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Posts Tagged ‘Washington DC’

Personal, Photography, Travel | 0 comment

Early Morning Washington DC Photos

Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC - ©TimeLine Media

Sunrise Light

The light in the sky just before sunrise can be stunning. On the drive into Washington, DC this morning, there was a beautiful dark blue sky that was lightening with each minute. The clouds that started gray, reflected pinks, red, then oranges as the sun started to rise above the horizon. I was attempting to get to one of the monuments or memorials on the National Mall while the sky still have this amazing color, but I knew that I would not make it. Right after parking, I jumped out and headed to the first open scene that I could find. This was right along the banks of the Potomac River looking towards Memorial Bridge and Arlington National Cemetery.

Potomac River and Memorial Bridge out of Washington, DC - ©TimeLine Media
Potomac River and Memorial Bridge out of Washington, DC – ©TimeLine Media

The blue sky and the pink clouds were stunning – but it was just a moment after they were at their most saturated. I felt lucky that I was able to safely get these images. I had contemplated pulling over the side of the road when it was perfect, but that was just too much of a risk!

Early Morning Memorial Bridge in Washington, DC - ©TimeLine Media
Early Morning Memorial Bridge in Washington, DC – ©TimeLine Media

The Lincoln Memorial is a strong monument to our 16th President. Normally, the grounds are swarming with visitors enjoying the views of the other monuments stretched out from the steps. Early in the morning, though, it is very peaceful and you can get unobstructed views of the structure and statues inside. I freely had the time and space to get all the photos that I wanted without disturbing any of the few visitors that were also there. There are only a few of the images from this morning, I’ll be sure to post more soon.

Statue of Abraham Lincoln in Washington, DC - ©TimeLine Media
Statue of Abraham Lincoln in Washington, DC – ©TimeLine Media
Gettysburg Address in the Lincoln Memorial - ©TimeLine Media
Gettysburg Address in the Lincoln Memorial – ©TimeLine Media
Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC - ©TimeLine Media
Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC – ©TimeLine Media
Statue of Abraham Lincoln in Washington, DC - ©TimeLine Media
Statue of Abraham Lincoln in Washington, DC – ©TimeLine Media 

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

Personal, Photography, Travel | 0 comment

Noise and High ISO – Fuji X100s

©TimeLine Media - US Capitol Building at night

Washington, DC

I received a few emails about my recent posts about the X100s. It is a deceivingly good camera. Altough it has the form factor of a small, point-and-shoot camera, it has many of the controls of a larger camera, and can be just as complex to use. With the smaller body, many of the functions are more menu driven as there is just not that much space to add buttons or switches on the body. This can slow down your shooting if you have to change settings frequently, but they have tried to build in shortcuts. There are specific buttons that you can assign to settings that you access more frequently. The Fn button near the shutter release can change ISO settings very quickly in lieu of a dedicated ISO button on DSLR bodies.

©TimeLine Media - US Capitol Building at night
©TimeLine Media – US Capitol Building at night

Noise

Speaking of ISO and noise, this camera also has a big advantage over smartphone or point-and-shoot cameras. Behind the lens is a large APS-C sensor which is equivalent to the sensor size of many popular DSLR cameras. The larger the sensor, the better the low-light performance of the camera. A few have asked for some 100% crops of photos at the higher ISOs. Here is an example of the night time shoot at the Capitol building.

©TimeLine Media - US Capitol Building 100% crop
©TimeLine Media – US Capitol Building 100% crop

Even at 100%, the noise is not terrible especially considering the ISO is up to 800. This is also with the default noise reduction settings from Lightroom. If I were to print this image at a size higher than 16×20, I would have to do some more work, but at anything lower, the noise would not be viewable from a normal display distance. Another thing to note is that the photo above is sharp event at 100% with a shutter speed of 1/15th! It is much easier to hand hold a smaller, lighter body at slower shutter speeds.

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

Ballroom Dance, Event, Photography | 0 comment

Awards plaques

©TimeLine Media - DC Dance Challenge award plaques

I am currently working on finishing the award plaques from the recent 2013 DC Dance Challenge. This event from last month had some great participation from all the dancers. However there were a few that were recognized for their technique in their categories. Although we could not provide plaques for the dancers to take home from the Ronald Reagan Building that evening, I think the results are better now. This is due to me having edited all the photos for the event for color and exposure. The photos that are used from the plaques are made from photos that were made at the event on the dance floor or the surrounding area at the venue.

©TimeLine Media - DC Dance Challenge award plaques
©TimeLine Media – DC Dance Challenge award plaques

I am much more pleased with how these have turned out since they are produced at the same lab that I send print and album orders. The quality of the print is just as good as these since they are optical prints from the digital files, not prints from an ink jet printer. If you see these plaques up close, you can tell the difference. They will last much longer than ink jet prints, and have much better contrast and saturation of color. Here is a scan of one that is completely assembled.

©TimeLine Media - assembled plaque
©TimeLine Media – assembled plaque

The picture is mounted onto a wooden frame, and mounted underneath a clear plastic. The plaque is cut on the back with some holes for easy mounting to the wall. I really like how these come out, and I hope the dancers like the presentation. It’s a great way to show off their accomplishments!

©TimeLine Media - DC Dance Challenge award plaques
©TimeLine Media – DC Dance Challenge award plaques

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

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