Reflections on Washington, D.C.

Reflections on Washington, D.C., a photo by Sam Antonio Photography on Flickr.

On my last night in Washington, D.C. I returned to the Lincoln Memorial, not necessarily for photography, but to reflect on my journey.

When I was a political hack many years ago I would frequent the Lincoln Memorial steps at night to take in what I believe, in my humble opinion, is one of the most inspirational views in the United States of America. From the memorial steps you can take in the views of the entire National Mall: the Reflecting Pool, The National World War II Memorial, The Washington Monument and The U.S. Capitol.

The last two years I visited the memorial the view from the steps were to say the least very uninspiring since the Reflecting Pool was undergoing structural improvements, which meant it was drained of all its water and a big, hideous fence enclosed the entire area. Without any water in the pool the iconic shot of The Washington Monument reflected in the pool was not possible. It was here at the pool that one of the most famous scenes in American cinema was filmed. Remember when Forrest Gump and Jenny ran across the Reflecting Pool to embrace one another? Now that the water was gone so was the magic.

In the two weeks I was in Washington, D.C. I would always walk past the eyesore formerly known as the Reflecting Pool. One day I was doing research for photo locations around the city when I came across a news report that the construction on the pool was done and they would start refilling the pool with water on the day before I would depart D.C. The speed of the U.S. federal government moves slower than a handicapped snail, so likewise I was not expecting them to meet their deadline.

On my last evening in D.C., I took a stroll across The National Mall toward The Lincoln Memorial. To my surprise the fence was taken down and the pool was partially filled up with water.

I sat there just enjoying the views when suddenly a tour group of high school girls approached the memorial steps and were taking pictures. I overheard one of them say, “Why is there a swimming pool there?”

“Well, like, you know, it gets hot in D.C. during the summer,” replied one girl.

I had to take this photograph just to remember the huge laugh I had that evening.

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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Oh Duck! National World War II Memorial - Washington, D.C.

Oh Duck! National World War II Memorial - Washington, D.C., a photo by Sam Antonio Photography on Flickr.

I was all over the place last year, from Bangkok, Thailand to Chicago, Illinois to Dalat, Vietnam to Penang, Malaysia to The Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota to San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico to Washington, D.C.

So it is with my blog too.

I still have tons of photos to process from my South East Asia trip from last year and now that I have returned from Mexico, more photos have been added to my ever dwindling hard drive space.

I have been adding photos from my recent journey into Mexico, but I am going to interrupt that with some photos from my Washington, D.C. trip I took a couple of months ago.

I had a tough time photographing the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. due to the weather. The day I was photographing the memorial it was overcast and raining. I had just removed my gear from my Think Tank Shape Shifter backpack and set up my Canon 5D Mark II on my tripod when it began to rain. I ran and “ducked” under one of the memorial’s arches to wait out the downpour. When the rain let up momentarily I ran out to this spot before the crowds could assemble around the pool.

There are so many memorials in Washington, D.C. that I love to combine them into one shot if possible. I did that here with the World War II Memorial, the Washington Monument and a duck all in one frame!

The duck is a great symbol of Washington, D.C. since many politicians love to “duck” the important issues facing America in favor of spending other people’s money!

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

Why don't you join me on Facebook?
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