Tag Archives: World War II Memorial

Lunar Eclipse: Not!

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September 27, 2015 was the last chance to see a total lunar eclipse in the eastern United States until 2019 according to the cognoscenti.  So even though the skies had been overcast for several contiguous days I didn’t want to wake up this morning and learn that there was a miraculous parting of the clouds for the entire event.

I had a place all picked out for the moonrise, but the clouds close to the horizon blocked the view.  But the next time moon rises at about 90 degrees east (due east), this wouldn’t be a bad place to be. Without the clouds, it would have been right next to the base of the Washington Monument.

WW II Memorial 01

Then, as the time approached for the actual eclipse to begin, I moved over to my chosen location near the German-American Friendship Garden along Constitution Avenue.  The location itself looked like it had potential for a night shot, so I tried a test exposure with my wide angle lens.

Washington Monument 01

But the eclipse was due and the clouds seemed to be breaking up so I set up a few yards away with the hope of getting a series of exposures as the moon tracked across the sky into the earth’s shadow.  These would then be combined into a single image in post-processing.  This, of course, requires a wide angle lens and, because of the timing, a tall building to add some interest to the exposure and the Washington Monument certainly qualifies.  But the skies didn’t really clear and I suspect the substantial amount of clouds in each image will make for a prolonged post-processing effort that may lead nowhere.  However, here is a cropped version of one of the images during the totality phase.

Lunar Eclipse 01 (lighter)

Imagine, if you will, a wider (uncropped) image with a sequence of moons in various stages of the eclipse crossing over the top. My first attempt at this, last year, can be seen here with the Lincoln Memorial

Keep Shooting…..

Washington DC — November Scouting Report

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Breaking News:  The scaffolding for the US Capitol Dome project is now completely up, but the unique illumination that makes it an interesting subject at night (see image below) may be about to disappear.  A check on the east front of the building showed an enormous white plastic sheet enveloping about 60% of the dome and scaffolding on that side and a small portion of the north side.

Capitol Dome Scaffolding

                                  US Capitol Under Repair  (View of West Front)                                   (Nikon D800E with 20-70mm f/2.8 lens on tripod; exposure 3 sec. @ f/16, ISO 400)

This week, I made two scouting runs into the city to determine the feasibility of an evening shoot in the coming weeks.   Along the way, I checked the status of other sites that may be of interest to local photographers.

The Bad News

Fountains: A number of the major and minor fountains are no longer running, having been shut down for the winter.  These include the Bartholdi Fountain, the Court of Neptune at the Library of Congress, the two small fountains on the plaza of the Supreme Court, the Joseph Darlington Memorial Fountain at the intersection of Indiana Avenue and 5th Street NW, and the Mellon Fountain at the Federal Triangle.  And, of course, the long neglected but potentially impressive Columbus Fountain at Union Station continues to languish along with the two smaller basins on its flanks.

The Tulip Library:  The colorful annuals that were blooming in profusion not many weeks ago are now gone.  But in the spring there will be a new display of tulips providing a great foreground for images of the Washington Monument.

National Gallery, East Wing: There is still one crane remaining alongside the building on the Constitution Avenue side.  Close crop shots from a number of angles are possible, however.

Renwick Gallery:  The 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.

Old Post Office: Also closed, also lots of scaffolding plus an enormous sign with the new owner’s last name prominently displayed.

The Good News

Fountains:  Some are still running, but time is growing short.  The World War II Memorial seems to be in full operation and likely will be one of the last to shut down.  Others that still have running water include the new Disabled for Life Veterans Memorial (plus the flame was going strong this afternoon), the cascades on the northwest side of the American Indian Museum, the Senate Garage Fountain (although the illumination was turned off a few nights ago), the reflecting pool at the Japanese Internment Memorial (Louisiana Avenue and D Street, NW), and the twin fountains/cascades on the plaza of the US Navy Memorial (Pennsylvania Avenue and 7th Street, NW).

Kennedy Center:  The large temporary tent that had been erected on the south side of the building is now gone.  Those wishing to take photographs from the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge pedestrian sidewalk or from vantage points on that side of the Center will no longer have to contend with this.

Upcoming Events

The 2014 Capitol Christmas Tree is making its way from Minnesota and is scheduled to arrive at 10 AM on November 21st.  The lighting ceremony will be on December 2nd.  Traditionally, the Capitol Police have suspended the requirement for permits to use a tripod on the Capitol grounds for the entire month of December.  Hopefully, that will be repeated this year.  Stay tuned….

Preparations for the National Christmas Tree and Pathway to Peace are well underway now on the ellipse, but much remains to be done.  The lighting ceremony will be on December 6th.

