Breaking News:  Time is running out for fans of the Corcoran Gallery of Art which will close its doors at the end of this month, less than ten days away because it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.  The closure is part of the transition of control of the Corcoran to the National Gallery of Art and George Washington University.  Work will begin to renovate the second floor gallery space and it is expected it will be about a year before a smaller gallery space will reopen.   Here is a link to the Gallery’s website:

 Scouting Report

On Thursday, I made a quick scouting run into the city to verify that a planned shooting location for the next evening held no surprises.  Along the way, I checked the status of other sites that may be of interest to local photographers.

Problem Areas

Kennedy Center:  A large tent remains installed on the south side of the building, an obstacle for anyone planning to photograph the building from the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge pedestrian sidewalk or from vantage points on that side of the Center.

John Paul Jones Memorial: The small water feature on the base of the statue was not operating.  It is not a well-known memorial despite its excellent location close to the World War II Memorial at the intersection of 17^th Street and Independence Avenue.

The White House:  A small project is underway to repair a section of the iron fence along Pennsylvania Avenue.  The section is small, but efforts to have a centered photograph of the White House and the fountain in the front lawn will be frustrated. However, It doesn’t look like it will be a problem for long.

Renwick Gallery:  A major renovation, begun earlier this year, is still underway and will probably last through next year. The Gallery is closed and well hidden behind the construction scaffolding.  Nothing to see here, move along…

Old Post Office: Also closed, also lots of scaffolding. The Trump organization is busy transforming this historic building into a luxury hotel.

U.S. Capitol: Scaffolding is now about half-way up the dome.  This will be a long wait, but see the good news below.

The Good News

U.S. Capitol:  Depending on your taste, there may be some opportunities with the presence of the scaffolding.  We don’t have the benefit of the elegant illuminated effects that charmed night-time visitors to the Washington Memorial when it was being repaired.  But as the night approaches, the dome begins to look a little like a wedding cake.  In addition, the dome’s interior lighting is much brighter than usual, probably due to the construction work inside.  Take a look, get creative.

The Tulip Library:  The tulip season is long past but the garden, located along Independence Avenue, is full of colorful annuals.  The Washington Monument provides a nice backdrop

Court of Neptune Fountain: Fronting the Library of Congress, it was running nicely when I drove by but some of the figures could use a little scrubbing.  It appears that some white mineral deposits are appearing.

Senate Garage Fountain:  Running nicely, but I didn’t get a close look.  A great subject for a twilight shot, especially when the light show begins.  Located in the park between the U.S. Capitol and Union Station.

Bartholdi Park and Fountain:  This is my favorite park in the city and was the reason for the scouting trip.  I planned to join a fellow photographer the next evening to photograph the fountain at twilight.  The fountain was running as hoped and the park was in perfect condition.  I will do a post very soon on what happened.  In the meantime, here is a preview:

Bartholdi Fountain, September 19, 2014