Joe Newman – We Love DC https://www.welovedc.com Your Life Beyond The Capitol Fri, 12 Sep 2014 18:29:16 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.9.9 Featured Photo https://www.welovedc.com/2014/09/12/featured-photo-248/ Fri, 12 Sep 2014 15:51:03 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=98304 There are a lot of ways to take a picture of a build…

]]>

There are a lot of ways to take a picture of a building and most them are not very exciting. Seriously, do an image search on “building” and see what you get. Oh sure, some of the buildings have interesting designs but the images, themselves, are pretty blah. But every once in awhile, we see a new, exciting perspective that helps us view the familiar in a new way. I think Kevin Wolf’s photo does that.

I’ve never really been that interested/good at shooting architectural photos, which is why I really admire people who have an eye for that sort of thing. Kevin made a couple artistic decisions here that I like. Two of those decisions were made when he was taking the picture: Obviously, he stood close to the building and shot directly up, using the long, leading lines in the building to draw our attention across the frame and he used a long exposure (15 seconds) to give the clouds a surreal appearance. That happens because while the shutter is open, the clouds are moving, creating that streaky effect. This also tells us he likely used a tripod to prevent camera shake that can happen during long exposures and a neutral density filter to reduce the amount of light getting through to the camera’s sensor. Otherwise, the amount of light hitting the sensor during a 15 second exposure at 8:30 a.m. would have completely blown out the image.

The other decisions he made occurred when he processed this photo with his editing software. He converted the image to black and white (though a lot of new cameras have a mode that allows you to actually shoot in monochrome). That decision allowed him to create some rich contrast between the windows and the rest of the building. He also darkened the sides of the frame, a “vignetting” effect that pushes our focus towards the center of the picture where our eyes then catch a ride on the leading lines to the top right corner. You can see the larger version of this photo on Kevin’s flickr page.

–30–

]]>
Week in Review: 9/2 – 9/7 https://www.welovedc.com/2014/09/08/week-in-review-92-97/ https://www.welovedc.com/2014/09/08/week-in-review-92-97/#comments Mon, 08 Sep 2014 17:08:55 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=98284

Fall is fast approaching and here are the things that are weighing heavily on our minds: Will the Nationals maintain their lead in the National League East? How many more weeks before it’s time to pull the sweaters out of mothballs? And just how many weather fanatics do we have out there? I mean, our flickr cup runneth over with red-skies-at-night photos this week. More photos after the jump.

]]>
https://www.welovedc.com/2014/09/08/week-in-review-92-97/feed/ 2
Featured Photo https://www.welovedc.com/2014/09/05/featured-photo-247/ https://www.welovedc.com/2014/09/05/featured-photo-247/#comments Fri, 05 Sep 2014 17:49:37 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=98272 How would I describe flickr user nevermindthe

]]>

How would I describe flickr user nevermindtheend’s contributions to our flickr pool? A little strange, often sardonic, sometimes profound. I think this one might be a bit of all three.

]]>
https://www.welovedc.com/2014/09/05/featured-photo-247/feed/ 5
Week in Review: 8/25 – 9/1 https://www.welovedc.com/2014/09/02/week-in-review-825-91/ https://www.welovedc.com/2014/09/02/week-in-review-825-91/#comments Tue, 02 Sep 2014 12:10:17 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=98258

It’s back to work (at least for some of us) after a long Labor Day weekend. I’ve got a hunch more than few of us are going to be feeling like this guy before the day’s over. Check out more photos from the last week after the jump.

]]>
https://www.welovedc.com/2014/09/02/week-in-review-825-91/feed/ 1
Featured Photo https://www.welovedc.com/2014/08/29/featured-photo-246/ https://www.welovedc.com/2014/08/29/featured-photo-246/#comments Fri, 29 Aug 2014 16:17:57 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=98250

This weather has us in such a good mood that we’re giving you a bonus photo today. Both photos are excellent examples of how to use backlighting and patterns to create interesting images, especially when said images are either shot in monochrome or converted during post processing. These patterns and interesting shadows are everywhere. You just have to take the time to look for them. And while early morning and late afternoon sun can create wonderful long shadows, which appears to be what Victoria got from the skylight at the National Building Museum, you can still use the midday sun to create a silhouette as Chris did in his image from the Hirshhorn.

