Air Force Memorial at NightMy original intent with this picture was to capture the Air Force Memorial at night. Located across the river and near the center of the picture is a lighted, three-pronged, stainless steel sculpture that depicts an aerial formation known as a starburst. This is the Washington area's newest monument to the military. It's in Arlington, Virginia, directly across from Arlington National Cemetery.
Original intentions aside, what I ended up with was a picture that captured the memorial, but also has the added benefit of some really cool lighting on the trees in West Potomac Park. I failed to notice--or perhaps more correctly, I failed to fully appreciate the potential effect--the street light behind the tree on the middle left would have on the overall composition of the picture. Again, an example for me of a happy mistake that yielded a far more interesting picture than expected.
Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 12/07
11 comments:
I love these night shots, D.C. The street lights really lend a good effect to the pictures. The air-force memorial seems appropriate for them and the night lighting sets off the silvery image nicely.
You've done what I've wanted to do a long time.....see all the places in DC that aren't hyped. I can visit those just going through your photos. Thanks. I'm keeping track for the next time I go back there.
Bobbie: Thank you! It's been fun to learn how to do this! One of these days, I'll go across the river and take an up-close picture of the USAF Memorial. (It's all of five miles away from where I live in the city, so there's really no excuse not to. In fact, I probably pass this memorial at least once a week.)
CLBM: I try to find the stuff that hasn't been seen in D.C. Or, if it is typical, I try to capture it in ways I haven't seen before. Thanks for stopping by. (Your acronym is familiar, but I'm having difficulty placing it...)
I have an account....I just haven't started the blog. It's under clbm562. Can't seem to get it started. I go back to DC as often as I can so that's why I like your blog. My daughter lives there. Thanks.
CLBM: Funny thing about this blog... I started it because I was tired of bitching and moaning about everything I hate about D.C. I thought perhaps if I started taking pictures of the place, I'd find the beauty again.
So far, it's mostly working. I still hate the work culture here and people's crappy-ass attitudes, but Washington is a beautiful city with a lot of culture and history and flavor. I need to get out into the neighborhoods now and capture more of that, because Washington is more than just its monuments, right?
Look forward to seeing you again in these parts!
Here's a hint: Rigby, Idaho?
Oh. Duh! Hi NG's Mom in Rigby, Idaho!
See. I knew your name looked familiar. I'm sorry we never got to Five Guys and Fries together while you were out here. How did you like the fries? Were the potatoes from Rigby, Idaho, the day you went?
You're fast!! No...we never made it over there. Maybe next time. I've got a plane ticket that needs to get used sometime in the next 8 months. I really enjoy your blog sites. i'm going to follow you around on your trekking in DC.
CLBM: I don't know that many people from Rigby, Idaho. Although, I think my pioneer ancestors lived up that way when they first crossed the plains. Hm. I'll have to ask my mother.
Well, I'm glad you're enjoying the blogs. I enjoy your comments and it's always nice to see a familiar face... erm... commenter.
D.C. you go, girl! I'm loving these night shots. And didn't you only recently post (as I recall) that it was on your list of things to do -- to get better at night shots? Well, you don't let the moss grow under your feet.
I love happy accidents, too. They teach us so much. (Even unhappy accidents, actually.)
By the way, I took your suggestion to heart about what telling more about the technical side of my photographs and will give that a whirl, starting with yesterday's post. It will be a good exercise for me -- to think about what I did and while I'm "doing" to think about the explaining it later too.
I'm all for growing and learning and sharing and am tickled pink that you are part of my growing and learning and sharing circle.
Debi: I really, really liked this shot. I've actually duplicated it in my files and cropped it. Maybe I'll post it for comparison's sake. I want to go back to West Potomac Park to this exact location again and line up the shot a little better. I won't point out the flaw I see in the photo, but there's one little element I want to fix and then this picture will be the most perfect it could possibly be. (Not that I'm going for perfection, mind you, but I'm like you: I like shooting from different angles and this picture just needs me to move over about three inches from where I was standing originally.)
And thank you for your feedback. I really appreciate it. I'm excited to read your technical explanations on your blog and really appreciate you going to the extra work to do that. Thank you for letting me learn from you! (Hopefully one day, I'll be able to reciprocate.)
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