ANGELA B. PAN

So it finally happened! Some fresh snow! and I was finally able to capture it. My favorite part about winter.

It started late in the afternoon last Tuesday and was so excited that I hopped in my car right away to try to capture it with the memorials in DC before there were too many footprints in the grass. I love that look of white on white. As soon as I crossed the bridge, my heart sank a little bit. It was actually too warm in Washington for the snow to actually stick on the ground. We were all getting snow but it only sticking in Virginia. UGH. Turned right back around to where I came from.

There was nothing else I could do but either capture it at night or just wait for the next morning and hopefully capture something good in Virgina at sunrise with my drone. So that’s what I did. I woke up early morning, not quite sunrise time but waited a little bit for the sun to rise just to make to be extra cautious in case of ice or something on the roads. I put a random park in my gps and made my way over. I knew it wasn’t going to be my final destination but wanted to get in the general direction of a fly zone.

I drove past the W&OD trail and saw that it may have been a great place to pull over. I don’t exactly where this was taken. Some random neighborhood in between Fairfax and Reston, VA but was so surprised to see that little creek flowing through the trees. After a little bit of flying around, I noticed the sun coming up a little more and blessing the trees with that warm light. I was totally not expecting it but love the way the image is divided between warm and cool. Plus it’s untouched like I was hoping for 🙂

My camera settings for this image is F2.2 at 1/100th sec at ISO 155 with my DJI Mavic Pro.

Almost a week ago, I met up with some photo friends for a fun photo walk around northwest DC. We met in the middle of the day, something that I don’t usually do so I was interested in seeing the kind of photos we would capture. It ended up being a super fun afternoon filled with laughs and really cool architectural opportunities. Something I never really thought about doing in Washington but so glad we got together to do this.

Our walk was planned out by my friend, Zack who told us all to meet at the West End Library. The West End Library itself is a dream to capture but then we went on to the Pan American Union Building and finally ending at the Watergate. I’ve always driven past the Watergate but never even thought to stop and photograph it. Now that I’ve been, I can’t wait to go back.

I always assumed it was just a hotel, but turns out it’s much more than just that. It is also an apartment complex with stores, restaurants and businesses on the lower levels. This image was taken from standing on one of the lower levels looking up. I love all the curves of the building and even capturing it in the middle of the day allowed for some really nice shadow/light play.

But if you’re interested in capturing some photos of your own from the Watergate, I’d also recommend going to the rooftop of the Watergate hotel. You can get some really cool views of Georgetown and the Kennedy Center. You all know how I feel about a good rooftop 🙂

But definitely expect more images from this walk soon!

My camera settings for this image is F4 at 1/800th sec and ISO 400 with my Sony A7II and 70-200mm zoom.

Thanks again to everyone who came out this past Saturday evening for DCTography’s very first photowalk. It was a great excuse to finally break out of the house and feel some “warm” air on our skin. I had a blast seeing everyone and finally catching up after what seemed like the longest January ever. An evening that started at the Martin Luther King Jr memorial ended with a spectacular sunset and lots of snow and ice for us to capture with our cameras. I am still smiling ear to ear. Thanks again and especially to Carlos from DCTography for putting together this photowalk and allowing me to lead it. He also provide the group shot of us above 🙂

And like every photowalk, I like to share some of the awesome images from the photowalk and the #Snapdc feed:

Love the colors in this one, Virginia! And including the snow from the frozen Tidal Basin was a very nice touch.

Amir, the silhouettes on this one is so interesting. I love looking at each individual one and trying to figure out what they’re doing. The airplane on the top right was perfect timing as well.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BtbA8iWAgUe/

Goutham, I love this shot of Zack. It’s a total candid portrait with great lighting. Props.

Another great framing image, Dave. I love the overall winter vibes of this one.

Karen, it was great chatting with you and love this image. I just imagine this photographer being lost in the moment and sunset. Also, the play of scale with the tree just to the left. Beautiful!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BtZqr0CFnFg/

Brande, I’m not sure if anyone else caught this perspective. Great eye! And almost didn’t see that figure right in front of the column.

Thanks again everyone for coming out. There will definietly be more photo walks in the future!

