I have always wanted to become a Washington D.C based photographer. This desire lead to me to travel and spent 12 days at the capital of United States in the Summer of 2018. Almost every night when I returned to my uncle’s home in Alexandria, Virginia after spending half of the day spending in D.C I could always find a good photograph of the Washington monument that I can take publish. So 12 days gave me at least 10 different angle shots of the Washington Monument which gave me a reason to write a blog today!
I landed in Baltimore, MD on the night of June 12. Didn't wait after that, straight went out on the streets of D.C like a typical tourist. Driving in the the continental U.S is a big deal and finding a place to park inside D.C was not my game point! Me being a Hawaii driver for the past 6 months, driving in D.C was a straight up HELL! So for the first day, I took my uncle on my passenger seat who later took in charge of the car and roamed around the city for not getting a parking while I was taking photos around the monument, enjoying a selfish day. My uncle eventually got frustrated and left me after an hour or so!
There were a lot of silhouettes opportunities on that opening grass area of the monument as there were a bunch of tourists as well as locals taking a lap, out for dog walking or playing soccer, volleyball. It was extremely hot on that day! Temperature could possibly range from 85-90 degrees which I certainly don't find in Hawaii that much. Unlike Winter, Summer in the mainland is undoubtedly an extreme case to survive! Good thing it was less humid than that of Hawaii's weather.
As I was talking to them, the sun was shadowing the west horizon behind me, when I also went on pressing my continuous shutter observing their match clothes and activities. The golden flare of the sunlight fell on them as their shadows fell on the ground.
Somedays I was dropped off in front of the Arlington Cemetery and I use to cross the Arlington Memorial bridge towards the Lincoln Memorial. Until one day I took a different turn and ended up by the river of Potomac. One specific day I got to take pictures of Washington Monument along with the Lincoln Memorial with a different element on my foreground. DUCKS!
While taking the photographs, a lady told me that the ducks never gather at the exact spot I was photographing but that day they were there! I went back to that exact same spot for several days after that, but never found the ducks!
Wherever I go, I think I never lost the sight of the monument. I was always nearby the monument whatever I was shooting. I remember one day I was trying to shoot a picture which talks about D.C Rush hour and the versatility of the people. I don't know if I got to capture the rushing moment but I surely saw their versatility level!
I used to walk a lot everyday. All those walks made me to explore a range of photographs that I could take. Apart from the photographs, the walks made me hungry and have handful dinner every single night! I gained at least 10 pounds from that!
My last few days in D.C the weather was a bit upsetting. Within an hour or so, there was a massive change in the weather. While getting into the metro station I saw the sun scorching high but while getting off I saw it was raining thoroughly. The sun used to set at 8.30 PM, so no matter I woke up late or it was raining there was enough time to catch the light.
I think people living in Hawaii always have a fascination towards sunsets. Everybody loves the orange setting sun vanishing over the horizon. The dangling colors ranging over the sky is undoubtedly one of the majestic phase the nature can posses. My last day in D.C was as majestic as seeing the tempered color overlapping the Washington Monument and the U.S Capitol. It was incomparably raining that day and I had to wait inside a Starbucks for hours since my umbrella was of no use! Around 7.45 PM the rain paused but still drizzling. I think the more it rains the more beautiful the sun sets are. Seeing the rain paused for a while, people also seemed to resume their activity. Me & my high school friend who I met after a long time headed towards U.S Capitol when I saw the clouds dispersing its color through out the sky. I love taking silhouettes for different reasons and during sun sets silhouettes becomes my signature.
My trip to D.C would be impossible if my uncle wasn't residing over there. Except for some few metro rides, he and his new Nissan Pathfinder was mostly my rides back and forth from his home to D.C. Driving in D.C isn't a matter of words. I felt it needs utmost concentration in reading other drivers! Upon writing this blog, I could recall my rides with my uncle by surviving the crazy traffic everyday. Believe it or not, as long we were in D.C the Washington Monument was always visible. So I thought, my uncle needs a photograph where it shows that he is driving in D.C, not anywhere else.
Summer 2018 was my 2nd time in Washington D.C. My first time wasn't as appealing than this one. The reason lies behind my dream and my goal to be a photojournalist based on D.C and of course covering the president. I didn't have this goal until I began my college but now that I have it, different factors push me to work towards it.
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