Tag Archives: outdoors

photographing a dream

The experience was surreal even before I got to the location. Late… very late… wiping off rain drops to get the response from my phone that might summon an Uber… struggling to communicate the right pickup location to a driver possessing little command of either English or DC navigation… seeing the refracted display of time slipping by through rain-streaked glasses. Then she appeared around the corner, floating above traffic toward the intersection where I just arrived. I exited my Uber chariot to begin the next leg of a surreal trip into her dream.

Dream Trip 1

dream trip 1 – click any image to view the full gallery

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photo of the moment: art all night – 6

Art All Night DC 2014, North Capitol

Art All Night DC 2014, North Capitol

Viewing art outdoors at night is a wholly different experience. Excited to again be shooting for  Art All Night DC in just 6 days! Follow Art All Night on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date.

butterflies and beetles and bees, oh my

A lyric from one of my songs suggests that you “Stop and take a look at what’s around you, it will astound you.” True, although sometimes you have to look very, very closely.

beetle

beetle

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double dutch (10 images)

Adult recess at Dupont Circle, Washington DC – 15 July 2015. Jumping rope with #PlayWithLove.

urban artistry (15 images)

This was not the first time that I have seen Urban Artistry, a DC area organization dedicated to the preservation and performance of urban arts. I have watched them dance on several occasions and have photographed them a few times as well. And I always leave their shows feeling an enhanced sense of happiness, joy, and life. Their performance on May 2nd at DC’s Funk Parade was no exception and, indeed, seemed particularly special. Perhaps it was because of the very festive atmosphere of the day, or because of the extraordinary weather. Perhaps it was because of how involved the crowd was, or how the group welcomed and encouraged the brave (and talented) spectators-turned-performers. Or maybe it was because of the location at the famous Ben’s Chili Bowl (a virtual library of  DC urban art history), dancing in an urban theater of a narrow alley on an asphalt stage aside the street portraits of DC go-go legends Chuck Brown and Little Benny. This performance was a true celebration of urban art through dance.

View the gallery of my attempts to capture Urban Artistry’s perpetual motion and infectious joy in still images.

Find out more about Urban Artistry at http://urbanartistry.org, or keep up with them on Facebook.

falling blossoms

Each spring, swarms of people pack the narrow path at Washington’s Tidal Basin to experience the delicate Japanese Cherry Blossom Trees during the brief few days when they are in peak bloom. But there is an even more magical period just after the peak when the trees let loose of their petals and create a world of enchantment. Every year when the last snows melt and the air begins to warm, I hear this siren’s call and begin to plan my chase and her (photographic) capture. But she is an elusive temptress that may (or may not) yield a glimpse of her beauty before rapidly melting in the rain or vanishing with the wind, leaving ones outstretched hands with nothing more than a petal or two. So it was this year… the beauty of her blossoms filling me with hope, but gone just hours before a long-planned shoot. This year, however, she did give me one short dance as she embraced me in her falling blossoms.

fallen blossoms

fallen blossoms

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a morning walk with my iPhone

Lately I have been experimenting with capture-to-publish mobile photography. Here are a few images I took and edited on my iPhone during a morning walk (after scouting a location for an upcoming shoot). Double-click to enlarge each.

Japanese Cherry Blossom Trees

The sky was dreary at the Tidal Basin this morning, and the Japanese Cherry Tree blossoms were not quite at peak. So I added some artistic touches using the same (and only) iPhone app with which I edited all images in this post – Enlight (very highly recommended).

Magnolia trees at the Old Executive Office Building

These magnolia trees in front of the Eisenhower “Old” Executive Office Building (next-door to the White House) caught my eye. But the sky was totally grey and the light was dull. I replaced the sky with one from a previous photo (taken in California!), and modified the temperature of the light on the trees–all from the screen of my trusty phone.

Four Stars for the Old Executive

Four Stars for the Old Executive – In earlier times, visual design details mattered and they are found everywhere in Washington, including these stars and bars on the base of a street lamp. As everything in here actually is a shade of grey or black other than the stars, which are gold, it was an easy decision to render this image in black-and-white.

White House Security

White House Security – I had not intended to walk by the White House until I noticed the drama of the Washington Monument behind it, disappearing into the clouds and mist. Walking closer to the “people’s house” (ahem) yielded too many distractions from fences, guard posts, and rooftop security. So I retreated to the Ellipse where I found these earlier monuments to the defense of the White House irresistibly ironic.