Ring of Fire! National Mall - Washington, DC

Ring of Fire!, a photo by Sam Antonio Photography on Flickr.

Sunset on the National Mall in Washington, DC. I took this in front of the U.S. Capitol with my Canon 5D Mark II camera mounted on a small table top tripod. I forgot to remove my UV filter, but as a result it gave me this “ring of fire.” I like making mistakes like this. It is still cold here in DC and waiting for the cherry blossoms to bloom.

I have been busy brokering a budget deal with Congress, working with the State Department on increasing world peace and playing golf with the President. I will be catching up with all of you soon.

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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Special Price for all my Friends...Individual Photo Workshops for only $395!

Special Price for all my Flicker Friends...Individual Photo Workshops for only $395!, a photo by Sam Antonio Photography on Flickr.

This is perhaps one of the most photographed locations in all of Washington, D.C. The iconic shot of the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial (also called the Iwo Jima Memorial) has been featured in numerous movies, television shows and print media. The sculpture was based on a photograph taken at the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal.

Speaking of photographs, Washington, D.C. is a very photogenic town and you’ll be taking your fair share of photos of the memorials and monuments. You’ll be taking photos of other tourists too, whether you want to or not.

Everywhere I went people would ask me to take a photo of them in front of some memorial or monument. I don’t mind doing so for people, but not when I’m behind the lens trying to compose a shot of my own.

I would have my Canon 5D Mark II on a tripod and just a like a magnet, tourists would swarm around me to ask to have their photos taken of themselves with their camera. So I would have to take a couple of steps aways from my gear hoping somebody wouldn’t grab it and run away with over $3,900 dollars worth of photo equipment. Sometimes they would be a couple of yards away from where I had my tripod mounted gear, so I would have to gather it up and take it with me and then go back and reposition everything.

One night I was photographing at the Reflecting Pool in front of the U.S. Capitol. I got there a little late so I set up really quick and just starting shooting with my eye glued behind the camera eyepiece. Sure enough, out of the corner of my other eye some guy was standing right next to me and asked to take a photo of him and his friends.

Are you kidding?

No, I’m not busy at the moment and the blue hour only last a couple of minutes. Let me stop what I’m doing so I can photograph you guys with your Android phone and then later you can post your photos to Facebook of you guys doing the “holding up” pose of the Capitol.

The worst offender was when I was shooting here at the Marine Corps War Memorial. I was position further back from the Memorial and on top of a four foot concrete block so I could include both the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol in the frame.

“There’s a guy with professional equipment. Could you take a photo of me and my girlfriend?” Some stranger asked in the dark.

Being the nice guy I am, I stepped down from the block and took a photo of them, but one wasn’t enough. They wanted one vertical, one with funny faces, standing back to back, etc.

He asked how the night time mode on his camera worked and if I could take another set of photos with it on.

“$495 dollars,” I stated.

“What’s that for?” He replied.

“That’s my fee if you want my full time instruction,” I indicated.

With a puzzled look he asked, “Why the amount of $495 dollars?”

“$495 dollars sounds much more marketable than $500 dollars. Cash only please,” I demanded.

I left him with his girlfriend in the dark still bewildered and trying to figure out the night time mode on his camera.

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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Arlington Memorial Bridge at Dusk - Washington, D.C.

Arlington Memorial Bridge at Dusk - Washington, D.C., a photo by Sam Antonio Photography on Flickr.

Another three in one photograph.

From the banks of the of the Potomac River you can get a great view of the Arlington Memorial Bridge, The Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument all in one frame.

The Arlington Memorial Bridge not only links the state of Virginia with the District of Columbia, but also the Civil War era North and South.

On one end you have the Union’s Lincoln Memorial and across the Potomac on the Virginia side you have the Confederacy’s Robert E. Lee Memorial.

Some of you have commented on the recent watermarks on my photos. It’s there for a reason. People have been using my photos without my permission or compensation. If you want to use my photos please let me know and I would be more than happy to share them with you. Just drop me an email.

Don’t steal! The government hates competition!

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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A City of Monuments, Memorials and Criminals

A City of Monuments, Memorials and Criminals, a photo by Sam Antonio Photography on Flickr.

It’s been about two months since I returned from my amazing journey in Southeast Asia, but that does not mean I have stopped traveling. Since my return I have traveled to Chicago, Wisconsin and the nation’s capitol Washington, D.C. where I was all last week.

So let me give you a warm welcome to Washington, D.C. otherwise known as the District of Criminals!

I have a confession...I am a recovering political junkie. I use to eat, sleep and talk politics, but thankfully Washington, D.C. cured me of that. The crime, corruption, graft...and I'm just talking about the halls of Congress! Apart from that, Washington, D.C. is a wonderful city, especially if you can squeeze in a visit between its frigid winters and humid summers. Unfortunately, for me that seems like the only time I visit Washington, D.C.

For Washington, D.C. and its politicians it is all about access. Thankfully, for tourists you have free access to all the monuments, memorials, Smithsonian Museums and even the zoo! As a result, you may want to try to squeeze in as much as possible on your visit.

So here’s a photograph where I squeezed in three in one!

Three icons most people recognize of Washington, D.C.: The Lincoln Memorial, The Washington Monument and The United States Capitol. I took this shot in front of the Netherlands Carillon. What and where is that you may ask? It's right next to the Iwo Jima Marine Memorial which is across from D.C. in Arlington, Virginia.

If you take a trip to the nation's capitol just watch out for your wallets, not from the street thieves, but rather from the members of Congress who are full of bloated promises and quick with a phony smile.

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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