Paris, ca. 1957.

From my grandparents’ slide collection — more details here.

A walk through Annapolis

If you’ve been watching the news, you know that the weather’s been pretty miserable around here lately. Yesterday it finally improved slightly (by which I mean it was only in the mid-90s and was slightly less humid) so I finally made it down to Annapolis for a photo walk.

Although I brought my DSLR, I ended up deciding to just work with my iPhone. I’ve been looking at a lot of people-focused street photography recently, and my goal was to practice photographing the people that I came across — something I thought I could do less conspicuously with my iPhone.

Of course, my walk went nothing like I’d planned. (Spoiler alert: there are no real photos involving people in this post. Well, except for my feet — my frequent subjects whenever I’m procrastinating. I mean, they may not be particularly exciting… but they’re always there.)

First of all, Annapolis on a Tuesday afternoon, as it turns out, is an unfortunate choice for shots of people. There were very few people out and about, all of whom were dressed pretty conservatively and liked to make eye contact as you passed them. I think I need a bigger city where people ignore each other.

Second, it was hot. 95 degrees might be cooler than 115, but it’s still pretty damn uncomfortable. So I wound up cutting my walk much shorter than planned. (Of course, now I’m thinking, “Why didn’t I focus on that? Stake out water fountains? Look for packs of legs in shorts?” Lesson learned: next time I’m setting out with a plan.)

Lastly — and I didn’t realize this one until I got home — after awhile, I sort of… forgot about the people. I did what I always do when I’m exploring a new place: I got sucked into the architecture, and the history of the buildings, and the atmosphere, and started focusing on the details that caught my eye. And that wasn’t a complete loss — I got some photos that I really like. But I don’t think it gives you a complete picture of the place.

Then again, maybe that’s a tall order for one photo walk.

I just got back from a week in Ocean City with the extended family. What a blast! We celebrated the fourth of July, my grandmother’s 75th birthday, my cousin’s engagement, another one’s MBA… it was a great week, and a great chance to catch up after a year away.

A visit to the National Zoo

Yesterday Jimmy and I took the metro into Washington, D.C. to visit the National Zoo. It was really hot and exhausting, but we had a great time! I was good and stuck to shooting only with my Digital Rebel, and it felt great to get some real practice in. I saw a lot of photographers there with giant telephoto lenses trying to get wildlife shots, but since I don’t have access to that kind of equipment, I tried to focus more on the experience of the zoo, including all the pens and enclosures, zookeepers at work, and the crowds of onlookers. Maybe it’s only apparent to me because I remember the moments in the photos, but what I like about the animal portraits I did get is how they convey different animals’ reactions and interactions with human visitors — whether they were oblivious, indifferent, or downright social.

Also, it must be said: I know Washington, D.C. gets a bad rep sometimes for all the traffic, crime, lack of parking, etc… but despite all that, I love it more every time I visit. The thing is, more than any city I’ve ever seen, D.C. really is a city “for the people,” and that’s thanks in large part to the Smithsonian Institution. I’ve never been anywhere with so much free access to high-quality museum programming — and the zoo was no exception. There was so much for kids and adults alike to do beyond looking at animals — they really never missed a teaching moment, even in the bathroom, lol!