gals with hoops by philliefan99

Untitled by Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie

Sculpture Garden Ice Rink By Night by Glyn Lowe Photos

Franklin School Bldg. Occupied by Pablo.Raw

Old Cinema by MichaelTRuhl

There are few things that get my mind racing like the secret history of Washington, DC. It can be hidden tunnels under Dupont Circle or miniature Washington Monuments buried by the real thing; I just love it. Flickr user ep_jhu stumbled across a part of DC which isn’t exactly secret, but is just not well remembered: the old trolley tunnels under Dupont Circle.You’ve no doubt seen the old streetcar entrances in your travels around the circle, and there has been talk of developing the area into commercial ventures. Though I don’t know how he found his way in, Ep_jhu found a historical DC landmark which isn’t often photographed. The colors natural to the scene, subtle as they are, speak to utilitarian construction. Rather than shooting the scene from eye level and having all walls converge at similar angles, he shot low, emphasizing the size of the tunnel while making it more dramatic. Check out his other photos from the tunnels. They’re all very well done.

Contribute all your great shots from around town to our flickr pool! You may just get featured on this blog.

Remember to contribute your best shots of DC to our flickr pool. You may just get noticed for our featured photo or weekend flashback.

FotoWeek DC will return to the District this week for a series of exhibits celebrating the art of photography. The festival features over 150 photography-related workshops, lectures and exhibitions, as well as portfolio reviews by a specialized panel at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. It all starts with a launch party scheduled for this Friday, and a schedule of events can be found below. The festivities run from November 5th – 12th.

The festival kicks off this evening with a launch party. The double party begins at 5pm at at the project headquarters, FotoWeek Central, located at 1800 L Street NW. At 8:30pm the party moves to the Corcoran Gallery of Art, located at 500 17th St NW, for a party featuring DJs, cocktails, and hors d’oeuvres. Tickets are still available.

FotoWeek DC founder Theo Adamstein started the festival in 2008. Originally a regional project for locals to get noticed and share their work, it quickly evolved to international prestige. This year’s exhibits features artists from 44 countries.

While some locals have expressed concern with the festival moving way from its roots as a project focused on local artists, Adamstein thinks it’s the natural evolution of the project.

“It doesn’t make sense for a festival like this to remain as a local festival,” Adamstein said. “We’re an international city. Thousands of photographers from around the world are passing through here capturing the city and sharing their work.”

Local photographers will have their own exhibit section at the project headquarters at 1800 L Street NW, in the old Borders bookstore. Adamstein has dubbed the location “Fotoweek Central,” and it is the center of events.

A myriad of other exhibits around the city feature genres such as photojournalism, portraiture, commercial photography, fine art photography, travel, the natural world, and cell phone photography. Each year awards are given for the best contributions in each genre. See the 2011 winners.

Many of the events in the festival are free, including the series of lectures taking place at FotoWeek Central on November 5th and 6th. Topics include: ‘Copyright: Know It or Blow It!’, ‘An Introduction to Branding and Marketing for Commercial Photographers’, ‘Innovation: The Myth of Thinking Outside the Box’, and ‘Using Photography to Change the World’. Participants can learn from experts the essential skills to make it in the business and manage their own work.

The festival also provides a unique opportunity for exposure and critical review for local photographers, both amateur and professional. A portfolio review at the Corcoran Gallery of Art will feature a group of acclaimed photographers, photo editors, curators, and other experts to offer critical suggestions ranging from creative review to marketing assistance. Participants will even have the opportunity to propose photo essays, book and exhibit ideas, or illustrated articles. The expert panel features professionals from the Washington Post, The Library of Congress, National Geographic, Syracuse University, and The Corcoran Gallery of Art, among others.

Adamstein says portfolio review participants can expect to receive honest advice on how to improve their work, whatever their skill level. “With emerging photographers, it helps to have a professional or someone well renowned to get an honest opinion and to get advice,” he said.  The reviews take place November 12th from 10am-5pm, and tickets are still available, though the event is almost certain to sell out.

