buildings all of the time. But as DC has gone through it’s renaissance over the last two decades, these sights have become harder to find. Chris found this fascinating building, or what’s left of it, in the H Street/Capitol Hill area. A building at least twenty years old, judging by the no area code on the phone number, but probably hasn’t seen a good day in at least thirty (and what’s with the “or 98”?). The contrasting types of bricks and colors draw the eye and make the viewer wonder what happened to the people who used (or use) this building. Quite the sight indeed.

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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of ekelly80
sidewalk sun
courtesy of ekelly80

Sometimes you should look down; it can be just as important as looking up. To demonstrate, Erin does a great job of catching this small piece of the sidewalk. We’d probably just pass by the sight, and miss how the petals fill in the sections of the manhole, making the lines very distinct. With the petals fanning out like a solar wind, it really does look like a sidewalk sun. Of course, the filter used gives the picture a nice, pleasant, golden hue. An excellent shot however you look at it.

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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of Noe Todorovich
Color Block Bus Stop
courtesy of Noe Todorovich

Bright colors and straight lines can make simple, but fascinating, photo. Take Noe’s picture above. The framing lines of the windows, the plywood wall, the bus stop, even the traffic lines in the street, all make your eye go from side to side, and up and down, to explore the picture. And while your eye wonders, it is delighted with fascinating hues of purple, yellow, and maroon, to just name three (there are more). And then, as an added bonus, the people are there to give the scene scale; what at first looks like a small building/block becomes much larger once you notice the people. Truly a great shot!

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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of gerdaindc
AdMo fireworks
courtesy of gerdaindc

It’s hard to get a good street photo that includes fireworks. After all, most people don’t want to get too close to something that’s exploding or spouting fire. But Gerda pulled off such a shot nicely. Check out what looks like a couple of families having an impromptu fireworks display on the streets of Adams Morgan. The father and daughter fascinated by the large sparkler in the street; the boy off to the side with his personal sparkler just being lit; and all of the spectators simply enjoying the show. This shot looks like something from a 1950s movie; hard to believe it was taken last week. It’s nice to know that this is still a sight that can be seen on the 4th.

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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of Can Wong
Unexpected Thunderstorm
courtesy of Can Wong

I know we don’t want to keep talking about Friday’s storm, but you’ll have to forgive me with this picture. I mean look at it; isn’t it just amazing? From the ominous blue color of the sky, to the lightning streaks, to the framing of the Capitol Dome; this is damn near perfect. Can Wong must have risked life and limb to get this shot, but it certainly paid off. I tip my cap to you, sir!

Before I got into photography, I always wondered how people caught shots like this. As it turns out, this is equal parts skill and luck. The actual technique is a long exposure; keeping the camera lens open for longer than a fraction of a second of a normal photograph. That way the lightning, which only last a second or two, can snake across the sky and be caught by the camera. The luck comes in with where you point the camera, and whether you have the camera exposing when the lightning strikes. Because as soon as you see the lightning, it’s already to late to get a photo. Sounds simple, but it’s not. That’s why I’m in awe of this one!

BTW: last reminder about the 4th of July Fireworks meetup tomorrow. 6:30pm meet up near the Arlington Cemetery metro stop; read the post for more info.

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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of pablo.raw
Thirsty
courtesy of pablo.raw

Oh, look at the cute little baby! Seriously for a moment, look at the baby. Particularly his face. One of the best ways to have a dramatic picture of a person is to have a close up of their face. Pablo shows this to great effect. He does have the added assist of taking a picture of a cute baby; but even then he get the kid’s big eyes and a sense of contentment in his expression. In many ways this reminds me of a video essay I came across a few months ago which deconstructs the “Spielberg Face.” While Pablo doesn’t quite get to the level of Spielberg, he does show the technique very well.

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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of Glyn Lowe Photoworks
Black-crowned Night Heron
courtesy of Glyn Lowe Photoworks

I saw this picture by Glyn Lowe and thought, “this needs to be shared.” Night herons aren’t easy to find, even though they are common to the area. They’re mainly nocturnal and one generally only sees them close to sunset when they’re out looking for food. But you can find them if you know where to look. Glyn not only found one at the National Zoo, but took this sweet close up. As I’ve said before, focusing on the eyes increases the impact of a wildlife shot, and it’s perfectly demonstrated here. She even has a beautiful bokeh background which keeps your eyes coming back to the eyes of the bird. Look closer, and you can see the wonderful detail of the feathers. Truly a magnificent photograph.

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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of Eric Spiegel
Piggy Back Ride
courtesy of Eric Spiegel

Random street sights can be random. Take Eric’s shot above. Who knows why this woman decided that she had to be that close to her friend. Was she tired from a day of walking; was she overcome by amorous feelings; or did she just want to piss off a friend? We can all look at this shot, and shots like it, and come away with a story as unique as this sight. And that’s why photographers keep taking street photos; it gets us a little further along in explaining the what and why of what people do.

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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of Nikoo's Photos
Tourists
courtesy of Nikoo’s Photos

A fun people shot. Nikoo’s shot may have a high tourists ratio, but she was able to get them doing their tourist thing. There are the two people on the escalator, taking their photos; the one sitting down, looking at the Metro map; even the abandoned stroller with a massive cup in the corner (the other person sitting down, can’t tell for sure if she’s a tourists, though there’s a good chance she is). The lines of the escalators, chairs, and even the carpet mat helps to portion up the shot. On top of that, what makes this shot work is that it is a fascinating street photo, capturing people doing everyday tasks in an interesting way. The shot is well worth a couple of looks.

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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of yostinator
Photog in the reflection
courtesy of yostinator

A little bit of mystery for the day. A self portrait is just what it sounds like, a photo of the photographer taken by the photographer. Some people find this type of photography to be empty or egotistical. Others (like myself) think that, when done well, it can give you an amazing insight into the person taking the photograph. Like any other portrait photo it can convey an amazing amount of emotion. Now yostinator SP above isn’t a full on self portrait, but it still does a great job of capturing the mystery of the scene. We’ve all had moments where we catch our reflection in a window or a mirror and, if the light is just right, get intrigued by what is looking back at us. Yostinator catches her hand’s reflection, along with that of her camera, and along the way gets some beautiful colors and bokeh in the background, all while waiting for a Metro train. This could just as easily been an abstract painting, rather than a self portrait.

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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of pablo.raw
Look Up!
courtesy of pablo.raw

This past Friday, DC was treated to a fascinating public performance called bound(less), put on by the group Project Bandaloop and sponsored by the Kennedy Center. Bound(less) is an aerial dance performed on the face of the Old Post Office Pavilion on Pennsylvania Ave, and it provide a number of wonderfully unique photographs for our contributors, like Pablo’s above. The dancers suspended in mid-air, the horn player in the window, and the blue light, all give the image an other-worldly feel. It’s almost as if the photo is from a dream.

The reason I’m pointing this out is to show how blessed DC is with public art. Almost every week there’s something going on for people to see. And starting this weekend is the big public art festival of Artomatic. Eleven floors of art; some very good, some very bad, but all up to the viewer to decide. I’m going to be there Friday night; I hope to see you all there.