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Posts Tagged ‘Washington’

Event, Photography, Travel | 0 comment

National Cathedral – Interior

National Cathedral interior - ©TimeLine Media

It has seemed like a long time since I have written a post! There is a nice backlog of things that I want to post about, but there are lots of things going on outside of photography that I am taking care of before I can get to them. Back to the photos – these were from an open shoot. The National Cathedral moved all of the chairs out of the nave which allowed you to view the expanse of the main worship space. Having an unobstructed view of the cathedral was a unique experience, and one that is difficult to capture in photos.

Empty Cathedral

National Cathedral interior - ©TimeLine Media
National Cathedral interior – ©TimeLine Media

With the repairs being done to the structure from the earthquake of August 2011, some of the stained glass windows were hidden from view. But there was still so much to photograph in the space. It took me 15 minutes just to get my bearings. It was nice to see so many photographers take the opportunity to come early on these two mornings to make some uncommon photos of this landmark.

National Cathedral interior - ©TimeLine Media
National Cathedral interior – ©TimeLine Media

I tried to stay out of the way as much as I could, but it was difficult. The other photographers were also very kind to gauge where each person was lining up a photo so as not to be in each other’s frame. Unfortunately, I did not have enough time to setup my big camera gear. With the DC traffic, I was already late and had lost some time to shoot.

National Cathedral interior - ©TimeLine Media
National Cathedral interior – ©TimeLine Media

So all of these photos were taken with the Fuji X100s. In every situation I bring this small camera, I am impressed by the capabilities. The noise performance, and the low light capture ability with the f/2.0 lens is impressive. If you need to make bracketed exposures for HDR, there is a drive mode that will create 3 very quick frames with 3 different exposures with one click of the shutter button. It came in handy in conjunction with the self-timer to get sharp photos in such a dark space!

National Cathedral interior - ©TimeLine Media
National Cathedral interior – ©TimeLine Media

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

Personal, Photography, Technology | 0 comment

Photography Websites

Tidal Basin at sunrise - ©TimeLine Media

It has never been easier to share your photos online. I can remember in the first years of the web how magical it was to download photos. Using a web browser was so easy. Comparatively you had to download individual files from a gopher or FTP site. Then open the photos in a separate JPG or GIF viewing program. With the browser, you had an experience that was much easier to view a collection of photos in an album-like setting.

Websites Sharing

Lincoln Memorial at sunrise - ©TimeLine Media
Lincoln Memorial at sunrise – ©TimeLine Media

Now, social media networks heavily encourage the sharing of images online. With the price that Facebook paid to acquire Instagram, it is not surprising to see where they see the most participation in their users. With all the social networks, though, there is a tradeoff for photographers. Because all of these networks are free to sign up, participate, and share, the companies need to make revenue somewhere. YOU and your photos are now the currency that these networks use to grow their business. In some small parts, they are taking your photos and using them to get more people to share and participate, and they hope, get them to patronize their advertisers.

BW Vector Social Media Icons

To take more control over this natural give and take, I believe all photographers should have their own web space that they are paying for, and maintaining themselves. It has never been easier to reserve your own domain name, and sign up with a web host with all the gigabytes of storage you need for a minimal cost. If you are bothered by these social networks “stealing” your images to use, this is the best way to display your photos online. I post a little on these as a way to drive traffic to my personal website!

Tidal Basin at sunrise - ©TimeLine Media
Tidal Basin at sunrise – ©TimeLine Media

Speaking of which, my portfolio website is currently undergoing and exciting revision! I am switching over to a new service for showing off my best images. I will post more when the transition is finished, and I would love to hear what my blog readers think of the changes!

TimeLine Media portfolio site
TimeLine Media portfolio site

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

Personal, Photography, Travel | 0 comment

MLK Memorial at sunrise

Martin Luther King Memorial, Washington, DC - ©TimeLine Media

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a holiday in the United States observing the birthday of the great civil rights leader. He fought for equal rights in the 1960’s using non-violent marches and speeches as his main vehicle for his message. There is a new memorial to MLK located at the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC, a place that does not have many monuments to people that were not presidents of the nation. It is concurrently right in the line of cherry trees that bloom in spring bringing many visitors to the area.

Tidal Basin

On this morning, there were so many photographers and TV stations that were there to cover the holiday. There were speeches and other presentations that would take place at the memorial, and of course I wanted to see what the scene would be like. It was probably not the best day to get a distraction-free view of the memorial with all the people in the area, but it was so nice to see so many that took time out of their day off to pay tribute to such a historical figure on the holiday created in his name.

Martin Luther King Memorial, Washington, DC - ©TimeLine Media
Martin Luther King Memorial, Washington, DC – ©TimeLine Media

It was an awesome sunrise this morning. There were lots of clouds in the sky that reflected the sun nicely across the tidal basin, and right into the memorial. With his statue facing East, the sun makes for nice portrait light when it is low in the sky. This is what so many of the photographers that got up early were waiting to capture, and today did not disappoint. After I got many photos from that vantage, I wanted to try and get something different. There are some really nice stone walkways that lead visitors to the memorial, with quotes carved into the stone.

Off Camera Flash

Martin Luther King Memorial, Washington, DC - ©TimeLine Media
Martin Luther King Memorial, Washington, DC – ©TimeLine Media

I did not like how the default camera settings were making the image, so I thought that adding flash would help! Here is what the manual settings in the camera looked like. I wanted to keep the deep blue in the morning sky since the blown out look did not add anything to the photo.

Martin Luther King Memorial, Washington, DC - ©TimeLine Media
Martin Luther King Memorial, Washington, DC – ©TimeLine Media

Next I added some flash that is warmed with an orange, or CTO gel on the front:

Martin Luther King Memorial, Washington, DC - ©TimeLine Media
Martin Luther King Memorial, Washington, DC – ©TimeLine Media

I really liked how this turned out – so for the final shot, I just moved back a little from the wall, and zoomed the lens out as far as it could go. This way, I could get in some of the large white stone in the background that was reflecting the rising sun. I was happy with how it came out!

MLK Memorial, Washington, DC - ©TimeLine Media
MLK Memorial, Washington, DC – ©TimeLine Media

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

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