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Archive of ‘Travel’ category

Photography, Travel | 0 comment

Tampa, Florida

Urban Walkabout

Downtown buildings of Tampa, Florida ©TimeLine Media
Downtown buildings of Tampa, Florida ©TimeLine Media

Last April, I accompanied my wife on a trip to Tampa, Florida. In a previous post, I talked about the trip out of DCA south to Florida. I have never been to Tampa before, and this was a great opportunity to see a new city for me. From my research before arriving, I did see that they had a nice downtown with some large buildings that I hoped to get in photos while I was there.

Downtown Tampa ©TimeLine Media
Tampa from above ©TimeLine Media

During the day, my wife was at a convention to earn some continuing education credits. I had some photography projects to work on that I had on my laptop. Despite not being at home, I can do most of my work remotely. Thanks to readily available internet and fast laptop computers! While my wife was out, I walked around downtown Tampa and saw a lot of interesting sights.

city skyline view from above ©TimeLine Media
Tampa, Florida ©TimeLine Media

Flying Mayor

The NHL Tampa Bay Lightning were in the middle of a playoff run! When I approached a building near city hall, I saw a ladder fire engine lifting the mayor up high into the sky! He revealed a “Go Bolts” banner on the side of the building. That was a fortunate event to run into!

Mayor Bob Buckhorn raising a Lightning Banner ©TimeLine Media
Mayor Bob Buckhorn raising a Lightning Banner ©TimeLine Media
Go Bolts! Tampa Bay Lightning banner ©TimeLine Media
Go Bolts! Tampa Bay Lightning banner ©TimeLine Media

Tampa is a very walkable city. From our hotel, we could walk along the Hillsborough River down to the Convention Center and Amalie Arena where the Lighting play. Walking around the arena area, we found a nice parking garage with a beautiful panoramic view of downtown. Because it was a quiet night in the city without any games being played in the arena, we spent some time getting some nice photos of the tall skyscrapers. I really enjoyed the short time we had to explore this area of Florida!

Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida ©TimeLine Media
Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida ©TimeLine Media

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Reagan National Airport

Terminals – Reagan National Airport

Reagan National Airport Terminal A ©TimeLine Media
Reagan National Airport Terminal A ©TimeLine Media

Earlier this year, we took a plane out of and back to Reagan National Airport. I accompanied my wife on a business trip. Since I can work remotely, it was a good opportunity for me to visit a new city. While I did have some photography work, I did find some time to go make some new images while there.

DCA Main Terminal ©TimeLine Media
DCA Main Terminal ©TimeLine Media

The first location on our trip was not far from home. Reagan National is the closest airport to downtown Washington, DC. During the time from checking in with the airline and boarding, the airport has a lot of possibilities to make architecture photos. The largest and most popular photos are made in the main terminal with its Jeffersonian Domes and long promenade.

Reagan National Airport Terminal A ©TimeLine Media
Reagan National Airport Terminal A ©TimeLine Media

Additionally, there is another great spot in the former Terminal A. Now, this section is a Conference Center and Historic Lobby as it no longer functions as a place for passengers to board airplanes. I have photographed some events in this space which is a showcase area for the DC area.

The large panoramic window provides a beautiful view of the airfield, the Potomac River, and shores of Maryland. Who doesn’t enjoy viewing planes as they take off or land? Maybe it heightens the anxiety for nervous flyers – lol!

Approach to Airport

Tysons, VA from airplane window ©TimeLine Media
Tysons, VA from airplane window ©TimeLine Media
Tysons, VA from airplane window ©TimeLine Media
Tysons, VA from airplane window ©TimeLine Media

On the flight back from the trip the good weather provided more opportunities for photos out of the window. The challenging approach to the airport follows the path of the Potomac River. On one side you may see the familiar sites of Washington, DC from the air, but this side I had view of Tysons, Arlington, and the Pentagon in Virginia.

Arlington from airplane approach ©TimeLine Media
Arlington from airplane approach ©TimeLine Media
Pentagon from plane approach ©TimeLine Media
Pentagon from plane approach ©TimeLine Media

All of these are so familiar to me from the ground but are really photo worthy from above. The fleeting time that you have above the area makes you hit the camera trigger much faster knowing there is no time to review them. It’s really time to spray and pray!

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Compositions with Fog

Foggy trees make a minimal composition
Foggy trees make a minimal composition ©TimeLine Media
Foggy trees make a minimal composition ©TimeLine Media

Virginia

Fog can do a photographer a lot of favors. In our part of the world, it is not a common occurrence for us to have foggy days. So if you are looking to get images of familiar places in a new light, adding a bit of fog can be helpful. Sometimes I come upon a scene, and it is not immediately apparent where I should start. Compositions with fog gets me excited since there is a completely different feel right off the bat. I know from the beginning that I am going to get something out of the ordinary, so my creativity neurons start firing when I start looking through the camera.

Pier under a cover of fog ©TimeLine Media
Pier under a cover of fog ©TimeLine Media

Fog acts as a large light diffuser. If there is a sun above it cannot cut through the fog directly affecting your scene. It’s light is spread out across a larger area making the light cast more even. This is the reason why you see studio photographer using large boxes where they place their flashes. A larger light source will make the perceived light softer on your subjects. Fog will automatically do this for landscape scenes.

End of pier over a foggy river ©TimeLine Media
End of pier over a foggy river ©TimeLine Media

Having clear subjects in photos is also a challenge for me. Strong photographs usually have an undeniably clear main subject. With fog it can be easier to isolate a subject for your composition. Clouds in the sky can sometimes make my photos too busy – the fog took care of that problem for me! The stark emptiness adds to the mood while focusing the viewer to what ever is left in the scene. It can give a sense of melancholy, or foreboding, but it does achieve the goal of setting a mood.

Washington, DC

Foggy US Capitol Building and the Capitol Christmas tree ©TimeLine Media
Foggy US Capitol Building and the Capitol Christmas tree ©TimeLine Media

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703-864-8208

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