The National Hanukkah Menorah to celebrate the 8-day Jewish holiday will also be on the ellipse.  The lighting ceremony will be at 4 PM on December 16th.

So, get out and get shooting…

Washington, DC—August Scouting Report

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Breaking News:  Local readers, photographers or not, should take into account that this coming Monday to Wednesday (August 4-6) could be somewhat chaotic in downtown Washington as the leaders of 40- 50 African nations will be here for a summit meeting.

OK, back to our normal programming:

Yesterday I thought it would be a good idea to zip down to the city and check out the status of possible shooting locations.  The weather was cloudy and it looked like we might get a shower or two, so the prospects for actually stopping and doing some serious photography seemed remote.  I almost didn’t take my camera, but a Little Voice said: “You might be sorry.”

As it turned out, the Little Voice was right.  My first stop was Union Station which is still undergoing a massive interior renovation started months ago.  The first sight when you walk in the front entrance is a mass of scaffolding, huge tarpaulins, and netting to protect pedestrians from falling debris.  (See image below)

Union Station 2801

 Union Station Washington, DC Under Renovation

But then I turned left and I was already glad that I had brought the camera. The west wing of the Waiting Area was free of construction and the station’s famous centurions were on duty and alert.  Be aware, however, that there is a strict prohibition on tripods at Union Station, so one needs a high ISO and a wide aperture, especially on a cloudy day. (Technical Data: hand held Nikon D800E with 24-70mm f/2.8 lens extended to 45mm; Exposure 1/125th sec @f2.8, EV= -0.67, ISO 800).  Three images, photomerged.

Union Station D-14-08-02-2768_71 PAN

 The Centurions of Union Station

Over at the Supreme Court, a new repair project has just begun.  The Capitol Police officer on duty told me that this set of scaffolding had just gone up this week.

US Supreme Court 2622

 Yet Another Renovation at the Supreme Court

Next stop: The U.S. Capitol Building.  The long awaited and much-needed repair of the Capitol Dome is now underway and the scaffolding is being erected now.  On the positive side, Congress is on recess and the shallow reflecting pools on the eastern plaza have been repaired and the water is running again (See image below).

US CApitol 2836

 US Capitol, East Plaza

 Photographers that want to include the dome will have to accept the presence of scaffolding for perhaps the next two years.  (See the list of the end of this post for details on the situation around the Capitol.)  But there is a positive side: it makes one think about different approaches as exemplified by the image below.

US Capitol D-14-08-02-2807_08 PAN

The US Capitol, View from South Side

 And down the hill on the western side of the Capitol, the flowers around the base of the James Garfield statue are looking great.  I couldn’t resist this image, even with the scaffolding in full view.

US Capitol D-14-08-02-2860_61 and 65 PAN

James A. Garfield Statue and US Capitol

 The following summarizes my observations on the drive:

Good news:

  • A lot of the fountains are running, including those in front of the American History Museum, the Library of Congress (Court of Neptune), Senate Garage Fountains, Supreme Court fountains, the Bartholdi Park fountain, the Haupt Fountains on Constitution Avenue across from the German Friendship Garden and most of those at the World War II Memorial (But see the Bad News Below).
  • Almost all of the scaffolding has been removed from the renovation project at the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building. (But see the Bad News below)
  • The eastern plaza of the US Capitol Building is no longer a parking lot (as it was on Thursday) for Congressional VIPS as they have departed for the August recess. The reflection pools surrounding the two main skylights for the underground visitor center are back up and running and there must have been a bump up in the gardening budget because the flowers around the Capitol are looking better than I have seen in a long time.
  • The National Park Service Tulip Library, located near the Tidal Basin at Independence Avenue and Maine Avenue, is well past the tulip season. But the annuals that were planted after the tulip bulbs were removed are looking good.  And it appears that an ugly wooden fence right across the street (ruining any possibility of combining these flowers with the Washington Monument) is in the process of being removed.  I have been hating this fence since I first saw it 7 years ago.

Bad news:

  • The work on the western wall (Freedom Wall) of the World War II Memorial is still not completed.
  • Although the renovation of the Arts and Industries Building is complete, there are no plans to open it due to a lack of funds. So there may be some minor gates and barriers to prevent people from entering the space.
  • The US Capitol dome project includes a large construction support zone on the northwest sector of the grounds and a lot of netting inside the dome. Tours are still ongoing.
  • The Supreme Court front entrance now has scaffolding for a new project.
  • The impressively tall fountain (name unknown to me) at the intersection of 20th and C St. NW is not running.
  • And, not surprisingly, the Columbus Fountain at Union Station continues its 10-year-plus streak of neglect, despite a recent renovation of the entire plaza surrounding it.

