ANGELA B. PAN

This image may be my favorite in the series I captured at Rock Creek Park. I like it because of how monochromatic yellow it is. If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know I love those monochrome colored looks.

You may also know that I enjoy going out with other photographers to take pictures too. But once in a while, I find so much peace going out on my own. Especially in Rock Creek Park, a place I am not too familiar with, I loved exploring the area and finding little corners like this. However, this was one time I wish I was out with another person. I think this would have been really cool if there was a person standing there with an umbrella or something. Oh well, there’s always next time.

My camera settings for this image are F6.3 at 1/13th sec and ISO 500 with my Sony A7II and 70-200mm.

Just a short drive from Boulder Bridge is Rapids Bridge in Rock Creek Park. You could technically walk, but I wore the wrong shoes and decided to drive instead. Next time I go to Rock Creek Park, I gotta wear my hiking shoes instead of rain boots. It had rained the night before I visited so I figured the ground was going to be wet. But I should have known that I would have wanted to climb up rocks and things so that’s when the hiking boots would have been the better idea. Anything for the shot, right?

So I was extra careful when I was making my way to this spot. I had to jump across a few rocks in order to get to a big one in the middle of the river. From the picture, it doesn’t really look like it because you can see land straight ahead but I swear, I was on a rock in the water. LOL.

At this point, I left my tripod in the car. I didn’t want to have anything in my hands that would throw me off balance and I knew that I wanted to get a low angle where the majority of the image would be of the water. So I sat on this rock and used it to help keep the camera steady. At that point, I made the mental note to wear waterproof pants next time I shoot Rock Creek as well. LOL.

My camera settings for this image are F13 at 1/3 sec and ISO 400 with my Sony A7II and 16-35mm wide-angle.

Referring back to my autumn to-do list, I checked another location off the list, Rock Creek Park. I’ve only been one other time in the fall but this year I really wanted to go back again. In a city full of cars and people, I love it when there are big parks like this that make you feel like you’re in a totally different area.

Last time I was there, I photographed Boulder Bridge but it was around sunset time instead of sunrise. At that time it must not have rained for a while I could basically walk in the middle of the creek with no problem. This year, I captured the same spot during sunrise and there was no way. I had to improvise and photograph it from the side. Luckily there were some trees with fall colors that I could use to frame the bridge. However, I think my favorite part of the image is the rolling water. It reminds of wavy long hair. LOL. I had my tripod at the time, but I think I just used a tree trunk as a camera support.

My camera settings for this image are F22 at 0.6 sec and ISO 100 with my Sony A7II and 16-35mm wide-angle lens.

What’s crazy about Rock Creek Park is that you can’t believe this place is actually in DC. Growing up, I always thought it was dangerous. I think it’s because anytime you saw anyone going to Rock Creek Park in the movies it was always to do something bad. Like a dangerous drug deal or the exchange of some top secret government information (thanks House of Cards). To be honest, I’ve never felt like I was in danger while I was there. Its probably one of the most beautiful places you can be inside of the city. Obviously the best time to go is in the fall time but even in the middle of the hot, humid summer, you can find a some peace.

To take this image, I did not use a tripod. I just used my Ice 10 stop neutral density filter and balanced myself on some rocks in the middle of the stream. I then held my breath for as long as I could so I could create these streaks in the water. It’s super important to stay as still as you can while capturing these long exposures. If you move, then the image may turn out blurry. The water flows pretty fast so I didn’t have to wait long. I believe this is about a 10 second exposure.

Getting down low and changing my perspective really adds a lot of interest into these kinds of images. The streaks in the water turned out to be one of the most predominate parts of this image. It probably wouldn’t of been the same if I were higher and on a tripod. Another one of my favorite parts is the reflection of the trees. Love it.

By the way, when is House Cards coming back on? I can’t wait to see what happens with Claire.

So the typical photo rule is that you avoid shooting in the middle of the day. Especially if you want long exposure shots of cool creeks like this. But thanks to my friend, Kyle who told me about this 10 stop filter he got from Amazon, I thought it would be the perfect time to test it out. It’s only 30 bucks and super fun to play with. I just kept it in my shirt pocket and it was so easy to take on and off. If you’re in the market to try out a new filter, I’d try this one.

Let’s be real. Probably instagramming.