Showing posts with label Springtime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Springtime. Show all posts

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Springtime at the U.S. Capitol - Washington, DC

"I love to go to Washington - if only to be near my money." - Bob Hope

The U.S. Capitol Building’s distinctive dome stands as Washington DC’s famous landmark. The 19th-century neoclassical building has served as the seat of American lawmaking since the first Congress in 1800.

If the bright colorful flowers don't bring a smile to your face then maybe this will:

Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. - P. J. O'Rourke

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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Thursday, September 26, 2013

Cherry Blossom Sunrise at the Jefferson Memorial - Tidal Basin, Washington, DC; USA

This is not a true HDR photograph since this is from a single RAW file. I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark II with 21-megapixels and if I shot HDR with multiple RAW exposures I would need to start clearing out my camera gear to make room for more hard drives.

The Yoshino Cherry Blossoms in Washington, DC only bloom in the spring and the window of opportunity is very small. I photographed this on a Tuesday when the cherry blossoms were at their peak and by that Friday night strong winds blew most of them off the trees. As with any once-a-year photographic opportunity, it can be very crowded with people, especially at sunrise.

The most photogenic groups of cherry blossoms are located around the Tidal Basin which is a man-made inlet adjacent to the Potomac River. That morning hordes of photographers were jockeying for position to get their shot and in the process stepping into each other’s shots. Having spent some time at the Tidal Basin the day before I scouted out a great place to photograph the sunrise for the next day.

I stood on the bridge between The Jefferson Memorial and The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. I set up my tripod right against the bridge railing so if any photographer wanted to get in front of my shot, he or she would find themselves swimming in the Tidal Basin, a very dirty Tidal Basin.

The weird looking sky is compliments of airplane contrails. I think some lowly government bureaucrat ordered a fly by just to ruin my sunrise shot.

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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