Looking Back: June 6, 2009

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Five years ago today, I was visiting the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC,   hoping to capture an image of the nearly full moon rising over the Memorial to coincide with the anniversary of the Normandy Invasion.

Readers who have visited the Memorial know that its central feature is a large oval pool with a ring of small water jets and anchored at each end by two towering fountains.  A plaza surrounds the pool and at the north and south ends of the plaza there are two pavilions, the northern one dedicated to the Pacific Theater and the southern dedicated to the Atlantic Theater. I planned to position myself near the Atlantic Pavilion and shoot northeast across the oval pool as the moon came into view.

 

Image

 

The image above shows the moon rising just next the flag about 20 minutes before sunset. It is a photomerge of 3 images with the camera in the vertical (portrait) orientation. (Technical Data: Nikon D700 with 18-200 mm f/3.5-5.6 lens set at 55 mm; exposure 1/5th sec @ f/4.8, ISO 200) While the angle was good, I felt that it was still too early and decided to try again shortly after sunset.  It was a warm summer evening and a gentle breeze occasionally rustled the flags.

I turned toward the Atlantic Pavilion which can provide a very nice scene in early twilight after the lighting is turned on.  For example, the image below (taken a  few years earlier) shows a section of the fountain basin. The inscription on the back wall is the message General Eisenhower communicated to  the invasion forces as they were embarking for Normandy.  The sloping capstone in the right foreground is engraved with the major World War II battles in Europe such as Hürtgen Forest shown in this image.

Image

 

But on that night, the 65th anniversary, the Memorial had become a kind of pilgrim’s quest for individuals with deep personal connections to that terrible day.  Some had come and departed already, leaving small mementos behind.  I approached the capstone to take a closer look and spotted a pair of dog tags, one of which had a tiny picture of the soldier to whom they had belonged. Small bouquets were positioned carefully along the capstone and I imagined that their location was chosen with care, resting on the place where the name of a particular battle was engraved.

I became aware of a woman standing next to me, just in front of the Normandy engraving.  She carried two small bouquets and seemed hesitant, uncertain of her next move.  I stepped away, allowing her to be alone at the capstone.  From a distance I watched as she placed the bouquets with attached ribbons on either side of the Normandy engraving, carefully spreading out the ribbons as if arranging a display.  She stepped back a few feet and stood silently for a moment contemplating the bouquets.  Then she turned and walked away.

I waited a few minutes, mesmerized by what I had just witnessed. All thoughts of the moonrise photograph had evaporated.  I walked back to the capstone and looked at what she had left.  There were handwritten inscription on the ribbons.  I bent down to read the words and realized  I was being given a glimpse into the past and that I had to take a completely different photograph than I had originally intended.

 

IImage

The inscription on the ribbons in the foreground said:

“In memory & honor of the 316th Troop Carrier Group,

left Cottesmore, England on the evening  of 6-5-44 for the Normandy invasion.”

 

There was a name on the second set of ribbons, a birth date and a date of death, June 6, 2008.

Postscript: Wanting to know more, I did some research. On that night, the 316th Troop Carrier Group carried about 1,300 paratroopers and combat equipment of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division to its designated drop zone close to St. Mere-Eglise and returned without losing a single plane.  The Group’s precision provided the 505th with the most accurate drop of the night.

Tonight, five years later, I’ll be thinking of her, wondering who she was and wishing I knew more about the message on those ribbons.

Washington Monument Opens to the Public

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I could feel the anticipation as I turned the corner.  For the first time in almost three years, the day had finally come—the structure was once again open to everyone.  The previous day had been reserved for the official re-opening: the ceremonial event, the media, the VIPs, contest winners, and well-deserved recognition of the individual whose generous donation had made it all possible.  But now came the first of many days when anyone could ride an elevator to the best view in Washington, DC.

Morning, Washington Monument, May 13, 2014

      Morning, Washington Monument, May 13, 2014

Nikon D800E with 24-70 mm f/2.8 lens, lens at 70mm, exposure: 1/250th sec @ f/16

The Washington Monument was the tallest structure in the world when it was completed in 1884, and is still the world’s tallest stone structure.  You can find more information about the monument in my post of April 22, 2014 but today’s story is about the view. I had no idea what to expect.   I feared that the number of people (about 100) and the short time before the next tour (about 30 minutes) would make it hard to get any image, let alone something decent.  And with the sun still relatively low in the east there would be no chance for anything in that direction. But, as it turns out, I shouldn’t have worried.  The elevator will hold about 15-20 passengers, there are eight viewing windows, and you can stay up there as long as you want.  And everyone was quite polite, not hogging the windows and waiting patiently for their turn. Details on scoring your own ride on that elevator are at the end of this post.