This year also features the launch of a new project called FotoPage, allowing photographers to create an online portfolio through the FotoWeek DC website, creating an opportunity to be discovered. Users can curate 5 portfolios of up to 24 images each. The site will launch during the festival, according to Adamstein.

Click to see the full schedule of events

Specimenlife saw an especially beautiful capture recently by the Naval Yard. Two birds decide to break free and spread their wings while the flocks rests. The tones of the photo are especially nice; black and white works beautifully with this shot.

If you have some beautiful shots from around the DC region, please contribute your photos to our Flickr Pool. You may just get featured!

Good morning, DC. We know it’s hard going back to work after a three day weekend, so grab your coffee and hold onto the glory days just a little bit longer with some shots from our great local photographers.

Crabby by yostinator

Arch by Pablo.raw

Protester by MichaelTRuhl

283/365 by ekelly80

Take Off by omegamoth

Rock Star Fashion by Mondmann

This week we are giving away a pair of tickets to see Les Savy Fav featuring
Trans Am & The Psychic Paramount perform at the 9:30 Club on October 7th at 8pm.

Click here to view the embedded video.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 5pm today. One entry per email address, please. If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts. Tickets for this concert are available on Ticketfly.

For the rules of this giveaway…

Comments will be closed at 5pm and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email in 24 hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

Tickets will be available to the winner at the 9:30 Club Guest List window one hour before doors open on the night of the concert. The tickets must be claimed with a valid ID. The winner must be old enough to attend the specific concert or must have a parent’s permission to enter if they are under 18 years old.

Please note: the ticket giveaway for Uh Huh Her has been discontinued.

Every so often a camera phone can grab a truly stunning shot, as happened with andrade✖cobain‘s iPhone shot of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Dupont Circle. City lights shining into clouds light the church in the dead of night. The grain from the high sensitivity of the camera’s sensor shape it into a fantastic glimpse into space, with millions of stars backlighting the church. DC’s light pollution obviously prevents any such spectacular stargazing from ever actually happening, making andrade✖cobain‘s shot all that more unique. Well done.

Contribute your best photos from the DC area to WeLoveDC’s Flickr Pool!

Good morning, DC. Is it feeling like fall yet? Grab your coffee and take a look back through this weekend’s best photos from around the area.

OccupyDC by thisisbossi

Capitol Columns Reflected by cruffo

Speak…No More by LaTur

untitled by Vileinist

Das a big bubble by yostinator

(269/365) by kimberlyfaye

See any cracks? by cruffo

Space Shuttle by MichaelTRuhl

This week we are giving away a pair of tickets to see Deerhoof with Benjy Ferree and the Dees, E.D. Sedgwick perform at the 9:30 Club on October 1st at 7pm.

Click here to view the embedded video.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 5pm today. One entry per email address, please. If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts. Tickets for this concert are available on Ticketfly.

For the rules of this giveaway…

Comments will be closed at 5pm and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email in 24 hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

Tickets will be available to the winner at the 9:30 Club Guest List window one hour before doors open on the night of the concert. The tickets must be claimed with a valid ID. The winner must be old enough to attend the specific concert or must have a parent’s permission to enter if they are under 18 years old.

This week we are giving away a pair of tickets to see Mason Jennings and The Pines perform at the 9:30 Club on September 25th at 7pm.

Click here to view the embedded video.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 5pm today. One entry per email address, please. If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts. Tickets for this concert are available on Ticketfly.

For the rules of this giveaway…

Comments will be closed at 5pm and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email in 24 hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

Tickets will be available to the winner at the 9:30 Club Guest List window one hour before doors open on the night of the concert. The tickets must be claimed with a valid ID. The winner must be old enough to attend the specific concert or must have a parent’s permission to enter if they are under 18 years old.

