Photography Field Trip

Even before I clicked "Buy" for my lovely new camera, I knew I was outmatched. Years of point-and-shoot experimentation piggy backing on high school black and white film photography classes was not enough of a background to be able to operate such a multi-dialed, mutli-buttoned piece of equipment. I will unabashedly say I was intimidated by the heavy, long lensed SLR now in my possession. Like the latest smartphones and facebook timeline, I had a sneaking suspicion it was smarter than I was.



But I wasn't about to take that defeat lying down. My favorite daily deal site, Livingsocial,...or was it Groupon..., had a deal for a 4 day Beginners photography course for people with digital SLRs. Specifically targeted at those who had a basic understanding of the fundamentals of making a photograph but are woefully lacking in understanding how to take a photograph with these new super cameras.

I'd never been a photographer who gets into the technicalities of aperture and focal length and shutter speed, especially not with a point-and-shoot where that was entirely out of my control anyway, but I did recognize that if I was going to be able to make this camera my friend (screw mastering it, I know that's impossible), I was going to have to go back to school.

Day one on a dark April evening, my roommate and I entered a sketchy building, climbed some sketchy stairs to an even sketchier industrial door and found a photographers haven among the backstreets of Bethesda. A small classroom with 10 students and an instructor, who looked like Santa Claus before he found Mrs. Claus and before he had abandoned his youthful artistic hopes for something more practical, was my reintroduction to the intricate and essential components of what makes a camera work.

Another classroom session followed the first before we took to the streets for a field trip 3rd class in DC. These are a few of the over 200 shots that I took while wandering the Portrait Gallery/American Art museum and spinning dials/pressing buttons like a newly acquired knowledge apprentice. 

I have to say it was a great experience. I love the slow shuffled pace of museums so to pair that with actively engaging a photographer's eye was a wonderful exercise in patience. It also brought a unique appreciation for the exhibits, as they provided not only an arena for learning (yes, I am one of those who reads every sign) but a canvas for my new chapter of photography.

Two thumbs way way up for the Washington School of Photography. I had a great time and learned a lot. Hopefully these photos reflect that. 

Enjoy!

DC United

A really quick post on the DC United match this past weekend. A chance to relax on a beautifully sunny day and enjoy the first game of many I'm sure this season.

Even though there was no score, it was still a battle filled with dramatic tackles, faked injuries (what soccer game is without a few), and some contested cards. Sounds like a perfect Saturday afternoon if you ask me.

Vamos United!

Cherry Blossoms

Despite my best laid plans this year of seeing the cherry blossoms in full bloom, Mother Nature had other plans. It was such a mild winter and unseasonably warm spring, that the trees became confused. So what would have been the peek of blossom time here in DC, turned out to be the slowly petering end of the last of the blooms. There was perhaps one tree still in full bloom that everyone flocked to in attempts to get that one beautiful photo of a full spring.

I honestly feel bad for the people who came to visit specifically for the blossoms, and for the planners of the 100 year celebration. By the time the parade and festival comes around, there will be little but a memory to celebrate. Perhaps they can look at these photos and take away a small measure of beauty to redeem the loss. :-) Ha. But I digress, while it was unfortunate at the lack of trees fully in bloom, I was able to capture a few nice shots.

Nothing like petal carpets, little kids enjoying outdoor freedom, and buds right off a trunk, right?

Enjoy.

A Weekend of Museums

Not sure how many of you have been to DC, let alone the National Aquarium, but if perchance you happen to be able to visit DC…don’t bother with the National Aquarium. My friends and I, fresh off the metro and ready to see some museums, bought a museum pass pack for Madame Tussaude’s, the Crime and Punishment museum, and the National Aquarium. 3 museums, 3 days that the passes were good, just over 40$, good deal you’d think. Nope, one third of that deal is not worth it. But we’ll get to that in a second.

How about the good stuff before the bad? Madame Tussaude’s was awesome. Even though it was 1/4th the size of the original in London (that one is wicked awesome), this little DC row house of a museum was a lot of fun. I particularly enjoyed the interactive exhibits in the presidents gallery that allowed me to shake Jefferson’s hand, sit in on a meeting with Grant, watch a play with Lincoln (we tried to overlook the morbid side of that particular display), disembark Air Force One with the Kennedys…you get the point. I’m such a history nerd so I loved walking through and picking out the pose references. Also, with it being a museum and my friends and I completely embracing the tourist guise, enjoyed coming up with ways to goof off with said historical pose references. Give Teddy a kiss, lean lovingly into Lincoln arms; all with complete respect and admiration for our country’s leaders of course.

Skipping over the long line for pictures in the “Oval Office,” we dashed to the celebrities section of the museum, where again, goofing off ensued. Prom photos with Will Smith, lounging with Madonna, a kiss to George Clooney (of course), and a height picture to prove that I, in fact, am around the same height as Tom Cruise. To those of you that have stood next to me…so almost all of you…that means he’s short.

My favorite part of the museum however was the music artist section. I fulfilled a life dream in getting my picture with the Queen of Jazz, Ella Fitzgerald; and, as an added bonus, shared a piano bench with the legendary Duke Ellington. The other highlight for me was strapping on a hockey helmet and sitting next to Alex Ovechkin. The Caps may not be my number one team but, due to them being so accessible, I’ve come to support them and occasionally have been known to Rock the Red.

