I have been pondering the idea of participating in a photography workshop for sometime now. While scrolling along my Facebook feed I watched different workshops come and go. Some were closer to me than others but one really stuck out to me. It was titled “A Night on The Town” led by Robert Fawcett. This would be a night trip to DC that I was honestly excited by the idea of. I went back and forth many times on whether it was something I really wanted or needed. Finally, I decided to check my ego and learn what I am doing wrong, what I am rushing, and how to take better photos. I promptly reached out to Robert and I was able to claim one of the remaining spots.
For this trip, I decided to bring a few lenses, a borrowed super-sturdy tripod (Thanks Vic!), and my Nikon D750. The lenses I brought were from a small variety of manufacturers, Irix, Sigma, and Nikkor. I brought my tried and true Irix 15mm weather-sealed Blackstone wide lens, Irix 150mm macro weather-sealed Dragonfly lens, Sigma 150mm-600mm Contemporary lens, and my Nikkor 50mm. I jumped into my car and after a 47 mile, nearly 2-hour drive from Baltimore County, MD I arrived!
It had been a while since I visited our nation’s capital. I forgot how amazing it is – how it felt to be surrounded by amazing statues and monuments. It was also extremely clean, considering this was a Saturday in summer, and thousands if not hundreds of thousands of tourists spent their day and early evening admiring these incredible works.
We started shooting just as the sun disappeared while we were looking at the Lincoln Memorial. The sky and the reflecting pool were beautiful. Honest Abe in all his glory was the focus of many picture-taking tourists.
I was impressed how self-aware and courteous everyone was while we were set up shooting the scene. This was our first lesson in calculating exposures for bracketing an HDR image. As the sky darkened more we set our focus to the Washington Monument.
The Washington Monument is massive! I could not wrap my mind around how beautiful it is. It stands there, lit up in all its glory, honoring George Washington, our first President. Even though based on Egyptian Obelisks it, to me is profoundly American. From this beautiful scene, we made the long trek to the most stunning scene of them all: The United States Capital Building.
The first time I remember seeing the Capital was on a grade school field trip and seeing the Capital Dome lit in bright lights. I remember seeing the scene while sitting on the school bus as we left. I do not remember most of that trip or any of it really, but I will never forget what seeing that beautiful piece of architecture at such a young age made me feel..
That was not a night trip to DC per se, but that is what I remember from it. I was awestruck by its beauty. It made me feel proud to live in this great country. I had that same amazing, breathtaking feeling almost 30 years later, seeing it lit up again. The only difference was this time I was closer, and I could take photos of it!
This is where we ended our night. We spent maybe a little over an hour admiring and taking photographs of the Capital Dome. The water in the reflecting pool was near-still, not quite glass-like. I mostly used my 150mm this time but did startย at 15mm and got a really beautiful shot. It was The United States Capital building lit with bright beams of light. The dome was reflecting in the pool and the street lamps added flair.
What a night on the town it was! Exhausted, we all headed to our homes. I am truly looking forward to another night trip to DC.