Autumn is falling, and our local photographers have been out in full force to document the goings-on around DC. Let’s have a look at what they found…

pumpkin pile by ekelly80

Roosevelt Island Bridge by specimenlife

Mandarin Oriental Washington Hotel by Eric Spiegel

Untitled by Laura_Grageda

rockin it by m hoek

Penn Quarter from above by MudflapDC

DC National Harbor by KrS-NrY

This week we are giving away a pair of tickets to see Latin Grammy Award-winning bandMolotov perform at the 9:30 Club on September 18th at 7pm.

Click here to view the embedded video.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 5pm today. One entry per email address, please. If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts. Tickets for this concert are available on Ticketfly.

For the rules of this giveaway…

Comments will be closed at 5pm and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email in 24 hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

Tickets will be available to the winner at the 9:30 Club Guest List window one hour before doors open on the night of the concert. The tickets must be claimed with a valid ID. The winner must be old enough to attend the specific concert or must have a parent’s permission to enter if they are under 18 years old.

In a world where photographers are often more concerned with flashy presentation or outstanding technique, Mondmann reminds us that simplicity is key to capturing a unique moment. The photo makes me think of a 70-year-old man who has lived in the same house for 50 years, sitting to watch the world pass by, yelling at kids to get off of his lawn. The dog just looks like a curmudgeon, although I’m sure if you asked him, the dog would say, “Stop anthropomorphizing me!” Well done, Mondmann.

This week we are giving away a pair of tickets to see The Low Anthem perform at the 9:30 Club on September 15th at 7pm.

Click here to view the embedded video.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 5pm today. One entry per email address, please. If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts. Tickets for this concert are available on Ticketfly.

For the rules of this giveaway…

Comments will be closed at 5pm and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email in 24 hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

Tickets will be available to the winner at the 9:30 Club Guest List window one hour before doors open on the night of the concert. The tickets must be claimed with a valid ID. The winner must be old enough to attend the specific concert or must have a parent’s permission to enter if they are under 18 years old.

Hey DC, hope you enjoyed your long weekend. Let’s take a look at some of the best shots from our local photographers.

Air Force Memorial by (Alex)

Barnside Barrels by KimberlyFaye

Next Step….yum! by Roger Photos

Meridian Hill Drum Circle by pablo.raw

Buoys by yostinator

Once by Vileinist

Marine 1 and the Washington Monument by Brandon Kopp

This week we are giving away a pair of tickets to see The Weepies perform at the 9:30 Club on September 5th at 7pm. This smooth indie duo is winding down an acoustic tour across the U.S. with their colorful tunes.

Click here to view the embedded video.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 4pm today. One entry per email address, please. If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts. Tickets for this concert are available on Ticketfly.

For the rules of this giveaway…

Comments will be closed at 4pm and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email in 24 hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

Tickets will be available to the winner at the 9:30 Club Guest List window one hour before doors open on the night of the concert. The tickets must be claimed with a valid ID. The winner must be old enough to attend the specific concert or must have a parent’s permission to enter if he/she is under 18 years old.

Self portraiture is a challenge at times, but to capture both the self and the environment creatively takes a clever mind. Enter pablo.raw. His photo from the metro isn’t about the subway tunnel on which he’s focusing, but about his act of taking a picture. Placing himself out of the focused area emphasizes his role in the product, and is a truer portrait of him as an individual – he’s doing the photographer’s job. It’s creative and masterfully executed – a portrait of a creative mind at work.

In the heart of hilly Rosslyn amid the skyscrapers and the steel, the Santa Fe Cafe is an oasis for spicy food lovers. Offering authentic New Mexican food, the restaurant has maintained a presence in Arlington for over 20 years on Wilson Boulevard two blocks from the Rosslyn Metro station.

