52Frames_woman

I wasn’t sure how I would take an “environmental” portrait for the 52Frames photo challenge last week until it hit me in the face. We usually take a ride to the national mall and go to a museum or garden or place that might help achieve the goal of getting a decent shot of the subject matter. So we parked near the American Indian museum and walked through the First Ladies garden hoping to find a gardener. It was too early in the morning. So we headed up towards the Capitol building. A female construction worker was too far away, so we continued on towards the east side. For whatever reason, the streets and Capitol grounds were eerily quiet - there was no one to be found. So I took a photo of Freedom on top of the dome thinking that may be my only option. When we hit the north gate, I saw a female police officer and three male colleagues observing us. So I walked over and asked her if she could oblige a portrait for my photo challenge even though I much prefer candid shots to formal portraits. After she learned why I wanted to take the photo, she was willing. It turned out better than I expected. After that we walked on towards our latest favorite place - the National Gallery of Art - where a greeter at the door and an usher inside also approved of having a portrait shot. I sent them copies to their email address on the spot. Once inside the gallery, there were plenty of “woman” options, but they were candids and not environmental. Once again outside, we headed to the food trucks where there was a construction worker and a food truck owner near their vehicles. On our way home I took some street scenes with interesting back drops. In the end I selected the police office to submit for the challenge, although I liked the head scarved woman in the gallery in front of the female portrait. The unflattering bullet proof vest and work gear made quite a statement. Having lived on Capitol Hill for thirteen years this photo had more of a connection. 

The Fortified Capitol Building

As is our usual activity, we drove in to DC this morning for our walk that took us to the Tidal Basin. We have driven by the area every time we go to our old neighborhood, but we haven’t actually stopped and parked there for quite a while. I thought there would be some great photo opportunities for the 52Frames challenge this week at the FDR Memorial. It involves taking images from a very low perspective. So we parked the car across from the MLK Memorial and walked all over the place. We noticed a lot of helicopters and police presence everywhere. When we were done, we drove towards the Capitol and our old neighborhood on Capitol Hill to see what was happening since last week’s events. All the streets leading to the Capitol building were closed off. And all around the grounds was the black ten foot fence and concrete blocks surrounding the place. About every twenty feet behind the fence were national guards - not just there, but also on every corner within a certain radius. The supreme court was also fenced off and the library of Congress Jefferson building had police, dog, and national guard presence. The house and senate office buildings were also fortified as well as half way down the street to where we used to live. I’m glad we don’t live in the neighborhood now - it’s a bit too uncomfortable for me. When we got home we learned the Washington monument tours were suspended because of threats. I don’t think things will calm down anytime soon and glad I didn’t think about it as we were walking about, wondering why there was no one in sight.