bridges of frederick county

Who knew that there would be covered bridges in the DC area? I took the following photos on a recent Washington Photography Meetup outing, (Covered) Bridges of Frederick County (Maryland). If you're interested in seeing these bridges for yourself and maybe taking your own photos, we followed the Historic Covered Bridges Driving Tour provided by the Tourism Council of Frederick County. Just be sure to take your eye out of the viewfinder every once in a while to check for traffic approaching the bridges. :)


Utica Mills Covered Bridge


Loy's Station Covered Bridge


Loy's Station Covered Bridge


Roddy Road Barn, just like in scooby doo


Self Portrait (couldn't help it...), Loy's Station Park

Some of the other meetup photographers had some great shots too. Check them out in the Washington Photography Meetup flickr pool. Always interesting to see how others approached the same subject.

cherry blossom snow photos

When I originally scheduled the Cherry Blossoms at the Tidal Basin Meetup for my photography meetup, I was anticipating a normal spring sunrise: 50 to 60 degrees, maybe a little breeze. The hope was for a clear sunrise to get some really good light out on the blossoms and to perhaps beat the tourist crowds by a couple of minutes. Washington weather being what it is (wacky), conditions ended up being cloudy, snowing, and 32 degrees, with a wind chill factor of 24 degrees.

Seemed like the perfect morning to stay in and stay warm, but I'm glad I and a dozen-plus members made it out to the meetup. How often does one see snow on cherry blossoms?! By the time we wrapped up, my fingers were so cold, I was barely able to press the shutter button. Those readers who are familiar with the bone-chilling precipitation that falls in DC, be it snow or rain, you know what I'm talking about.

The results were well worth it though. Below is a selection of three cherry blossom photos taken near the paddle boat dock (across from the Jefferson Memorial) on the Tidal Basin and three tulip photos taken at the Tulip Library. A few more selections are available in my Cherry Blossoms (Snow) Meetup photo set and the Washington Photography Meetup photo pool on flickr.













Photos taken on a Canon Digital Rebel XT with a Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 EX DG MACRO lens.

january 2007 photography meetup events

This is a listing of and invitation to some photography-related events that Washington Photography Meetup is organizing this month of January. Click on the event links for the full details and to RSVP.

January Monthly Meetup
Wednesday 10 January, 7:30 pm
Foster Brothers Coffee in Cleveland Park
Bring some recent photos you've taken to share. Grab a cup of coffee and have a chat with your fellow DC photography enthusiasts. Bring your ideas for 2007 meetup events as well :)

National Geographic Wildlife Photography Exhibit
Sunday 14 January, 3:00 pm
National Geographic Museum (Explorers Hall)
An easy-going Sunday meetup to check out the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2006 exhibit, a collection of about 100 photographs (amateur and professional) on display until 4 Feb. There's a Caribou Coffee down the street -- chances are we'll duck over there afterwards.

Adams Morgan Morning with the Montgomery County Photography Meetup
Monday 15 January, 8:00 am
Dupont Circle Metro Station
The Montgomery County Photography Meetup group is having a morning photography outing in Adams Morgan on Martin Luther King Day. They are meeting at 8:00 am at Dupont Circle then walking to Adams Morgan. Details and RSVP info are on their Adams Morgan event description.

Photography Assignment #2
due Saturday 20 January
This is an easy one -- pick one to three of your favorite photos you took over the holidays or these first few weeks of 2007 to share. You are welcome to submit photographs that capture the essence of the holidays, the holidays in your hometown/travel destination, or photos that you took for fun during the holidays that you want to to share with everyone else. The resulting collection should be an interesting mix of photos that show how us DC folk spread out, geographically and perspective-wise, during a typical holiday season :)

Photography Assignment #3
due Tuesday 30 January
The abstract topic of the month is "winter." What does winter mean to you? Black and white scenes? Black overcoats all around? Cold rain? The bread, milk, and toilet paper frenzy at the grocery store before a snowstorm? The interpretation is open-ended and left up to you, the photographer.

Monuments and Memorials in the Snow
On the first day it snows with accumulation of at least 1/4 to 1/2 inch.
RSVP Yes to this event if you want to receive a "go / no go" email to meet up at the Vietnam Veterans / Korean War / WWII memorial when snowy conditions are pending. Be sure to click the event description for details as to how this event will work since we don't really know when it will snow and accumulate at least a quarter to a half inch.

U.S. Botanic Garden (Capitol Grounds)
Late January / Early February
Stay tuned for the announcement with the details... we're still making plans, but we wanted to let you know what's coming up.

Hope everyone's 2007 is off to a great start!