USAF Memorial at Night

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Robin S. Kent

The U.S. Air Force Memorial, sited on a promontory overlooking the Pentagon with a commanding view of the Washington skyline, is becoming an increasingly popular stop for busloads of students visiting the nation’s capital.

USAF 02

Following its dedication in 2006, it seemed few people knew of its existence, but it seems to have been discovered in recent years and the hours around sunset seem to be especially popular.

The memorial is the last major work designed by James Ingo Freed, who also designed the US Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC. It features three stainless steel spires that soar skyward, evoking the “bomb burst” maneuver perform by the Air Force Thunderbirds.

View to East with Honor Guard Sculpture on Right

The small vertical spire in image above—between the left and middle spires of the Memorial–is the Washington Monument. The lower two-thirds of the Memorial’s spires are filled with concrete and the upper portions are hollow. Each spire has a transition section between the concrete-filled and hollow segments containing a one ton lead ball that is allowed to roll in a steel damper box. This feature is intended to stabilize the spires in high winds.

I visited the memorial earlier this week, and the high humidity combined with the floodlights on the South Inscription Wall made for a rather dramatic effect.

Tonight, and every Friday night during the summer, the USAF Band will perform a free concert for the public. Click here for details

Keep Shooting….

The Hermione Arrives in Alexandria, Virginia

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Robin S. Kent

The French-built replica of the 18th Century tall ship L’Hermione, whose namesake brought the Marquis de Lafayette to America in 1778, tied up at the waterfront in Alexandria this morning, shortly after midnight, to the cheers of a small but enthusiastic crowd of well wishers.

The Hermione Docks in Alexandria, 12:48 AM June 10, 2015

The replica, built with exacting detail to match the original frigate which played such a significant role in the American Revolutionary War, is on a goodwill tour of US cities on the east coast. Details about the ship and its journey can be found at the excellent post by Patti on her “Displaced Beachbums” blog.

These photos were made under some rather difficult lighting situations. The frigate, following a short stay at Mount Vernon, had to pass under the Wilson Bridge to reach Alexandria. The draw bridge opens its spans for ship traffic only at midnight for about 15 minutes and only, from what I understand, about once a week or on special occasions. Sailing vessels must proceed through the gap under motor power so the sails had to be furled. (By the way, I apologize to nautical experts for any mis-use of technical terminology–this is not a topic with which I can claim more than rudimentary knowledge).

Wilson Bridge opens for the Hermione (12:04 AM)

There isn’t much ambient light at midnight, so the frigate is barely visible. (Nikon D800E on tripod with 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, extended to 200mm; exposure: 1/4th sec. @ f/2.8, ISO 3200).

The Hermione Draws Closer (12:12 AM)

Turning for the Final Approach (12:23 AM)

The Hermione will be in Alexandria through June 12 and then departs for Annapolis. I suspect it will be a midnight departure.

Keep Shooting…..

Virginia Road Trip: Buzzard Rock and Thoroughfare Gap

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Robin S. Kent

Memorial Day weekend is great time to be in Washington DC—if you are a fan of motorcycles, parades, and ceremonies. We decided to go the other direction on Sunday, heading west toward Front Royal and the George Washington National Forest.

We had heard about an “easy hike” near Front Royal, called “Buzzard Rock” that features a nice overlook of the Shenandoah Valley. Not nearly as well-known as more popular hikes such as Old Rag, White Oak Canyon, or Dark Hollow Falls we guessed that it would not be very crowded.

Looking North from First Outlook

We arrived at the trailhead at 10:00 AM—later than advisable if you want to beat the crowds, but there were still a couple spots left in the small parking lot. It’s a 4-mile roundtrip, with a gradual elevation gain of about 650 feet along a fairly well-marked trail. It’s a pleasant walk up to the first overlook where one is rewarded with some nice scenery of the Valley below. There is also a good view of a fish hatchery along Passage Creek (Image below).

Fish Hatchery as seen from First Outlook

While the views at the top were nice, I would not place this trail on my top 10 list for Virginia hikes within a 2-hour drive of Washington. But that’s OK, because the more interesting portion of the day was still ahead.

Our mission was to find the secret route to Chapman’s Mill, a massive historic stone structure that is in full view (about 100 yards away) of thousands of cars on Interstate 66. My previous solo attempts had ended in failure, but now that I had the assistance of a skilled navigatrix and her wonder dog Smokey, I felt confident that success was finally within my grasp.