A New Mexico native, myself, I noticed right away that the restaurant has the same quaint, cozy feel as many of the family owned places in Santa Fe. The staff is friendly and Spanish speaking, and the prices are reasonable. The authentic New Mexican art adorning the walls provides a pleasant refrain from the metropolis above; it’s almost like one made a wrong turn and ended up in Taos Pueblo.

For those unfamiliar with the genre, New Mexican food holds a distinct style from other Southwestern cuisines such as Tex-Mex and Mexican food. Based largely around red and green chile pepper sauces and traditionally spicy and flavorful, the food has roots hundreds of years deep. Traditional dishes include blue corn enchiladas, chile relleno, posole, or green chile stew.

Santa Fe Cafe owner Kip Laramie has adapted his New Mexican menu to include more ‘traditional American’ items to cater to a wide audience, but that don’t compromise the credibility of his classic southwestern dishes.

“I think we’re pretty legit,” Laramie said. “We have a few things which wouldn’t stand up to New Mexico: a steak and cheese burrito, which is Philadelphia meets New Mexico, but I try to marry them with the NM ingredients that would give somebody who is into the spicier cuisine reason to try them.”

Laramie has made a mark with local New Mexicans, including the University of New Mexico Alumni Association, the New Mexico State Society, and many military personnel once stationed in the Land of Enchantment. The Congressman representing Santa Fe, Democrat Ben Ray Lujan, is reportedly a fan; his signed headshot hangs on the wall among other New Mexico statesmen who have visited the establishment.

Santa Fe Cafe by MichaelTRuhl

Laramie’s authenticity extends to addressing the age old New Mexico question: red or green? New Mexico has two main varieties of chile, which vary in color, taste, and consistency based on when it’s harvested. New Mexican culture embraces both red and green chile, but there is definitely a divide between people as to preference. Laramie offers either one on his dishes, or you can get it ‘christmas style’ with both red and green.

“The green chile in New Mexico is the state fruit – no doubt about it,” Laramie said. “I just think most people that know anything about New Mexican food, one of the first things they learn is green chile, whether it’s green chile stew or green chile enchiladas.”

Raw, fresh green chile is a difficult item to find in DC if you don’t grow it yourself. A few grocery stores in the area carry it frozen, but the Santa Fe Cafe gets their supply shipped directly from Hatch, a small farming town in Southern New Mexico known for the fiery peppers. Recently several local grocery stores flew in fresh peppers from Hatch and roasted them in front of their stores, a tradition in New Mexico this time of year. Many stores are sold out already.

The only quintessentially New Mexican item Laramie doesn’t offer is the sopapilla, a deep fried pastry. He once had the recipe it down perfectly, but when he changed deep fryers in his kitchen he couldn’t get them to puff properly anymore. “It’s embarrassing and frustrating,” Laramie lamented. “I will run them every once in a while as a special, but I just know that I’ll have to make 20 sopapillas to get 4 good ones, and just accept it. I just need to consult with someone’s grandmother to find out what I’m doing wrong,” he laughed.

If you’re in the mood for something new or spicy, consider taking a ride over to Rosslyn on the blue and orange lines. Take a moment to talk to Kip Laramie while you’re there – he’s a heck of a nice guy. You’ll be happy you came.

Santa Fe Cafe
1500 Wilson Boulevard (at corner of Oak Street)
Arlington, Virginia 22209
(703) 276-0361

This week we are giving away a pair of tickets to see Chuck Brown perform at the 9:30 Club on August 27th at 9pm. The Godfather of Go Go will be celebrating his 75th birthday in an event hosted by Bootsy Collins.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 5pm today. One entry per email address, please. If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts. Tickets for this concert are available on Ticketfly.

For the rules of this giveaway…

Comments will be closed at 5pm and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email in 24 hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

Tickets will be available to the winner at the 9:30 Club Guest List window one hour before doors open on the night of the concert. The tickets must be claimed with a valid ID. The winner must be old enough to attend the specific concert or must have a parent’s permission to enter if he/she is under 18 years old.