Like I said, the wax museum was the fun part. The aquarium left the day on a sad note. (We ran out of time for C&P Museum.) First off, the entrance is not where Google said it was, so wandering the block surrounding 14th and Constitution in the bitter January wind added some extra fun. But once inside, you head downstairs to what looks like a dark basement and pay $10 (I didn’t actually get the 3 museum deal so had to purchase separately) to walk a very small loop lined with very small aquariums set into the wall. It looked like a Zoology professor’s basement with very sad, in most cases, not cute fish.

Maybe I’m spoiled with the aquariums that I’ve been to before in the past and set my expectations too high, but normally it’s safe to assume that something with the word “National,” while in our nation’s capitol, would be spectacular. But alas, it was not. I guess I’ll have to make a trip up to Baltimore for their aquarium, which I have heard from several sources, is amazing. (Plus, they say it has penguins, so win-win there.)

Not wanting to end on a negative note and even though the aquarium was less than impressive, I still do really enjoy getting to explore DC. It’s so easy to get into a routine—get up, go to work, go home, eat dinner while watching TV, sleep, repeat—but really there is so much that you should be doing regardless of where you live. Big city, little city, odd suburb, there’s bound to be something to explore and on which to form an opinion.

So with that, anyone want to go exploring? I’ll bring the camera.

Wedding Scouts

One of the most terrifying and yet flattering things that can happen to a person is to be asked to be your friend's one and only wedding photographer. Having no professional experience, or really event photographing experience, before, it would be an understatement to say I was a nervous wreck. For months I stalked wedding blogs, read article, and even bought a new, very nice digital SLR in preparation for the event.

Only one problem remained, no matter how much I researched and prepared, I couldn't be in all the places I needed to be at once to capture each pivotal moment of a wedding. The procession alone has 4 angles that should be covered, at least. That's where my saint of a friend, Justin, came in. With previous wedding recording experience and after some pleading on my part, he agreed to my photographer in crime. And thank goodness he did. I could not have done it without him.

For being two non-professional photographers, I think we did rather well. From the location scouting the night before, to brainstorming poses, to scrambling together backup plans in case we got kicked out of the bridal party photoshoot location, I think we covered it all. (photos of the wedding itself are forthcoming on the Events tab. Still editing those....)

These are some of my favorite shots from our scouting adventures around DC.

Enjoy!

Christmas Time is Here

When the only snow on Christmas you see is on your tv screen while watching White Christmas, something is wrong. The holiday world is off kilter. Things out of the ordinary are happening...my family came to visit me for Christmas and we spent the week wandering a very mild, very calm DC.

Instead of a Christmas eve spent watching holiday movies on my grandparent's couch, we wandered the Mall, Eastern Market, and some of the Smithsonian museums. Some traditions were upheld, my dad made pizza, my sisters baked, my mom played Christmas music, and I flitted between orchestrating logistics and those DC-y things.

So here are a few shots of our DC Christmas wanderings.

Happy Holidays from my family to yours!

It's Up to You New York, NY

One of the things I love about living on the East coast is how close everything is to each other. It's like Europe in that way. Drive 2 or 3 hours in any direction in most cases and you will find yourself in a new country or state, depending on continent. For example, this past weekend I was able to hop on a bus to NYC and arrived before lunch. It was fast, affordable, and comfortable. The perfect way to start a weekend in the city that never sleeps.

It was also exciting because this was the first trip to the city with my new camera. I'll be the first to admit I'm still figuring out the settings and how to function with a camera that weighs the same as a small infant, but I think I was able to walk away with some good ones.

The occasion for this trip was to visit my uncle who has recently moved from California to NYC. I could not be happier that I'm no longer alone in the Eastern time zone, and, bonus, I now have someone to stay with/visit while getting my Broadway fix. This blog has never had opportunity to unveil that side of me before, but I am a huge Broadway theater nut; specifically musicals. I grew up on the classics, Rodger and Hammerstein, Cole Porter, Gilbert and Sullivan, spent my school years filling the chorus lines and minor parts of my schools' drama productions, and every year, to this day, I block off my night to watch the Tony Awards with a figurative Do Not Disturb sign on my forehead.

I love the music, I love the songs, I love the dancing, I love the jokes, I love when they make me cry, I love the lights, I love stepping out of my world for two and a half hours to live in a place where people really do breakout into song and where music helps translate the significance in an action or feeling the way words never can. I do love the lines and the lyrics, they too can be irrevocably true, but the level to which a swell of music can just make you feel and know something is true is as close to perfect understanding as I think possible. The escape from needing words to register an idea in the mind of someone and instead push that thought or emotion or choice through to the core so that they can feel it is true because it is sitting square in their chest; spreading from heart to fingertips and toes with the stroke of a bow or the croon of a horn. That, is an incredible feeling, and while imperfectly (and perhaps verbosely) described here, it is one that I will always keep coming back for.

It was a blissful weekend well spent loving every step along the NY streets: passing the crowds waiting at the stage door for Huge Jackman, along the holiday windows on 5th Avenue, and through the maze of subway lines. And there's one thing left to say: Sing it Frankie!