Looking West, World War II Memorial, Reflecting Pool, Lincoln Memorial

      Looking West, World War II Memorial, Reflecting Pool, Lincoln Memorial

(Technical Data: Nikon D800E with 24-70 mm f/2.8 lens, lens at 70mm, exposure: 1/250th sec @ f/16, EV at -0.67; eleven images combined with Photomerge in Photoshop CC)

The excitement of the other visitors as they looked out the windows was palpable. And when I stepped forward to get my first glimpse, the view was even more dramatic than I had expected. My first thought: “I’ll never be able to do justice to this view.”

World War II Memorial, Reflecting Pool, and Lincoln Memorial

         World War II Memorial, Reflecting Pool, and Lincoln Memorial

(Technical Data: Nikon D800E with 24-70 mm f/2.8 lens, lens at 70mm, exposure: 1/250th sec @ f/16, EV at -0.67; three images combined with Photomerge in Photoshop CC)

To the south, the sweeping vista incorporated the Jefferson Memorial, the entire Tidal Basin, Reagan National Airport and the full breadth of the Potomac River.  The departing and arriving aircraft seemed like tiny mosquitos.

Looking South, Jefferson Memorial, Tidal Basin and Beyond

                     Looking South, Jefferson Memorial, Tidal Basin and Beyond

(Technical Data: Nikon D800E with 24-70 mm f/2.8 lens, lens at 60mm, exposure: 1/250th sec @ f/16, EV at -0.67; eighteen images combined with Photomerge in Photoshop CC)

I quickly realized that I would have come back again and I am already thinking about ideas for the next time.  Although the first morning tour is well after sunrise, it is open until after sunset.  Without a doubt, there will be some future posts on this incredible place. A ranger told me they plan on adding tours in a few months that will allow you to walk up the stairs.  If you are able to make such a climb (it takes about an hour), it would be well worth it.  There are nearly 200 commemorative stones donated by all 50 states, organizations and foreign governments, some of them quite elaborate.

There are two ways to get your own admission ticket to the top of the Monument.  You can take a chance and just show up early in the morning the day you want to visit.  The ticket window opens at 8:30 and will distribute a limited number of tickets for that day until the supply runs out.  Or you can order tickets in advance.  Go to this link for further details about orders by phone and a link for placing online orders.

The ticket window is located on the backside of the Washington Memorial Lodge, a small white stone building located on 15th Street, directly east of the Monument.  If you have “Will Call” tickets ordered online, you can pick them up inside the Lodge, which opens at 8:30 AM.

Scouting Report: April 15, 2014

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The Cherry Blossoms are gone, the lunar eclipse was hidden by clouds this morning and it’s been raining all day.  So what better way to keep on the move than to make a scouting run into the city?  It’s that time of year when the fountains scattered around the Washington National Mall are being turned on.  Three weeks ago, only the World War II Memorial was operating.  But now many of them are running; of the nine that I checked, seven are happily pumping out the spray.

 

News Flash:   We interrupt this post to announce that one of my images was selected for “Monochrome Madness,” an event produced by Australian photographer Leanne Cole, a professional photographer in Melbourne whose blog has over 23,000 followers.  You can see her post with the 44 selected images here.  Now back to our regularly scheduled post on Washington, DC fountains.

 

 Fountains Currently Running

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 Navy Memorial Fountain, National Archives in Background

 Navy Memorial (Pennsylvania Avenue between 8th and 9th Street NW):  This is one of the better fountains in the city, and can’t be easier to photograph.  You are steps away from a Metro entrance, benches are plentiful, and an excellent French boulangerie  (Paul Bakery)  is on the west side of the plaza.

Supreme Court   (1st Street NW, across from the Capitol Building): The two small fountains on the north and south sides of the front plaza are now running.  While not very impressive, any photo that includes the basins looks much better now than when they are empty.

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Court of Neptune Fountain, Library of Congress

 Court of Neptune Fountain (1st Street SW, across from the Capitol Building): New York sculptor Roland Hinton Perry was only 27 years old when he completed the fountain in 1898, when the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress was opened.  This is not your average fountain and the physicality of the scene is quite dramatic when the water is running.  The nearby Capitol South  Metro Station is a short walk of two blocks.

