A little bit of mystery for the day. A self portrait is just what it sounds like, a photo of the photographer taken by the photographer. Some people find this type of photography to be empty or egotistical. Others (like myself) think that, when done well, it can give you an amazing insight into the person taking the photograph. Like any other portrait photo it can convey an amazing amount of emotion. Now yostinator SP above isn’t a full on self portrait, but it still does a great job of capturing the mystery of the scene. We’ve all had moments where we catch our reflection in a window or a mirror and, if the light is just right, get intrigued by what is looking back at us. Yostinator catches her hand’s reflection, along with that of her camera, and along the way gets some beautiful colors and bokeh in the background, all while waiting for a Metro train. This could just as easily been an abstract painting, rather than a self portrait.

Just one more week until Memorial Day; we can make…I think. Why is it the week before Memorial Day always drags by, with everyone trying to work, but instead everyone has their minds on the nice, long weekend? Mysteries of the world. Anyways, take your mind off your work, or your coming vacation, and check out the photos from our skilled photographers. 

IMG_3911
courtesy of BrianMKA

peep memorial
courtesy of philliefan99

Balloon art
courtesy of vpickering

McMillan
courtesy of Chris Wieland

McLean Day 2012
courtesy of kimberlyfaye

Untitled
courtesy of zo-boat

it never ends
courtesy of philliefan99

IMG_7820
courtesy of jsmjr

Spring Flowers in SE DC
courtesy of dcscorpio

This past Friday, DC was treated to a fascinating public performance called bound(less), put on by the group Project Bandaloop and sponsored by the Kennedy Center. Bound(less) is an aerial dance performed on the face of the Old Post Office Pavilion on Pennsylvania Ave, and it provide a number of wonderfully unique photographs for our contributors, like Pablo’s above. The dancers suspended in mid-air, the horn player in the window, and the blue light, all give the image an other-worldly feel. It’s almost as if the photo is from a dream.

The reason I’m pointing this out is to show how blessed DC is with public art. Almost every week there’s something going on for people to see. And starting this weekend is the big public art festival of Artomatic. Eleven floors of art; some very good, some very bad, but all up to the viewer to decide. I’m going to be there Friday night; I hope to see you all there.

Ugh…another Monday. And with the weather finally staying nice, it makes going back to work all the more difficult. And, of course, right afte typing that, I check the weather report and there’s a 100% chance of rain for Monday. We just can’t win on Mondays, can we? Well, let’s be happy the weather was excellent for our time off and bad for the time we spend in the office. And fear not, only two more weeks till Memorial Day weekend.  Let’s get to these awesome pictures and then start our week!

Read a book
courtesy of Chris Wieland

Gravelly Point Picnic-1523
courtesy of MudflapDC

Look Up!
courtesy of pablo.raw

Two Doors
courtesy of Noe Todorovich

family outing
courtesy of philliefan99

Bound(less) dancers
courtesy of ekelly80

A gorilla and his ball
courtesy of JasonianPhotography

Before I Die…
courtesy of dcscorpio

Rainbow over Thomas Circle
courtesy of ampenagos

That is one great shot of Nationals Park! Phil employed his trusty fisheye lens to get nearly the entire seating bowl of the stadium into one shot. A fisheye lens is an ultra wide-angle lens which gives a 180 degree view. It’s a fairly specialized lens, and few photographers use them. This is mainly because the distortion that is created can become a tiresome effect and people lose interest in using it. Also, such a wide-angle lens is not useful in most situations. However, when employed properly, like the shot above, the results are outstanding!

Talk about a banner weekend for DC. Nationals go 2 for 3; Caps win the big game; DC United wins on the road; heck, even New York City got leveled in the Avengers! Everything seems to be turning up DC. We even had great weather; first hit of heat on Saturday and then a nice cool off for Sunday, and no rain. Let’s keep this going…by checking out some photos from the weekend. Enjoy! 

127
courtesy of kimberlyfaye

Running of the Chihuahuas (26 of 39)
courtesy of caroline.angelo

Look! Up in the sky! It’s Supermoon!
courtesy of Dan Dan The Binary Man

DSC_4315_r
courtesy of tdr28

Sneaky super moon
courtesy of theqspeaks

RG3 sunset??
courtesy of frederickking1979

18/52 – society fair
courtesy of dracisk

Embassy of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire
courtesy of vpickering

mob on first
courtesy of philliefan99

Catching a completely candid moment on film (or digitally) is harder than you think. People naturally clench up when a camera is pointed at them; or they put their canned smile on their face; or they just turn away from the camera. That’s what makes Andy’s shot above so interesting. He caught this woman with a normal, contemplative look; a look we all have on our face from time to time. There is the added bonus of her looking straight into the camera, which gives the picture power. The viewer naturally wonders what she is thinking while her photo is taken; her theatrical makeup and hairdo only add to question. A truly candid moment. They aren’t captured very often.