The Ruins of Chapman’s Mill, (walls now stabilized and braced)

To give you a small sense of the challenge, Chapman’s Mill is located on Beverly Mill Road and once you drive past the mill on I-66 heading east, you must drive 8 more miles and then backtrack the same distance on State Road 55 to get there.

Virginia 05 Partially collapsed Interior Wall (much work remains)

Chapman’s Mill was originally built in 1742 and, at 7 ½ stories, is thought to be the tallest stacked stone building in the United States. The mill is located in Thoroughfare Gap, a narrow passage in the Bull Run Mountains. The Gap was used by migrating buffalo and traveling American Indians long before Europeans arrived in the area.

Detail of Wall, Showing Stacked Stone Technique

The gap quickly became a major route to the rich farmland of the Shenandoah Valley, was a strategic route in the French and Indian Wars, the Revolutionary War, and the Civil War and its importance as a trade route was enhanced with the arrival of a rail line (still operating today) in 1852. Virginia 06

Interior View, showing Rusting Cogwheel (about 6-foot diameter)

The mill was a major food storage and distribution center for the Confederate forces until mid-1862 and was burned by the Confederates when they departed the area. Rebuilt after the war, it continued to operate as a mill, passing through several owners until it ceased operations in 1946.

Interior View Showing a Stabilizing Cross Beam

Abandoned for years, it escaped demolition in the 1960s from the planned route for I-66 through the efforts of local citizens and preservation groups. In 1998, it was torched by an arsonist. The devastation was so extensive that the building seemed doomed to extinction. But shortly thereafter, a non-profit group obtained the property and launched a restoration campaign. Phases 1 and 2 (Stabilizing the walls, conducting archaeological research on the site) are completed and fudraising is underway to continue the restoration.

Smokey, the Wonder Dog, Contemplates the Scene

The mill is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays. Click here for more information.

Virginia Bluebell Bonanza

Posted on April 29, 2015 by Robin S. Kent

Every year in mid-April, a few wooded areas in northern Virginia (as well as Maryland) are briefly transformed with dazzling carpets of blue. It seems only certain places, usually bordering a stream or the Potomac River itself, have the perfect conditions for a magical wildflower, the Virginia bluebell.

Virginia bluebells & other wildflowers along Potomac River side channel, 2009

The plant has a fleeting existence above ground. They appear when only a few weeks of warm weather remain before the life giving sunlight is blocked out by the emerging leaves of the overhead tree canopy. On the Virginia side of the Potomac, large tracts can be found in public places such as Riverbend Park along the Potomac River and Bull Run Regional Park along Cub Run.

Another location, which requires permission to enter, is the Madeira School, located in McLean, Virginia along the Potomac River. One morning last week, when the blooms were at their peak, I tagged along with fellow photographer and blogger Stacy Fischer who did have permission for a photo shoot at Madeira. Please check out her report by clicking here.

Here are a few iumages from that morning. Some technical notes are included at the bottom keyed to the numbers in parentheses.

View from a bluff above the Potomac as it exits Mather Gorge (1)

The trail leading to Black Pond (2)

Bluebells, with Black Pond in background (3)

Black Pond, spring fed and almost completely encircled by a bedrock terrace (4)

Outlet stream from Black Pond (5)

Moss covered log and bluebells

*Some technical notes:

Image 1: Telephoto image cropped for equivalent of 250mm view;

Image 2: Two images combined with Photomerge in Photoshop

Image 3: Two wide angle(36 mm) images; one focused on flowers, second on pond & rocks, then supermimposed on each other in Photoshop. Masking technique used to reveal only portions in focus.

Image 4: Three images combined with Photomerge in Photoshop.

Image 5: Single image, but difficult lighting required 6 Curves Adjustment layers and two Gradient layers in Photoshop.

Image 6: Two telephoto (200 mm) images; one focused on log, second on bluebells, then supermimposed on each other in Photoshop. Masking technique used to reveal only portions in focus. Should have taken two more images because log on right side and moss on left side are not sharp. There is very little depth of field with telephoto images of close objects, even at F/16.

Thanks again to Stacy for inviting me along. I’ve been an avid fan of her Visual Venturing Blog since I discovered it early last year and her AfterBefore Friday Forum series has been great fun.