Speaking of patterns, that’s the theme of this year’s 500px Global Photo Walk, which I’ll be leading in DC on Sept. 6. If you’ve got a camera and a passion for photography, you should join us. You don’t need a fancy camera, either. (Chris took his photo with an iPhone) Sign up on the Facebook event page.

]]>
https://www.welovedc.com/2014/08/29/featured-photo-246/feed/ 2
Week in Review: 8/18 – 8/24 https://www.welovedc.com/2014/08/25/week-in-review-818-824/ https://www.welovedc.com/2014/08/25/week-in-review-818-824/#comments Mon, 25 Aug 2014 12:56:41 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=98212

One if by land … Wait, sorry, wrong war. The “Flee the British 5K,” which was held Sunday, commemorates that other war against the Brits. The run was actually held 200 years to the day that the British torched DC during the War of 1812. According to the website, the fun run allows you to “feel what it’s like to have the British on your heels as you scurry to the finish line.” Unfortunately, the DC residents back in 1814 didn’t have the latest, ultra-light, gel-cushioned running shoes. More photos from our flickr pool after the jump.

]]>
https://www.welovedc.com/2014/08/25/week-in-review-818-824/feed/ 10
Featured Photo https://www.welovedc.com/2014/08/22/featured-photo-245/ Fri, 22 Aug 2014 12:41:32 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=98186

There’s nothing quite like a spectacular sunset. The only problem is the day you go out and set up your tripod hoping to take a sunset photo is the day that the sun just kind of sinks into the horizon in a very blah manner.

You’ve got to have equal parts skill and serendipity to capture an amazing sunset like the one John J Young did here.

One of the most important factors (the most important?) is that you need  clouds in the sky but not just any clouds — you need clouds that sit just above the horizon so that they’ll catch the light as the sun sets. On the evening that John took this picture, a fast moving storm had just swept through the area. The clouds it left behind were amazing.

He wasn’t the only one who got a great picture of the sky Wednesday night. Check out our Flickr pool to see more, including this one and this one.

]]>
Week in Review: 8/11 – 8/17 https://www.welovedc.com/2014/08/18/week-in-review-811-817/ https://www.welovedc.com/2014/08/18/week-in-review-811-817/#comments Mon, 18 Aug 2014 13:53:45 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=98153

No witty commentary today. Just great photos.

]]>
https://www.welovedc.com/2014/08/18/week-in-review-811-817/feed/ 2
Week in Review: 8/4 – 8/10 https://www.welovedc.com/2014/08/11/week-in-review-84-810/ https://www.welovedc.com/2014/08/11/week-in-review-84-810/#comments Mon, 11 Aug 2014 13:00:23 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=98130 If you got stuck behind a motorcade over the week…

]]>

If you got stuck behind a motorcade over the weekend, you can blame President Underwood. Of course, if you’re a House of Cards fan, you know it might be best just to bite your tongue and get out of Frank Underwood’s way. The hit Netflix series filmed in the District on Saturday, including a mock motorcade scene. Victoria Pickering captured this scene of what we’re guessing are mock secret service agents. See more photos from last week after the jump.

]]>
https://www.welovedc.com/2014/08/11/week-in-review-84-810/feed/ 4
Featured Photo https://www.welovedc.com/2014/08/08/featured-photo-244/ Fri, 08 Aug 2014 13:00:08 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=98097 faith suspect

When you see this photo and think of “faith,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? It’s likely that your own world views and biases will color your response. At its best, street photography provokes your emotions, whether its humor, anger or anything in between. This photo taken a few years ago in Logan Circle by local photographer Chris Suspect is from a new exhibit entitled “Faith” that opens Saturday at the Leica Store gallery, 977 F Street, N.W. The opening reception is from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The exhibit features the work of DC’s very own Strata Collective, a group of DC street photographers (now including members in Brooklyn and Los Angeles) that have been together since 2012. You can read more about the collective and the exhibit here.

