International Photo Walk in Washington, D.C.

 Renwick Gallery Façade (13 October 2012)

Last Saturday, I joined a group of camera people for this year’s World Wide Photo Walk.  Just as bird watchers all over the globe conduct their Christmas Day Survey, shooters around the world gather in interesting places for a few hours of strolling and picture-taking.  This was the 5^th annual event.  It was organized by Scott Kelby, the Editor of Photoshop User Magazine and groups in over 1300 locales took part.  Of course, I am fortunate to live close to the capitol of our country...photogenic place that it is. 

At 8:00 AM, we met in McPherson Square and walked to the White House.  I found the early morning light and heavy shadows did not make for promising pictures.  However, across the street is the Smithsonian Institution’s Renwick Gallery, where fine craft and decorative objects are displayed.  The image above shows the sunlit exterior of the building above the entry.

Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB) (13 October 2012)

Also right next to the White House is the Old Executive Office Building, where various Administration functions are located.  Completed in 1888, this French Second Empire style building was the largest office building in D.C. at the time.  Since the morning sun was shining on the other side, this view was almost devoid of color.  It seemed a logical decision to finish it as a black and white image so the lines and details could be appreciated.

EEOB and Lamp (13 October 2012)

Photographing buildings is often not easy, especially in a city where other buildings are close by.  You can step back only so far and there are few good viewing angles.  The further back you go, the more extraneous objects become part of your scene...other buildings, signs, streets and traffic.  They can’t all be photo shopped out.  An alternative is to find something appealing in a portion of the structure.  Fill the frame with an object and/or some detail of the building that can make an attractive composition.

Five Fences to the South Lawn (13 October 2012)

After the EOB, we started to wander and act less like a group.  The plan was to end up at the WW II Memorial so I headed in that direction before the others.  This image was taken from as close as I could get to the White House on this day.  There was once a time when one could poke a camera through the bars of that ONE fence and take pictures of the beautiful grounds and majestic residence.  I hope the lack of access was a temporary thing...extra precautions for a special event.  It’s never encouraging for freedom when “extra precautions” become standard, every day procedures.

Washington, D.C. WW I Memorial (13 October 2012)

On the south side of the Mall, between the WW II and Korean War Memorials, is the charming and neglected World War I Memorial.  Dedicated by President Hoover in 1931, it identifies and commemorates the citizens from the nation’s capital who made the ultimate sacrifice in (what we thought was) ‘The War to End All Wars’...right.

The World War II Memorial became a special experience and I will make a separate post about it next month on Veteran’s Day.