After-Before Friday Week 38

Posted on February 27, 2015 by Robin S. Kent

First of all, some news to share: two of my images were accepted as finalists in the 2015 Fine Art Photography Competition at the Herndon ArtSpace Gallery in Herndon, Virginia. I’m told over 100 photographers submitted entries and 37 images were selected. The awards will be announced tomorrow night at the Opening Reception, but I am just pleased to have made the cut. The two that were selected are shown below. Details on the exhibit can be found at www.artspaceherndon.com

Haystack Rock at Sunset

Clearing Storm, Yosemite Valley

Now, back to the regular weekly Friday feature sponsored by Stacy Fischer of Visual Venturing, a forum open to anyone with an interest in exchanging ideas and experiences about post-processing, sometimes called the “digital darkroom.” The submissions are often surprising, and always interesting. For those who would like to participate, check Stacy’s site for the guidelines here.

As most people living in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions of the United States already know, the past several weeks have brought us more than our fair share of winter weather. A week ago, the Washington, DC area set a new record low temperature, so what better time to see if Great Falls of the Potomac might be frozen solid. Short answer: No, not really close. But I took a few shots anyway.

Robin Kent ABFriday Week 38 Before After Dual “After” Image “Before” Image

The “Before” image above is the unprocessed RAW image from the camera. I made a few corrections in Adobe Camera RAW (ACR) as follows: Whites increased to +44, Blacks decreased to -3 (to set the white and black points), Clarity increased to +28 and Vibrance increased to +25. The changes were quite minor and hard to detect in the small sizes shown here (image below):

Image with ACR Corrections

The image was then opened in Photoshop CC and it seemed that a Black and White version might be the best way to go. I used a Black and White Adjustment Layer (Blend mode=Normal) and selected the High Contrast Red Filter preset (which imitates the effect of shooting B&W with a red filter). This was followed with a Curves Adjustment layer (Blend Mode=luminosity) and using the Linear Contrast preset (which adds just a slight increase in contrast). As a final step, I made a fairly substantial crop to highlight a specific section of the falls. The final result is shown below.

Final Cropped Image

Please check out the other submissions to this week’s ABFriday Forum here. And don’t forget the OnePhoto Focus next week in its usual schedule on the first Friday of each month. Everyone gets to try their hand on an image submitted by one photographer.

Next Post–Back to Antarctica

P.S. In response to LensAdiction’s suggestion, the image below with a different crop is submitted for discussion.

Thoughts?

Great Falls of the Potomac

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Robin S. Kent

Late Afternoon, Great Falls of the Potomac

(Technical: Nikon D800E on tripod with 24-70mm f/2.8 lens extended to 24 mm; Exposure 1/160th sec. @ f/16, ISO 400)

As some readers know, I will be leaving in a few weeks for my first trip to Antarctica and I have been obsessing about my preparations for the journey. I even wrote about it in a guest post on Leanne Cole ‘s blog last month. (it can be found here.)

The Washington area was treated to a nice little snow storm yesterday and some pretty cold temperatures (for us) today so I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to practice with my new gear in real-life conditions. (The temperature was 20 degrees and the wind chill was about 5 degrees with the nice stiff breeze)

The image above shows the Great Falls of the Potomac River, a truly wild river scene that is only about 15 miles from Washington, DC and only 3 miles from my home. For those not familiar with this location, it was photographed from Overlook 3 in Great Falls Park which is managed by the National Park Service. The waterfalls in the center have a drop of about 20-25 feet. The left bank is the state of Virginia and the right side is the state of Maryland.

The practice session was worthwhile. I was able to test the cold weather effectiveness of some clothing, as well as finding some better ways to manipulate the camera gear in these conditions. The advice I had received from a number of readers of the blog post mentioned above proved to be very helpful. As always, I’d be most interested in any comments from readers who have been to Antarctica or have experience in shooting in cold weather.

2014 Studio Tour

Posted on October 12, 2014 by Robin S. Kent

Every year in the fall, the artists of Great Falls, Virginia hold an Open Studio weekend, inviting the public into their studios to learn about their art, their techniques, and why they are so dedicated to the creation of visual art. This year, more than 50 members of Great Falls Studios are participating in this event which will be held this year on 17-19 October from 10 AM to 5 PM each day. My studio (see images below) will be one of those open and I hope followers of my blog who live in the Washington, DC area will be able to drop by.