]]>
Week in Review: 7/28 – 8/3 https://www.welovedc.com/2014/08/04/week-in-review-728-83/ https://www.welovedc.com/2014/08/04/week-in-review-728-83/#comments Mon, 04 Aug 2014 12:57:30 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=98054

It’s August. Time to start getting serious about this summer thing because it’s going to be over before we know it. Would the last person to leave DC for the shore please turn out the lights?

]]>
https://www.welovedc.com/2014/08/04/week-in-review-728-83/feed/ 1
Featured Photo https://www.welovedc.com/2014/08/01/featured-photo-243/ Fri, 01 Aug 2014 12:53:27 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=98040

It’s always a good idea when enjoying a photograph to let it percolate a little in your mind. You know, let it bounce around a little while you take a moment to savor its goodness. At first glance, you appreciate the way the light wraps around this gentleman’s head in a way that gives him an almost saintly glow.

The light is a harsh, midday sun and strikes our guy slightly from behind. Normally, this kind of light could create unappealing shadows on his face, particularly around his eyes and hairline. In this case, Richie (we’re assuming his name is Richie) is wearing these cool, mirrored sunglasses. And his hairline …well… he doesn’t have that problem.

Richie pulls the mirrored sunglasses, the plastic cross and the 5 o’clock shadow together very well. But what I really like about this shot is the picture-within-the-picture. If you look closely at the sunglasses, you’ll see our intrepid photographer, Miki J. And there standing next to him with an arm on her hip is a …mystery woman! [For a better view, check out the extra-large version of the photo] Those are the little things I love finding in a photo and it’s something we might have missed if we hadn’t taken the time to appreciate this shot. You can see more great photos in our flickr pool.

 

]]>
Week in Review: July 21 – July 27 https://www.welovedc.com/2014/07/28/week-in-review-july-21-july-27/ https://www.welovedc.com/2014/07/28/week-in-review-july-21-july-27/#comments Mon, 28 Jul 2014 12:50:10 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=98020

Week in Review is back after a short break. My wife and I spent the last two weeks eating our way through the Philippines and Japan. The food was wonderful, though some of it was definitely not for the weak-willed, such as the shrimp that was brought out to us still wiggling in Tokyo or the boiled, fertilized duck embryo that we bought from a street vendor in Cebu City.

We also had some octopus but it wasn’t nearly as pretty as this serving found in our Flickr pool. The photographer, Chris, didn’t provide much info about the dish, so I’m not sure who served it up. If you know, drop us a note in the comments.

]]>
https://www.welovedc.com/2014/07/28/week-in-review-july-21-july-27/feed/ 1
Featured Photo https://www.welovedc.com/2014/07/11/featured-photo-242/ Fri, 11 Jul 2014 12:50:09 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=97941

Did your friends flood your Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds this week with photos of the double rainbow? Could you practically hear them squealing with delight as you imagined them pulling out their camera phones to snap a picture of the semi-mythical atmospheric occurrence? Well, some of us missed the stupid rainbow(s) because … well, thunderstorms make us sleepy.

All is well because, fortunately, frequent flickr contributor Number7Cloud craftily recreated the double rainbow’s appearance over the DMV. Just about the only thing that could make this picture better would be if there were a leprechaun riding a unicorn in the background.

]]>
Week in Review: 6/30 – 7/6 https://www.welovedc.com/2014/07/07/week-in-review-630-76/ Mon, 07 Jul 2014 15:14:32 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=97887

Monday is the cruelest of days. And the Monday after the Fourth of July Weekend may be the cruelest of them all. But at least we have these great photos to remind us how much fun we had. We’ll kick it off with this wonderful shot of bombs bursting in air by our very own fireworks guru Brian Mosley. As you may know, Brian has stepped down as photo editor and regular contributor to We Love DC but lucky for us, we still get to see his photography in our flickr pool.