If we’ve got to work this week, let’s go ahead and get it started! I’m ready for it to be Friday, as I’ve got tickets for the Friday night’s Nationals game against the Phillies. All Philly fans be on notice: we’re coming for ya! But before Friday can come, we’ve got to get through Monday (and a few other days). And we can’t have Monday without a Flashback. So here it is.

Now, on to Tuesday!

Pedicab
courtesy of vpickering

The Reader
courtesy of pablo.raw

sunny spotlight
courtesy of philliefan99

DSC_4268_rcg
courtesy of tdr28

Man in Banana Suit
courtesy of csuspect

Yes?
courtesy of Phaesia2012

2012 Florida Avenue Market 11583
courtesy of tedeytan

SONG1 at the Hirshhorn Museum
courtesy of Joe in DC

Holding up
courtesy of MrStinkhead

Well, half of the weekend was nice at least. Though I think we’re now really paying our tab for those spring days in early March. I hope you’re bundled against the cold we’re going to have. And if you’re not, then still back, dry off, and enjoy the 70 degree weather we had in Saturday, which was conveniently caught in photos form.

goodbye mr. sun
courtesy of christaki

Shadow at McMillan Sand Filtration Cell
courtesy of Mr. T in DC

Free the Cuban 5
courtesy of afagen

IMG_7583
courtesy of jsmjr

south lawn awning
courtesy of philliefan99

IMG_0095
courtesy of BrianMKA

White House South Portico HDR Panorama
courtesy of Brandon Kopp

Saturday Afternoon
courtesy of ARealSidler

Bo at The Whitehouse Spring Garden Tour 2012 (Explored)
courtesy of Glyn Lowe Photoworks

A nice street-scape, where the very people walking along are part of the scenery. This shot, done by Joe, is something that we all see everyday. It just takes someone to take the picture for us to stop and notice the beauty. Take that moment now and look: the light is soft and low in the sky, casting long, expressive shadows. The people and cars are arrayed in a random pattern which fills the shot just right. And the picture is wide enough that you can see the lines of the brick sidewalk; a sidewalk made of multiple different colored bricks. Most definitely a photo worth seeing.

Two for three isn’t bad! Baseball season has finally started and the Nationals are off to a really good start. I’m so excited! Oh, and I guess some other things happened this weekend: fireworks, pillow fights, and a major religious holiday. But nothing as big as the national pastime starting up for the year! But if you insist on seeing the other minor events of the weekend, pictures of them are below…and one last time: GO NATS!

Taking egg dyeing seriously.
courtesy of hcwoodward

510 Lee House Brunch at La Boum 10802
courtesy of tedeytan

Happy Easter ~ from S Capitol ST
courtesy of 4²5²☆productions

Fireworks – Cherry Blossom Festival 2012
courtesy of specimenlife

Pillow Fight!
courtesy of ep_jhu

Sea Bass w- Smoked Paprika
courtesy of caroline.angelo

Buzzzz
courtesy of cruffo

International Pillow Fight Day
courtesy of vpickering

Glass Canopy
courtesy of Jarrod Bruner

Because sometimes you just need a picture of a cute dog…in front of the Capitol Building. Be sure to thank MudflapDC for your morning squee allotment.

So, how was the weekend in DC? I really don’t know because I’m still out of town. Judging by the pictures below, it looked lovely; full of kites, flowers, and people. Or are the pictures deceiving? Either way it is, be sure to check out the stellar collection of weekend photos. They’ll keep the “Mondays” at bay for just a little bit longer. And if that doesn’t work, try to get through the Lost Woods of Kenilworth in the 8-bit Washington.

courtesy of Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie

IMG_8826
courtesy of logan.brown

Uptown Theater
courtesy of ep_jhu

2012 Vida U Street Rooftop 10658
courtesy of tedeytan

Kite Festival
courtesy of vpickering

Black-tailed Prairie Dog at the Zoo
courtesy of Mr. T in DC

2012 Cherry Blossom Kite Festival
courtesy of cruffo

Howdy
courtesy of jennyboh

Corn HOLIO!
courtesy of yostinator

Sometimes the best thing to take a picture of is the space around the main object. This concept is called negative space. Take theupper’s picture above: the perfect silhouette of the Capitol Dome and the Statue of Freedom is framed wonderfully by the sky. The streaks of clouds, hinted with the pink of sunset or sunrise, complement the multiple blues of the sky. An all around excellent shot.