But there are 49 other artists as well and information about the tour and each of the participants can be found at the 2014 Great Falls Studio Tour website. Information is provided about each of the participants so you can design your own itinerary and see works of painters, potters, photographers, jewelers, sculptors, fiber artists, and other media depending on your interests. The site has a page with links to maps that can be downloaded. Or you can start at the Studio Tour Headquarters in the Great Falls Library and see actual samples of work from each of our participants, ask questions from our representative who will be there, and pick up a map that will guide you through the roads and byways of Great Falls to the studio locations. The library, normally closed on Sundays, has graciously agreed to be open on October 19th for this event.

Printing and Matting Area, Lower Studio

Gallery, Upper Studio

I hope to see you here.

Silver Line Opens—Scouting Report

Posted on July 27, 2014 by Robin S. Kent

Before a photographer starts to capture images, he/she must know how to get to the intended location of the shoot. In the Washington, DC area this can be an interesting challenge. There are all kinds of transportation options, and they are constantly changing.

Yesterday brought a huge change with the Grand Opening of the Washington Metro’s new Silver Line. I stayed home on Day #1 while the VIPs, media, and first-day riders had their fun. But today it would be just regular folks riding the rails and I decided it was a good time to start exploring.

Welcome Signs Everywhere

The first thing riders need to know is that not all of the five stops on this section have dedicated parking facilities, so we started at the Reston station which for the time being is the end of the line. (In a few years, the line will extend to Dulles Airport.) There are several free and paid-for apps for smart phones and tablets available to help with route planning, but I haven’t tested any yet. The Washington Metro’s website has a Trip Planner that is somewhat clunky but can help with basic routing scenarios. We decided to be typical riders and just show up.

The Reston Station has a large underground parking garage that also houses the bus arrival and departure zones, plus a secure bicycle storage area that is quite large and features a repair facility.

One of the Fairfax Connector buses in the Departure Zone

The elevator from the parking garage deposits you on a plaza that is surrounded by construction projects for apartments, stores, restaurants and who knows what else, so this could be a lively place in the near future.

Signs Guide the Rookies (like us)

The architecture of the Silver Line stations is quite different from other above ground Metro stations; I’ll leave it to architecture critics to assess their aesthetic merit.

The Walkway in Foreground Leading to the Station

The pedestrian walkway is open and airy, with mesh screens covering the openings allowing the sound of the traffic below to serenade you during the short walk to the station. I couldn’t help but wonder about the days when we have wind and rain. But today at least it seemed much more pleasant than walking through a tunnel.

The Walkway

Inside the station, the many skylights contributed to the feeling of openness. Metro personnel were out if full and friendly force to help anyone with questions. Signs were everywhere providing useful information. Riders lined up to get their fare cards replenished and moved through the turnstiles to the train platform.

More Help for the Newbies (everyone)

We hopped on, found a seat, and settled in for the ride. The Silver Line passes through the Tysons Corner/McLean, Virginia area (4 stops), then joins the same route as the Orange line, passing through Falls Church, Arlington, and into the District of Columbia and then out to Maryland where it terminates at Largo. On this day, the most popular of those 4 new stations was the Tysons Corner Center where shoppers were taking advantage of this new option for getting to this sprawling complex of stores, restaurants, and movie theaters.

In about 15 minutes, we arrived at the last of the new stations—McLean—and got off to wait for a train going back to our starting point. It was nearly deserted, but that likely will change tomorrow when the workweek starts. There are a number of large office buildings nearby whose workers are prime candidates for the new service.

A Good Number of Bikers were Testing the System

Our Return Train Arrives

Flying Over the Infamous Beltway

The ride back was equally smooth and the Reston Station was still crowded with passengers checking out the new line. Our costs for this excursion were a paltry $1.75 each because we never left the McLean Station. For all the fare card machine knew, we never boarded a train. And parking, usually $4.85 was free on this day. So it was just the minimum fare.

It should be interesting to see how all this plays out. If you are thinking about trying the Silver Line, the complicated part will be getting to the station. Numerous bus routes have been set up to serve these stations, and figuring out the ideal route will take a little research. If you plan on parking at the Reston station, I’d recommend a trial run because the entrance and interior design of the parking area is not, shall we say, fool-proof.

4th of July Waterworks!

