trip to DC. suggestions wanted

[eddie]

hi all,

i am going to DC (today for the weekend)with my wife for her B day. i will be able to get in some LF photography.

we will hit the usual tourist spots. where else would you suggest to get some good LF shots. all the monuments and stuff i will shoot with 35mm. what other things would be fun for LF? old buildings, ship yards, factories etc. i will be staying just in maryland in rockville. i have a car.

thanks for the suggestions.

eddie

[John Bowen]

Venture a little south west to Fort Royal and pick up Shenandoah National Park. You'll be glad you did. Your bride will also enjoy the trip!

Have Fun!

[Walter Calahan]

Watch out for the Homeland Security Tripod Police. Shooting LF in DC can be a pain due to all the stupid rules. To photograph anywhere near the US Capitol needs a tripod permit. So too on the Mall. Stick to 35 mm around all the tourist traps, I mean, sites.

I put together a gallery on my web site about DC shot with LF pinhole cameras. Most of the time no or small tripods were used. http://www.walterpcalahan.com/Cheers/Portfolios/Pages/Washington_DC.html

Front Royal is nice to see, as well as a slow drive through the Shenandoah Park.

Annapolis is worth the trip too. I'm partial to Baltimore for its interesting sites.

Rockville as no redeeming photographic value.

Just let things happen. Don't get too tied up needing to shoot LF.

[eddie]

thanks guys! keep them coming!

i will only use small stuff in the "traps".

walter, i love the Ultra wide angle pinhole! makes me want to bring my zero image....

[eric black]

You will also be a short drive away from Great Falls Park (find info on www.nps.gov/grfa/ ) and the entire C&O Canal which extends up to Harpers Ferry, WV. Lots to see and do there as well- again not the greatest time of year due to high tourism but if you get up early enough, you can avoid major crowds (and the high heat and humidity)

[z_photo]

annapolis? just a short drive. sailboats, old brick streets, bay bridge

[Walter Calahan]

Eddie

If you have a Zero Image Pinhole camera, bring it with a table top tripod. It's worth it.

I own a few of their cameras. So well made.

[BarryS]

A tripod is no problem on the Mall. In the monuments, it's at the discretion of the park service staff--in the late evenings they seem pretty reasonable. I agree with the Great Falls and Harpers ferry suggestions. Great Falls is close to Rockville and I definitely advise going to the Maryland side. One nice spot is the National Building Museum--one of the most beautiful interior spaces in Washington. If you're coming into town for just the weekend, there's enough stuff close in to enjoy without wasting gas and time.

A few suggestions--

Old Town Alexandria-- this is close in, right on the water, and has some great old architecture. There are good restaurants and the Torpedo Factory--a huge cooperative art gallery.

Georgetown along the C&O Canal-- A very beautiful area with lots of photo opportunities and restaurants/shopping nearby.

National Cathedral--beautiful architecture and photography/tripod friendly.

[Scott Davis]

Eddie- if you're going to be around THIS weekend, I'm free. I've not had a problem doing night shots down on the Mall with a tripod - just watch out for the carousel in front of the Smithsonian Castle- they're hyper-vigilant about anyone photographing it. The grounds of the US Capitol are tripod-permit required. You can also use a tripod at the WW II memorial - I asked, and even shot with one in full daytime. Catch the WW I memorial (a little known monument off the side of the mall, in the trees, between the WW II and the Lincoln), especially if you need a break from the madding crowds. Get out into the neighborhoods of DC if you want to photograph some interesting stuff - mansions and the "Spanish Steps" on the west side of Dupont Circle (I want to say the steps are at R street between 24th and 25th), vibrant streetlife and graffiti in the 14th/U Street area (and a lot of good restaurants too! - Simply Home @ 14th & U for Thai, Merkado on P between 14th & 15th for Asian/Latin fusion, a brand new French Bistro whose name escapes me on 14th just above U).

Also, thinking of the National Building Museum, go check out the recently re-opened National Portrait Gallery/Museum of American Art. It has some gorgeous interior spaces, and is located at the Gallery Place/ Chinatown metro station (on the Red Line, so it's a direct trip from Rockville without changing trains).