After coming home from a long trip to Southern California, I knew one of the first places that I wanted to go back to take pictures was the Tidal Basin. I love it and have captured some of my favorite images from there. I personally feel like I’m back when I’m walking around the Tidal Basin and ducking my head under the low hanging cherry blossom tree branches. Luckily while we were gone, Washingtonians experienced a good amount of snow. I’m all for snow but I don’t like how it gets so messy while it melts. This time it worked to my advantage because it actually created some great puddles in places that there aren’t usually reflections.

The whole mood of this image perfectly describes what it was like being there. It was cold and kind of wet. I especially like how that little piece of ice in the foreground. But trying to get myself back on east coast was a bit of a challenge. I basically forced myself out of bed but once I was out, I was happy… and cold.

Also sorry for the last minute notice but if you’re around the Washington DC area this weekend and don’t have plans on Saturday, come out to the tidal basin for sunset. At 4:30p, I’ll be leading a free photowalk with DCTography starting at the Martin Luther King Jr memorial and then ending the walk at the Jefferson Memorial. It will be a great time and a great way to meet other photographers in the area. I’ll be talking about light and trying to capture it as we walk and the sun dips below the horizon. Hope to see you there 🙂

My camera settings for this image is F8 at 1/4th sec at ISO 800 with my Sony A7II and 16-35mm wide angle lens.

Being from the east coast, I love our annual getaways to the west. Sort of like how birds migrate to the south for winter, I like to migrate the west and soak up the California sun and surf. Plus any excuse for a fresh acai bowl, amirite?

To be honest though, San Diego is one of my favorite places to be. I love the vibe of the city, everyone is super friendly and there’s no shortage of things to do. You have the beach life but also a fun downtown area if the city is more of your scene. It’s all of that plus a super dog friendly city. Frankie loves taking his morning walks on the beach, you basically have to drag him off the sand.

This was our second year in a row visiting around the start of the new year, but I have visited many times in the past too. This will definietly not be our last time visiting so keep checking back as I update this guide.

So if you’re heading to San Diego, here are the best places to take pictures:

The Beaches

This past trip we stayed at this beautiful airbnb right at the tip of Mission Beach. It was the perfect place for us because we were able to enjoy the beach in a less crowded environment but still have views of the water.  (If you’ve never stayed at an airbnb, I highly recommend it. Especially if you’re going somewhere for an extended stay. It’s all the comforts of home while you travel.) Morning runs were peaceful on the boardwalk and Mission Bay was right behind us which made it fun to fly the drone for a satisfying perspective of land and water. But if we wanted to check out some of cool restaurants on Pacific Beach, we were just a 15 minute scooter ride away.

One of my favorite parts about Pacific Beach was standing at the end of Crystal Pier. The pier allowed for unique, overhead shots of the wave riders and definietly provided a lot of great photo opportunities. And you can usually find the bubble man around sunset. I love watching the huge bubbles fly in the air and can’t resist trying to pop some if they float in my direction. The kids love them too!

(left) view from Crystal Pier (right) bubble from the bubble man framing a palm tree

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This image was captured almost a year ago to the day. It’s crazy because I can still remember it like it was yesterday and looking at it brings back so many memories.

I had been messaging with my friend, Birch, about something random. I don’t think it even had anything to do with photography when she finally said that she had just got into the city and it was layered with fog. Luckily I had no plans that Sunday morning so I was able to quickly get ready and meet up with her. We spent the next couple of hours just talking and taking pictures. It was the best.

Everything felt so surreal about this photowalk. The fog made it feel like we were walking through a dreamland but it was also eerily deserted. For being the National Mall on a weekend, there was no one out! Usually you would see people walking around enjoying the monuments but there was something about the fog and very light rain that must have deterred people from coming. I was not complaining though. It  made for amazing images and it was so awesome not having to worry about being in other people’s way. Parking was easy smeasy too!

I really hope that after we’re done with this subzero cold front and wind that Washington DC is going through now that we will get another day like this again. It really was magical. But until then I hope this image of fog warms your day up just a little (as I sit here at my desk still wearing my winter jacket and two layers of pants)… books flight to Florida. JK. LOL.

My camera settings for this image is F4 at 1/1000th sec at ISO 320 with my Sony A7II and 16-35mm wide angle lens.