Archive of ‘Personal’ category

DC – World War I Memorial

©TimeLine Media - DC WWI Memorial

There are so many memorials scattered throughout Washington D.C.’s streets. The most memorable are easily recognizable from their appearance on currency, movies, and TV shows. However, the smaller World War I Memorial is dedicated to the resident of the District of Columbia that fought and died in the Great War. It was recently restored by the National Park Service in 2011. Overall the work was done very well. The memorial glows out of a section of trees along Independence Avenue. It is a short walk from the larger World War II Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial. Although it was not the final destination for the evening, it was a really pleasant surprise to see. Since it was a little off the path, it was easier to get clean photos without other people in the area.

©TimeLine Media - DC WWI Memorial
©TimeLine Media – DC WWI Memorial

At this time the improved lighting under the dome made for a nice setting apart from the nearby trees. When I edited these photos, I pushed the white balance sliders much closer to the blue side of the scale than normal. Without any people in the frame, it is much easier to play with this setting. Most people look better warmer in photographs – more to the yellow side of the slider. But here, the blue makes a nice contrast with the light under the dome, and it emphasizes the time of day.

©TimeLine Media - DC WWI Memorial
©TimeLine Media – DC WWI Memorial

It’s nice to play tourist in your local area sometimes. We’re just lucky to be close to such a photogenic place! I’ll have more from other stops on this photo walk. Have a nice weekend!

©TimeLine Media - DC WWI Memorial HDR
©TimeLine Media – DC WWI Memorial HDR

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Photos by the Occoquan Bay

©TImeLine Media - long exposure pier

It has been a while since I did a personal photo assignment. The weather has been very cloudy and stormy. This is a great time for photos especially in the summer months. The best time to make landscape photos is either early in the morning around sunrise, and early in the evening around sunset. Summer months in US makes this very difficult unless you get up really early before the sun! Well, this was not my day for getting up early, so the light was already strong.

Occoquan River Shores

The setting is a pier that stretches out into the Occoquan Bay in northern Virginia. Since the time was not optimal time for the best photos, I used a Neutral Density (ND) filter to help me out. This filter is like putting sunglasses onto the front of your lens. It blocks all the light coming into the lens which darkens the exposure. Some people consider this one of the only filters you need in the age of digital photography. The effect that this filter creates cannot be done in Photoshop very well.

I am sure there are some digital wizards that can use blurs and effects to make moving water smooth while keeping static elements sharp. This is what I was going for in trying to get out to the river on a cloudy, rainy morning. I was hoping that it would be darker out, but I still had to go to extreme on the camera to get an exposure over one second long. The settings for this first photo are 10 seconds at f/32, ISO 50.

©TImeLine Media - long exposure pier
©TImeLine Media – long exposure pier

Long Exposure Photography

The water is starting to smooth out at 10 seconds, but I think I would need it to be at least 20 seconds before it becomes really silky smooth. Again, coming out earlier in the morning would make the overall frame darker, and I could have made the exposure time longer. The light is also very flat since the sun is high in the overcast sky making the overall light in the scene very even.

This would have been perfect for a portrait, but a little boring for the landscape alone. I varied the position of the camera for the second with similar results. I made the pier more of the base for the photo without seeing as much of the water. Unfortunately, the clouds were also not as compelling as they could be, so this also falls a bit flat for me. In a return trip, I hope to come in better light, and maybe I will get lucky with more dramatic clouds. I’ll post here if I get something inspiring!

©TImeLine Media - long exposure pier
©TImeLine Media – long exposure pier

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703-864-8208

July 4 photos

©TimeLine Media - dachshund portrait

It was a really hot and humid day yesterday! Typical July 4th for the DC area. I spent the day with some family but did not take a break from making some photos. Hope everyone enjoyed a good day off!

Animal Portraits

Yellow bird on a wire ©TimeLine Media
Yellow bird on a wire ©TimeLine Media

While on a walk out in the country, this beautiful yellow bird contrasted nice against the blue sky. Sometimes these elements come together easy for a photo! On this occasion, there was a complimentary color subject compared to the background. Additionally, there were no distracting elements with a cloudless sky. It can be that simple.

Pet Portraits

Dachshund photo in strong sunlight ©TimeLine Media
Dachshund portrait in strong sunlight ©TimeLine Media

Coming back inside, I spent some time with some furry friends. Late in the afternoon, the strong setting sunlight made for dramatic lighting. When you pose a subject in strong sun, the background will fall of dramatically. As can be seen in this photo, the strong sunlight creates strong shadows on a face. This is similar to a bare flash head. For a dog’s face, this makes for a nice portrait. Always reward your pet portrait subjects with a belly rub!

Photos while getting a belly rub ©TimeLine Media
Photos while getting a belly rub ©TimeLine Media

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703-864-8208

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