Posted on July 5, 2014 by Robin S. Kent

One of the less well known benefits of living in the Washington, DC area is that it has some of the best whitewater action in the world. For those who are skeptical, here is a link to an article in today’s Washington Post. And the most difficult stretch of that action is the Great Falls of the Potomac which happens to be about 3 miles from my home. I’ve been following the action for seven years now and it is always exciting. It’s pretty cool to go to an Olympic level competition, get a prime viewing spot, and not pay a dime. So that’s where I was yesterday, photographing the boaters as they practiced for a competition that was held today. Here are a few shots from the practice session.

The water level was perfect for the center line which is perfectly located for viewing from two of the overlooks in Great Falls National Park on the Virginia side and pretty good viewing from the overlook from the Park on the Maryland side. It is also a dangerous route over the falls. A competitor was killed last year when she made an error during a practice run causing the event to be canceled. It should be noted, however, that this was an extremely rare incident; these participants are all highly skilled and numerous rescue capabilities are in position for these events. The image above was taken from the water level not normally accessible to non-boaters. I was about 100 meters from the falls. (Technical data (Nikon D800E handheld with a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens extended to 200mm; Exposure was 1/200th sec. @ f/8, ISO 400)

This is a tight crop from the same image, so it shows the value of having an extremely sharp lens. The competition is a timed course so each competitor has to negotiate a series of cascades, finishing with this 20-foot (plus) drop and then making a sprint a short distance to a finish line (out of sight to the left). There are two runs and the boater in each class with the lowest cumulative time is the winner.

This was taken from Overlook 2 in Great Falls National Park (Virginia side). It is about the same distance from the drop as the location down at water level. I went back this morning for the actual competition and used an old Nikon 80-400mm zoom lens. It’s been a while since I have used it, since that extra three pounds is no fun to carry in one’s back-pack. But it seemed this would be a good comparison test on sharpness. Because of its weight, I used a tripod. And as it turned out, the images taken with the 70-200 model at maximum extension are sharper than those of the 80-400 at its maximum length. This despite the fact that the images from the 70-200 have to be enlarged twice as much to match the size of objects in images from the bigger lens.
But I digress. This is a post about kayaks and the Great Falls of the Potomac. So let’s wrap it up with two images taken two years ago during another practice day.

As noted above, the water level of the Potomac River dictates where the race will be run. The difference can be quite small. For example, the center line (first three images) is used when the water measures between 3.3-3.8 feet at a specified measuring location. That is a range of about 6 inches. There are three other routes, depending on the level measured on race day. This image was taken from Overlook 1 on the Virginia side of the park. It is an amazingly exciting viewpoint because spectators are less than 100 feet from the boater when she/he goes over. Unfortunately, there is very little room there and for a photographer with a tripod, there is literally only one optimal spot. And the Spout cannot be seen at all from any of the other overlooks. But I got lucky and saw a few boaters practicing when the water levels called for this route. Same camera-lens combination as above, exposure was 1/1,000th sec. @ f/5. This is a fairly tight crop, mainly because there was a lot of uninteresting foreground in the frame.

But there were two other boaters practicing together and the image above is a full frame shot with the lens extended only to 100mm. It’s hard to see here, but when this image is printed large you can see the big smile on the face of the paddler waiting for his friend to complete the drop.

Virginia Bluebells are Here

Posted on April 19, 2014 by Robin S. Kent

Virginia Bluebells, Cub Run, Northern Virginia (April 13, 2013)

At this time of the year, the landscape photographer is overloaded with opportunities as the earth’s natural cycle of renewal accelerates with frenetic speed. The opportunities are usually so brief that it helps to maintain a “schedule” of what is going to happen, when, and where. For example, every year in mid-April, sections of nondescript wooded areas in northern Virginia are briefly transformed into a dazzling carpets of blue and white. The two flowering plants responsible for this amazing and all-too-brief display are the Virginia bluebell and the Virginia spring beauty. And this morning I went out to see them again. Continue reading →

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Stop, Look, and See..

Tag Archives: Virginia

USAF Memorial at Night

The Hermione Arrives in Alexandria, Virginia

Virginia Road Trip: Buzzard Rock and Thoroughfare Gap

Virginia Bluebell Bonanza

After-Before Friday Week 38

Great Falls of the Potomac

2014 Studio Tour

Silver Line Opens—Scouting Report

4th of July Waterworks!

Virginia Bluebells are Here

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