Image Senate Fountain at Night

Senate Fountain  (opposite the intersection of Louisiana Avenue NW and North Capitol Street NW): This is one of the few (perhaps only) fountains in the city with a variable color lighting system).  Boasting a view of the Senate side of the US Capitol, it provides a number of photo opportunities in the evening light.  The Union Station Metro stop is within easy walking distance.

Japanese American Patriotism Memorial: (Directly opposite the Senate Fountain in a small triangular park between Louisiana Avenue, New Jersey Avenue, and D Street NW):  Technically this is not a fountain, but a flowing pool which is the principal feature of the park.  Dedicated only ten years ago, it recognizes the mistake made by the US in the forcible placement of more than 110,000 Japanese Americans into ten internment camps.

National Museum of the American Indian (Intersection of Maryland Avenue and Independence Avenue SW ):  The fountain is located on the northwest corner of the museum with the water cascading over large boulders and flowing along a channel on the north side of the building.  The Federal Center Metro Station is about 3 blocks to the south.

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Moonrise, World War II Memorial

 World War II Memorial   (17th Street between Constitution Avenue and Independence Avenue):  The fountains are now running although they are turned off sometime during the night and resume operating just before dawn.  However, the repair project at the west end of the Memorial is still unfinished.  As a result, the two waterfalls on either side of Freedom Wall are still dry.   Even so, this memorial offers more photo opportunities than any of the others on this list.  No nearby Metro Station.

Fountains Still Dry

Banneker Fountain (South end of the L’Enfant Plaza on 10th Street SW):  Probably the least well known site on this list, the 30-foot tall column of water (when operating) is the central feature of the Benjamin Banneker Park.  Banneker was an African American who had a role in the original surveys that eventually resulted in the layout of the city of Washington.  However, the historical evidence is unclear on the specific details.  The small park, designed by landscape architect Dan Kiley was constructed in 1967.  Kiley is currently being featured in a major retrospective of his work at the National Building Museum.  The L’Enfant Plaza Metro Station is about 5 blocks to the northeast.

Bartholdi Fountain (Across Independence Avenue SW from the US Botanical Garden):  This fountain is the central feature of a small park maintained by the US Botanical Garden,  It was designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi who is better known as the creator of the Statue of Liberty.  I will write a separate post on this fountain when the water is turned on.

I expect that both the Bartholdi and Banneker fountains will be running within a few weeks.  Stay tuned…

 

 

Yet Another Cherry Blossom Report

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I returned to the Tidal Basin yesterday afternoon to check on the progress of the Cherry Blossoms.  The marching battalions of pre-scheduled tours are now in full swing, the tour buses that brought them here are jostling for parking spots, and the weather is balmy.  But the trees have other ideas.  And the absence of photographers with tripods confirmed what I expected:  “Still too soon.”  But the trip wasn’t a total loss, and I’ll get to that in a minute.

Image

 

So here is an image showing the status of the cherry blossoms.  The buds in the foreground–like all the others on the nearby trees–are still quite tight, or at least they were as of about 7:15 PM last night. I guess it will be sometime this weekend before any blossoms actually emerge.  The official Festival prediction for peak blooming to appear is still April 8th and I see no reason to dispute that.  (Technical data: Nikon D800E, 24-70 mm lens set at  55 mm, no tripod: 1/50th sec. @ f/18, ISO 1600)

Still, you never want to come away without any images, so I worked on a panorama composition as the twilight blue after sunset began to intensify.  This was taken about 20 minutes after sunset.  It could be a great composition to use  when the blossoms hit their peak, but I suspect that the walkway will be cluttered with fellow photographers. (Technical data: Nikon D800E, 24-70 mm lens set at  35 mm, using tripod, 3 images shot with aperture priority set @ f/16, shutter ranged from 6-10 secs.; ISO 400)

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As a side note, you can see the dark forms of protective netting around the trunks of the trees.  I assume this is intended to frustrate any beavers that might want to use the trees for gnawing practice.  There is at least one of them there; it swam within two meters of me, but submerged immediately when I began to swing my camera in its direction.  Curses!  Foiled again.

 Aside from the brief excitement of a close encounter with a beaver, the trip downtown also enabled me to check the status of some repair work projects on the mall.  As indicated in the panorama image, the removal of the scaffolding on the Washington Monument is now below the tree line.  There is still about 10 meters to go, but I am hopeful that the scaffolding and the construction fence will be removed in time for the Lunar Eclipse on April 15. There is more good news: The World War II Memorial fountains are now up and running at full power and the lighting is also operating.   A closer inspection will be needed to see whether the repairs on the west side of the Memorial are finished.

 So stay tuned for the next episode of the exciting mystery:  “Are they out yet?”