Well, we can’t have perfect weather all the time, can we? And from the sound of it, Monday night is going to be cold. Not all that surprising; winter never goes down without one last fight. However, with weather like this, I’ve always thought the old saying that “March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb” is backwards.

Anyways, our loyal photographs were out in force all the same, and they got some great shots. Sit back, warm up with a hot beverage, and keep Monday morning at bay for just a little longer.

Candid Portrait
courtesy of pablo.raw

Rainy spring afternoon
courtesy of cruffo

listen
courtesy of philliefan99

Untitled-2
courtesy of Natalia Esina

H Street Lights
courtesy of available_photons

IMG_3110
courtesy of BrianMKA

star lights 2
courtesy of logan.brown

a portrait of a Washingtonian
courtesy of Lauren PM

courtesy of caroline.angelo

I promise, once you’re done reading this article, you’re going to want to dust off your Atari 2600, or NES, or PS1, or whatever was your first video game system, and play all the games you grew up with. That was my reaction, and I have the couple of hours I lost playing The Legend of Zelda last Saturday to prove it.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum opened their new exhibit, the Art of Video Games, with a big festival this past weekend. If you missed it, don’t worry; the real festival, the exhibit itself, is far from over, as it is going to be running until September 30th. Employing some impressive, and modern, multi-media tools, the museum has put together a truely engaging art exhibit of some very influencial, but generally overlooked, modern art. Namely, video games. 

We Love DC – Art of Video Games – 03-18-12 15
courtesy of mosley.brian

Art of Video Games is, “one of the first major exhibitions to explore the 40-year evolution of video games as an artistic medium.” The guest curator, Chris Melissinos, former chief evangelist and chief gaming officer for Sun Microsystems and founder of PastPixels, is the true source behind much of the exhibit. “Video games are a prevalent and increasingly expressive medium wihtin modern society,” Melissinos says. “Video games, which include classic components of art, offer designers a previously unprecedented method of communicating with and engaging audiences by including a new element, the player, who completes the vivid, experimental art form by personally interacting with the game elements.” You certainly walk through the exhibit and get a sense that there is a singular vision on what is being displayed, and that it gives a great overview of the medium.

We Love DC – Art of Video Games – 03-15-12 11
courtesy of mosley.brian

The exhibit is broken into three portions. The first section is mainly the physical art of video games. You’ll see the game cartridges, inserts (like maps and back-story comics), and concept art. You’ll also see two multi-media displays that are ingenious. The first is a display showing the evolution of certain mechanics of video games over the years. This is more fascinating than it sounds, as you get to see how games have changed to show things such as walking, flying, and talking. Side-by-side, it is a stark contrast to see how early Atari games handled walking juxtaposed against N64 and PS3 games. The other display is a three panel LCD screen showing the recordings of people’s facial expressions while playing games. All of the people have a variation on deep concentration on their face…until you see the seven-year-old who is jumping all over the place (and let’s be honest, we all want to be that seven-year-old again). It is truly fascinating, and it will make you wonder how your face looks when you’re playing a game.

The second portion of the exhibit is what people will remember most: playing some of the games. There are five games you can play, spanning the 40 years. The first two are ones everyone has played at some point: Pac-Man and the original Super Mario Brothers (the other games are The Secret of Monkey Island; Myst; and Flower). I played Super Mario and sadly died at the hands of the first Goomba I saw. But then, all those old memories came back, I finished the board in one life, and I even got the high score on the flag at the end of the board; I was six again! The other games do an excellent job of immersing you into the medium, with the newest one being the most thought provoking: Flower. This game, for the Play Station 3, the player controls the wind and it’s your job to pollinate fields of flowers. It’s such a major artistic departure from the other games, that you see how far the medium has gone in 40 years. All of these games give the exhibition goer a true sense of involvement in the exhibit. It replicates what video games do: making the player part of the art.

We Love DC – Art of Video Games – 03-15-12 06
courtesy of mosley.brian

The third section of the exhibit is a series of well crafted displays showing brief videos of 80 games, over 20 different video game systems. These videos are from such diverse systems as the ColecoVision, the Sega Master System, and modern Windows gaming. The videos demonstrate the major innovations of the individual games over the 40 year life-time of the artistic medium; from graphic advances, to ways of innovating game play, to more. The games that have been selected, with the help of the public, are meant to give an overview; an overview that an expert can say is satisfactory, but is still able to be engage-able by the general public. This is the section that will get you nostalgic for your youth.

