WASHINGTON DC – Still here. Meeting. But slipping out in the early morning to catch the AM magic hour and some magnolias. The cherry blossoms are also out but they are concentrated on the Tidal Basin, which is uncomfortably far from my hotel given my tight schedule. So I settle for magnolias. These are with my Leica M and 18mm Super Elmar lens. This is a nice travel kit, by the way. The Leica is a camel in terms of battery capacity. I’ve been shooting a week on a single charge.
MagnoliasCivil war memorialAmerican Bar Association
WASHINGTON DC – I’m leaving out the ironic references to “Our Nation’s Capital”. It’s sad to see this disfunctional sprawl close up. But this is a lovely time of year here with the magnolias and cherries in blossom so let’s enjoy the chance to photograph. I spent this afternoon at the Smithsonian American Art Museum guided by the Museum’s director, Betsy Broun. The courtyard, pictured below, is one of my favorite spots for a casual lunch in Washington, but this was my introduction to the collection, which is splendid. It shares the former Patent Office building the the Smithsonian Portrait Gallery. Anyway, the courtyard:
Courtyard
On this day last year: Birch madness. I think that almost everyone who has a camera ranks birches as nearly as irresistible as dogs and babies. I have posted no fewer than 11 pictures with “birches” in the title since a started this project. None of them is much good. Repeat after me: “I won’t shoot birches. I won’t shoot birches. I won’t shoot birches . . .”
WASHINGTON DC – Ahem. Here we are in out nation’s capital, an expression that’s almost always used ironically these days. I flew down here for a conference and had a few minutes to spare to take a quick walk with my Fuji x Pro 1 and a 50mm equivalent lens. I do like this think which reminds me of a slightly larger (but more capable) Contax G2.
On this day one year ago: Scissors. Taken while I was bed-ridden, it turns out with Lyme disease.
WASHINGTON D.C. – The James Beard Foundation sponsored a food policy conference, focusing on issues surrounding sustainability, at the Pew Charitable Trust’s offices in Washington. After the conference, taken with my Leica M9 and a 28mm Summicron lens.
Pew Charitable Trust
WASHINGTON DC – I flew down to Washington for dinner at Nora. Nora’s menu. Nora Pouillon hosted a dinner for some of the participants in a food policy conference sponsored by the James Beard Foundation the following day. Not much time for photography but a fabulous meal. The menu included little gem lettuces with figs and cherry glen goat cheese; deep fried soft shell crabs with soy ginger emulsion (the best soft shell crabs ever); Amish veal roast with chanterelle sauce; champagne risotto and honeycrisp apple pie.
I spent the night in a hotel near the Convention Center – a part of town that was formerly a tenderloin area but is rapidly being gentrified. Not a good day for photography but I caught this building in passing near the Convention Center with my Leica M9 and a 50mm Summicron lens. Two frames stitched.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In Washington for a food policy conference. I spent the morning exploring the Lincoln Memorial end of the Mall, including an emotional hour at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Captured in infrared.