Along the C&O canal, there are some great spots - if you have a GPS in your car, drive out to Swains Lock (which is above Great Falls I believe), and take a nice hike up the canal. The lock itself at Swains is in good shape, and you can get some very pretty river views as well as good shots of the canal.

[Brian Ellis]

One of my favorite spots in D.C. for photography is Meridian Hill Park, not your typical urban park with a few benches and a monument but an elaborate and fascinating series of structures, walls, steps, and stuff like that. This description doesn't do it justice but you can read about it and get some idea of what it's like at http://www.nps.gov/archive/rocr/cultural/merid.htm. Tripods weren't a problem last time I was there.

[Walter Calahan]

Barry, you're lucky with your tripod on the Mall. The tripod police can be a royal pain in the butt if they want to be.

I set up a tripod on a bridge on 16th St NW above Adams Morgan and had to DC squad cars decent on me. On the Mall it is hit of miss. The faster you are about using a tripod and then moving on the better.

[BarryS]

Haha--I guess I must be lucky, because I'm sure not fast. :) Honestly, I've used my tripod all over the Mall and never had a problem. The big no-no is setting up a tripod on the steps of any memorials, but I've had no issues outside and if things aren't too crowded at night--inside as well. Adams Morgan is such a zoo these days and there a lot of cops around, so maybe everyone is in a confrontational mood.

[Bill L.]

Another vote for Great Falls. There is a national park on each side of the Potomac at Great falls, both just outside the beltway. The Maryland side (C&O park) is great for the C&O canal. The Virginia side (Great Falls park) has the best views (IMHO) for photographing the falls. You can typically get into the Maryland side before sunrise. Unfortunately, they don't open the Virginia side before 7:00 AM if I recall.

You also might consider Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens http://www.nps.gov/keaq/
I believe the lotuses are still in bloom, as well as some of the smaller waterlillies. A small format with a long lens is nice for close-ups of the blooms, but LF is nice for more environmental portraits of the ponds filled with flowers.

Cheers!
Bill

[mdd99]

It's permissible to use a tripod on parks overseen by the National Park Service--e.g., the Mall--as long as you don't obstruct other visitors, but the Capitol Police (which uses motorcycles and foot patrols on the grounds) will kick you off the Capitol terrain they control. Been there.

[Scott Davis]

Bill- the Lotus plants at Kenilworth are in high form, and I think they will peak this coming weekend. Our little DC area LF group is planning an outing there on Sunday - anyone interested is welcome to join.

[Terence McDonagh]

Arlington National Cemetery can be very rewarding. Give them a call beforehand as to what the current rules are. They've been changing over the years, but the general rules are to stay away from ongoing services, and be resepctful of the monuments (don't rest your cameras and bags or yourself against them), etc. It's (unfortunately in a sense) a huge place though. Beautiful in its own way. I always find something new every time I go there, and I've been there probably 50 times.

[bigdog]

National Cathedral--... photography/tripod friendly.

Really?!! Good to know. I've been there many times and taken pictures (hand held), but a tripod would be, um, ... "heaven". ;)

[jshanesy]

Really?!! Good to know. I've been there many times and taken pictures (hand held), but a tripod would be, um, ... "heaven". ;)

I've been photographing both inside and outside the National Cathedral with tripod mounted view cameras for more than 15 years and have never had anyone even question me about what I was doing. I've even photographed from the back of the nave during services.

I'm partial to the small chapels in the basement and outside I like the Bishop's Garden.

The Catholic cathedrals are also very tripod friendly, although they will shoo you away about 1/2 hour prior to either closing (in the case of the Franciscan Monastery) or mass. Check the schedules.

[Bill L.]

Scott - when are you planning to gather at Kenilworth? I'll try to join weather and work permitting.

Bill

[eddie]

thanks everyone. it was a great trip. i need like another 2 weeks though....

i tried to get out to the aquatic gardens but they were closed. managed to shoot an old amusement park instead.

on the way home we stopped at harpers ferry. great place. perfect timing too. they were all dressed up in costume! we got some good stuff.

thanks to scott!

cheers

e

[Scott Davis]

Bill - we're planning to go this Sunday, be there by 9AM. Make it when you can make it- I'm sure it will be pretty easy to spot a bunch of large format folks running around the gardens.