Later this year I'm moving to Washington DC from London. I'll be in the States working for two years and I'm planning to spend my weekends and holidays out of DC making photos.

I enjoy LF above all for landscapes and as a relative newcomer to LF I've found the experience most satisfying when away from crowds - the presence of passers by can be a little distracting when shooting LF in London. Not a phenomenon I've ever really experienced in other formats. So in the city I'll probably stick to my 35mm and medium format kit.

But I figure if I have two years in the US there must be some magnificent opportunities to get out into the sticks and shoot some landscapes in LF.

Where to go and when? Also, I guess I need a car right? I'm hoping that there should be some nice coastal vistas not too far from DC and that at some point I'll be able to visit some of the famous national parks. Any tips for timing to avoid the crowds would be much appreciated.

Finally, I've found that there are a couple of labs in DC who process 5x4 but as yet haven't tracked down anywhere offering hand prints. In London I use a printer for BW fibre based prints who also does a fantastic job of colour printing from colour neg. The latter seems to be a really dying art.

Never shot E6 in large format but it's something I may try if I can't find anyone to print my colour negs.

Are there any good darkroom printers in DC?