In addition to all of this, the exhibit includes some very modern innovations. The most significant is mirco-donations, where people can contribute $10 to the exhibit either online or via text message. In recognition for the donations, you’re name will appear on a scrolling credits screen displayed in the exhibit (much like the credits shown when you beat a game). The more you donate, the larger your name will appear. As well, there is a lot of supplemental material on the exhibit’s website, located here. It’s certainly a fascinating interactive exhibition, and one that you’ll find engrossing.

We Love DC – Art of Video Games – 03-15-12 10
courtesy of mosley.brian

I’ve got to say, this is one of the few art exhibits I’ve gone to that I really connected with. Many of the artifacts, games, and videos brought out a slew of different emotions in me. From nostalgia over seeing the Sega Master System for first time in years; to fascination at the game play of Flower; to the wonder of seeing the evolution of game mechanics side-by-side. It is one of the easiest art exhibits I have ever connected with. That’s because I have such a history with the medium, having played video games since the tender age of 6, but it’s also because the Smithsonian has done such a good job organizing this exhibit. I walked out writing an e-mail to my brother asking about finding our NES and Super NES, and planning on dusting off my N64; that’s the kind of emotion it can bring out of people. If you have played video games in the past 40 years, you will find something to connect with; and memories of major triumphs and aggravating defeats will come back to you. Thus is the wonder of video games.

I only have two criticisms of the exhibit. One, it is very small, filling only three rooms. I was hoping for something more expansive. However, it does pack a lot of art into a small space. The second criticism is that there is no exploration into how video games have impacted society. This can be explained by the fact that this isn’t what the exhibit is meant to cover; it’s simply showing the art of the video games and not the larger impact on society. Not every exhibit can be all thing. On the whole, both of my criticism are very small. I can say that this is something worth seeing; you will walk away with a greater appreciation of the artistic qualities of video games, no matter your interest or knowledge.

Art of Video Game is open from Friday March 16th to Sunday Septemeber 30th 2012. The Smithsonian American Art Museum is open from 11:30am to 7:00pm daily, with no admission charge. The museum is located at 8th and F Street NW, in Chinatown/Penn Quarter. If you would like to see more shots from the exhibit, please check out my Flickr set.

We Love DC – Art of Video Games – 03-18-12 14
courtesy of mosley.brian

One of the benefits of doing a long exposure is that you are able to capture motion in a still photograph. Think about that for a moment; it sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t? But then you have pictures like the one above from theqspeaks, which is of one of the more dramatic fountains in the FDR Memorial along the Tidal Basin. The water is both frozen and moving within this two second exposure, giving a new perspective on the fountain, splashes and all. As well, the blacks of the rocks contrast well against the white of the water. All around an excellent photo!

It was one of those great weekends that make it awesome to live in DC! Whether you were running a marathon, celebrating Irish Day, avoiding the people celebrating Irish Day, admiring the cherry blossom blooming, playing on an Atari 2600 in the Kogod Courtyard, or just going for a walk with the great weather, it was simply marvelous. Our photo contributors certainly found stuff to do, so check it out below. 

MPD Accident at 16th & S Streets
courtesy of Mr. T in DC

DC Sunset
courtesy of slightlyworn

Rock n Roll Marathon- St Patty’s Day
courtesy of slightlyworn

078
courtesy of kimberlyfaye

even more sticks
courtesy of philliefan99

2012 Cherry Blossoms
courtesy of tzk333

Washington Monument at Sunrise
courtesy of katieharbath

Atari 2600
courtesy of ep_jhu

RAWR
courtesy of MrStinkhead

A fun time was had by all Tuesday night at the Pachyderm Parade. If you weren’t able to make it out, check out the pictures below. Have fun…but don’t run off to the join the circus!

Elephant Walk
courtesy of pablo.raw

courtesy of Plantains & Kimchi

surreal elephant
courtesy of philliefan99

Pachyderm Parade 5
courtesy of Tony DeFilippo

dome hat
courtesy of philliefan99

the only way to glide
courtesy of philliefan99

passing sirens
courtesy of philliefan99

Pachyderm Parade 7
courtesy of Tony DeFilippo

IMG_7811
courtesy of logan.brown

Pachyderm Parade 8
courtesy of Tony DeFilippo

The brutalist architecture of Metro stations; there really aren’t any better examples of the style in the city. TheRobbStory does a great job of capturing the angular features of the station’s vault, and the vanishing point at the end of the platform adds a pinch of mystery. And for an added, modern touch, the curving lines of the escalator compliments everything. I bet you’ll notice all this the next time you’re in a Metro station.