With Brian’s and Kerrin’s recent departures, we’re changing when our photo reviews are published. We’re moving the Week in Review from Fridays to Mondays and combining it with the Weekend Flashback. The Featured Photo, which usually runs on Wednesdays, will now appear on Friday [Note: I’ll be on vacation July 14 – 25, so no promises that photos will get posted while I’m gone].

 

]]>
Weekend Flashback: 6/27-6/29 https://www.welovedc.com/2014/06/30/weekend-flashback-627-629/ Mon, 30 Jun 2014 13:00:17 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=97791 Folklife Festival 2014

Folklife Festival 2014 by pablo.raw

Flowers, fireworks and festivals. That sums up the weekend photo submissions to our Flickr pool and will hold probably hold true for the rest of the week.

Untitled

Untitled by Caroline Angelo

Bethesda Lane

Bethesda Lane by IamJomo

Runner by the Potomac

Runner by the Potomac by Noe Todorovich

DC People and Places 44463

DC People and Places by Ted Eytan

YOLO

YOLO by nevermindtheend

Busy bee

Busy bee by cruffo

Early fireworks

Early fireworks by Victoria Pickering

]]>
Featured Photo https://www.welovedc.com/2014/06/25/featured-photo-240/ Wed, 25 Jun 2014 15:00:09 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=97730

A lot of people starting off with street photography get nervous when it comes to taking a stranger’s picture out in public. One way to build up your confidence and get experience with street photography is to take pictures of street performers. The majority of street performers don’t mind if you take their pictures, though some might expect you to throw a dollar into their hat.

Shooting street musicians and performers also gives you a chance to take the next step, which is to turn the camera toward the spectators. In today’s feature photo, Rob Cannon gives us a great example of what happens when you focus on the crowd — you can get a wonderful range of expressions. Check out our flickr pool to see more street photography from our contributors.

]]>
Week in Review: 6/16-6/19 https://www.welovedc.com/2014/06/20/week-in-review-616-619/ Fri, 20 Jun 2014 17:00:22 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=97659

Our flickr pool contributors spent a lot of time looking skyward this week, whether it was at technicolor sunsets, helicopters hovering over the National Mall or big orange creamsicles. No, I’m not using a slick metaphor to describe the warm glow of the setting sun — I’m literally talking about a melting, orange creamsicle.

]]>
Weekend Flashback: 6/13-6/15 https://www.welovedc.com/2014/06/16/weekend-flashback-613-615-2/ Mon, 16 Jun 2014 13:00:42 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=97639

You’d think that a full moon that falls on Friday the 13th would have some sort of menacing, fear-inducing nickname. Apparently “Blood Moon” was taken because the moon we saw on Friday was called “Honey Moon” for its sweet, amber color. According to the WaPo, the last time a full moon fell on a Friday the 13th was 14 years ago on Oct. 13, 2000. It won’t happen again until Aug. 13, 2049. Hopefully, the next time it falls on Friday the 13th, they’ll call it something more apropos, like “Evil Orb of Destruction.”

]]>
Featured Photo https://www.welovedc.com/2014/06/11/featured-photo-238/ Wed, 11 Jun 2014 15:00:08 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=97611

How many photos of the Abraham Lincoln statue inside the Lincoln Memorial have you seen? Chances are you’ve seen quite a few of Honest Abe perched in his chair, the weight of the world on his shoulders. A lot of tourists who snap a photo of the iconic statue try to get all of Lincoln in their frame. Or they focus on his head and the inscription on the wall behind him.

I like what J.D. did here: He focused on a single detail of the statue — Lincoln’s right hand. I’ve always felt that the hands on the statue really tell a story. There is so much tension in those hands. Meanwhile, Lincoln’s face is in the background, slightly out of focus. I think the result is a much more interesting photo than the standard full-on shot of a seated Lincoln.

]]>