52frames Inspired by a Photographer

He was right. Taking photos of koi is quite tricky. A Polish photographer Lukasz Palka who lives in Tokyo has taken some lovely photos of koi. So I tried my best at the National Arboretum to do the same. The koi pond just reopened and there weren’t a lot of fish. The water was a bit murky and they were primarily in the shade. They move about so quickly and appear to be rather shy. Aside from the fish we took a morning walk through the azalea park - but we missed the peak blooms. Another photographer I wanted to mimic was an Iranian film maker who has also done a lot of black and white images. So we wandered about the grounds and found some interesting options. Before we left we checked out the herb gardens and roses and arbors, then passed through the substantial bonsai collection.  I was surprised how much attention both the fish and the woods got on my Facebook business page and on Instagram. I use the responses to gauge which photo to choose for the weekly challenge, along with my husband’s opinion. I ended up selecting a single koi - there was something about the contrasting color of the fish and the water even though it wasn’t very crisp. Regardless of the challenge it’s a great excuse to get out of the house. 

A Visit to the National Arboretum

The azaleas were past bloom. We used to visit the National Arboretum routinely when we lived on Capitol Hill - especially during spring cherry blossom and azalea seasons. We returned last year to take photos of the Capitol columns and haven’t been back since. So it was time for another walk about and that would be the place. So we drove in by first heading towards our old neighborhood and then took the side streets rather than the freeway. There wasn’t a park entrance fee this time and one can use the old entryway off Bladensburg Road rather than the busy New York Avenue entrance. The park was very green since we are now in between seasons - except for the entry walkway that has huge purple balls along the way. The new and renovated koi pond had a few large koi, but it was nothing like before when it was filled with hundreds of fish. There were quite a few people wandering about. We did walk through the azalea park, but we were not able to drive along the path we liked because of the eagle nest that could not be disturbed. There is also quite a significant bonsai collection and a lovely herb garden with arbors and roses. All in all it was a very pleasant visit. We decided to return home using the freeway. The city has definitely changed since we first moved sixteen years ago. We rarely drove through then NE section of town and we were not familiar with the roads. I’m not sure when we will return, but it’s always a nice option.