ANGELA B. PAN

Typically when I go into the city, I like driving my car. It’s so much easier because I can come and go as I please and blast my music or podcast as loud as I want. LOL. Plus if I need to stop at the grocery store or something along the way, I can do that as I please.

I don’t find taking the metro as convenient. I’m dependent on their schedule and if there’s any kind of delay or back up, you’re pretty much stuck in the metro car for who knows how long. The only time you’ll really find me on the metro is if it’s snowing a lot or if there’s a big event in Washington DC and parking/traffic is a lot worse than usual.

So when I was planning my trip to Rolling Thunder, I knew I didn’t want to drive. The metro was going to be way more efficient. In order to get to the spot I wanted by the Lincoln Memorial, I got off at Foggy Bottom and walked down 23rd street.

It was pretty cool because along the way there were motorcycles EVERYWHERE. Along the street, on the sidewalks and even in the grass. This image was captured at the Pan American Health Organization building and it was covered by rows and rows of motorcycles. I liked this image in particular because of all the lines and shapes created by the architecture and even the little grass blades you see in the foreground, but I love the flowers in the background of the bikes. I feel like it adds just a little bit of color and femininity to the masculine chopper.

My camera settings for this image is F9 at 1/80th sec and ISO 200 with my Sony A7II and 70-200mm zoom lens.

We’ve been having a lot of stormy weather lately in the Washington DC area. It seems like almost every day I’ve been getting warnings on my phone about rain or thunderstorms. I’m not complaining though because it feels great to break up some of the hot, humid summer days. But with all these rainy days, I’m always thinking about the water levels at the Tidal Basin and how bad the flood walls need to be repaired.

Even though I took this image last summer, it reminds me of what it’s probably been like at the Tidal Basin right now. It’s pretty ridiculous to see how much the Tidal Basin gets flooded, even on a day that doesn’t rain that much. To be honest, this particular day was the worst I’ve ever seen it. The sidewalks are flooded and it has become un-walkable. At some point, I had to walk up the slight hill, up to the sidewalk in order to get around trees and the flooding in order to walk along the Tidal Basin. It’s crazy!

If you’re are just as concerned as I am about your grandchildren seeing the Tidal Basin in all its beautiful glory, including the iconic cherry blossoms, please consider taking the pledge from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It’s a national treasure that needs to be preserved.

My camera settings for this image is F4 at 1/250th sec at ISO 640 with my Sony A7II and 16-35mm wide angle lens.

Taken around the same time I captured this image, I had so much fun watching these fish swim by. I wasn’t able to go underwater so seeing one of these fish swim from above the water was pretty cool. One after the other, more and more started to show up and I was so excited. At one point it seemed like they just kept circling Andrew and me.

I don’t know about you, but when animals or wildlife just show up like this I get extra excited. Sometimes it’s hard to keep my composure but with them circling us, I had plenty of opportunities to capture this image. I think my favorite part about this image is seeing how thick the waterline is. I don’t know why it wouldn’t be the fish. I just think this perspective is so interesting. Plus I like all the water bubbles in line with the fish. It honestly makes me want to go back to a beach later this summer and try it again.

But honestly, they just kept circling us and we had no idea what was going on. After a while, Andrew asked if I got my shot and I said yes. Then he told me to put my camera on video mode so he could jump in the middle and I could capture them all racing away. LOL. I still haven’t looked at the video footage yet, but I’m pretty sure it will just like a big blob of nothingness. If it turns out well, promise I’ll post it. HAHA

By the way, I’m working on a blog post of all my favorite GoPro accessories and I’ll definitely be discussing how I captured this image. If you have any other questions about the GoPro, please let me know and I’ll try my best to answer your questions.

My camera settings for this image is F2.8 at 1/800th sec and ISO 100 with my GoPro Hero 5 Black.

This was our 4th time in Turks and Caicos as a couple.

Andrew is originally from the Bahamas and because of that, he is very particular about the beaches he visits. And I don’t consider that a bad thing! That only means we visit the nicest beaches together. One of his favorites of all time is Turks and Caicos. It’s so beautiful with the white sand and crystal clear water. You can be standing at waist deep water and still see your feet! Plus it’s a pretty short flight considering the travel time to other beaches like this.

I love it because the vibes are super chill. I’ve never felt threaten or scared even with leaving my camera equipment on the beach, nothing has ever happened to it. The water is so calm. You can wade in the water and never even move from your spot. Sometimes big waves can be fun, but if you’re just trying to relax, I LOVE the peaceful waters.

So being the water-loving guy he is, I think this image perfectly shows him in his element. If you zoom in, you’ll see that he’s smiling 🙂 He looks free as a bird… or fish. The only way to really get him out of the water is by yelling “SHARK!” Then you won’t see anyone run faster. LOL.

My camera settings for this image is F2.2 at 1/1900th sec and ISO 100 with my DJI Mavic Pro.

On our way back from the beach and walking towards our room, I was completely distracted by the newly renovated swimming pool at Club Med. It is now above ground so it feels like an infinity pool and when no one is in it, the reflections are absolutely gorgeous. This image makes me want to jump in, but we actually didn’t spend any time at the pool. Andrew’s way more of a beach person but when I travel with my girlfriends, I feel like we’re at the pool 90% of the time. I’m ok with either. As long as there’s some sort of body of water, I’m all good.

Which one are you? A pool or ocean person?

But I’m glad we walked by it right around sunset because the colors are stunning. Andrew was returning our beach towels and getting us drinks when I captured this image. I just loved the way the palm trees and clouds were reflected in the water. I tried my best to get as close to the water to make the reflections look extra big. Proud to report that there was no water damage to ANY of my cameras during this whole trip 🙂

If you find yourself traveling to Grace Bay, I highly recommend spending your time chasing the sunset because of where you are located on the island. It sets right in front of you making it difficult to take a bad image. The sun rises on the other side and with all my experience there, your time is probably better spent in bed then waking up super early.

My camera settings for this image is F8 at 1/60th sec and ISO 200 with my Sony A7II and 16-35mm wide angle lens.

At any given time, you could have found me with at least 2 different cameras while I was in Turks and Caicos. Since I was not able to swim or do much physical activity, I figured I’d spend my time laying around or capturing images. (Which is an amazing plan if you ask me). So I ended up bringing 4 different cameras on the trip, 5 if you count my iPhone.

1. Sony A7II
2. DJI Mavic Pro Drone
3. GoPro Hero 5 Black
4. Canon T70 film camera

It may have been a little excessive to have at least 2 cameras on me, but that was the only way I was able to capture everything I wanted without having to go back to our room to get a different camera. But during the day, I loved having the GoPro and Drone. Both of these cameras allow such different perspectives that I’m not used to when just shooting with my Sony.

But to be honest, I’m usually very cautious when flying my drone in front of a lot of people. I know a lot of people don’t like it. It can be noisy and a disturbance so I try my best to only fly when there aren’t as many people around. One morning, Andrew and I woke up early just to fly the drone. It was great because at 6 am we were the only ones on the beach. I was free to fly wherever I wanted. But I do like images with people in it…

So the next morning, I chose to fly around 8 am. There were a few people on the beach but not as many as there would have been if it were later on in the day and I didn’t fly as long as I did the previous day. But it was great because the sun was completely out and the colors in the water were looking amazing. I especially like looking at all the shadows the sun created.

My camera settings for this image is F2.2 at 1/2200th sec and ISO 100 with my DJI Mavic Pro.