architecture

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If you asked me last year about places I still wanted to photograph in Washington DC, the Watergate complex would have been last on my list. I just didn’t know anything about it or have seen any pictures of it that would draw me to this little area of DC. Luckily I have friends like Zack, who is very detailed orientated and likes to plan a lot of different kinds of photo locations.

So earlier this year when we were getting a group of photographers together for a small photo walk, he was the one who suggested a route that involved the Watergate. At first, I thought he meant the hotel, so when we arrived at this apartment complex I was blown away by how cool it was. I love the checkered flooring in the center. I bet this would look really cool from above. If only drones are allowed in DC…

Now that I know about this apartment complex, I would love to come back and photograph it even more. The architecture is just really cool.

Side note: Yesterday I left DC to travel to Taiwan with my family to visit my Grandfather. It’s been a few years since I’ve been back so I’m looking forward to spending time in Taipei. I have so many great memories in the capital city, so if you’re interested in tagging along, follow me on Instagram where I’ll be posting on my stories.

My camera settings for this image are F4 at 1/640th sec and ISO 400 with my Sony A7Ii and 70-200mm zoom lens.

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As I mentioned in my last post, Andrew and I circled the Vessel as we were climbing up. I really liked doing this since you get such different views on almost every edge you’re standing on.

I know a lot of people may concentrate on photographing the interior and what that looks like, but I thought the outside of the Vessel looked really cool too. This was taken along the side that was closer to the Shops and Restaurants at Hudson Yards. Some chairs and a few tables had been put out. I’m not sure if it was for dining or letting people sit and relax a bit, but I loved the way the orange popped against the grey cement. This image sort of reminds me of a drone shot and I like looking at the different people and seeing how they are interacting with the space.

Now that I think of it, Andrew and I were sitting around here for a little bit before we entered the Vessel ourselves. So if someone took a similar shot of this while we were sitting there, you would have seen Andrew and I look at our phones for a place to eat dinner after we were done with the Vessel and eating the chocolates we bought on our walk over. LOL. Dessert before dinner, am I right? And then more dessert after dinner 🙂

My camera settings for this image are F5.6 at 1/25th sec and ISO 320 with my Sony A7II and 70-200mm zoom.

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After a weekend in New York, the newly constructed Vessel in Hudson Yards was a highlight of the entire trip.

This was my first visit to the Big Apple since it has been constructed and I knew that I had to visit. I have seen many images of the Vessel on instagram that I kind of had an idea what to expect but believe me when I say it’s much better in person than in the pictures. So if you haven’t been, I highly suggest booking a trip to New York now. You can click here to get free tickets.

But for some reason, I had the impression that some of these staircases were escalators. That was wrong. LOL. But if you take your time climbing each story at a time, it’s not so bad. Andrew and I circled the whole structure as we were climbing to the top which provided new views all along the way. Luckily we were able to get our tickets for around sunset so we stayed a little bit after the sun had gone down to see what the Vessel looked like at night. It’s pretty cool at blue hour if you asked me. Luckily, they regulate how many people come into the Vessel at one time but they won’t kick you out. You get to stay for as long as you would like.

My camera settings for this image are F5.6 at 1/5th sec and ISO 320 with my Sony A7II and 16-35mm wide angle lens.

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My friend, Sue and I decided to make a last-minute road trip and visit Southwestern Pennsylvania for a night. It was so much better than expected. Neither one of us had been to this part of Pennsylvania before so it was a whole new adventure for both of us. The real intention was to chase fall colors. Some places seemed like it was full of color however at Fallingwater, we were about 2 weeks too early.

But Fallingwater itself was definitely better than expected. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take pictures inside or else I would have loved to show you how amazingly simple but masterfully crafted everything was. You can really tell that Frank Lloyd Wright (the architect) took his time to think of all these beautiful details of the house. I think my favorite part about it all were all the windows and terraces. It’s crazy, but there were no frames in the middle of the window. Everything opens up to nature and you can just listen to the sounds of the waterfall below all day long. I can’t even imagine how peaceful and calming living here would be. And if I remember correctly, there were 4 terraces! It would be amazing to just enjoy a simple lunch out there. This makes me want to visit Mr. Wright’s homes all around the country. I think his work is very inspiring and I’m so glad I got to see at least one of them in person.

My camera settings for this image F11 at 1/25th sec and ISO 1600 with my Sony A7II and 16-35mm wide-angle.

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If you’re like me and drive on 66 past the Kennedy Center, you must have been wondering what they are building there? I feel like there have been a massive hole and cranes by the Kennedy Center for at least 2 years now, but never knew what it was.

I finally got my answer a couple of weeks ago when I was invited to visit the Reach at the Kennedy Center. I was so excited to hear that it’s an extension of the Kennedy Center that’s all about interaction and inspiring art. To be honest, it’s way cooler than I thought it would be.

Set to open this weekend, we got invited while the building was still getting its final touches. So despite the construction that was going on, I was still awestruck by the beauty. I loved how simple and clean the lines of the building were. It’s very minimalistic but with beautiful details just like the Kennedy Center.

Besides the architecture and beauty of the building, my favorite part was when we stumbled upon a class of dancers practicing ballet. If I remember correctly, these young adults were from New York and were there for a performance. I loved being able to peek at them from a window above. What an inspiring place for art.

Since I couldn’t decide which were my favorite images, I decided to include a couple more. I hope you enjoy and get a chance to visit the Reach this weekend!

My camera settings for the first image is F4 at 1/1250sec and ISO 640 and my Sony A7II and 70-200mm zoom.

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Since I’ve been out photographing the sunset and night so much, I found myself craving a morning in Washington DC. There’s something about the early mornings where it’s so quiet and peaceful, you really get to appreciate the city that you live in. Or at least, that’s how I feel.

So one morning I found myself by the US Capitol and in an effort to photograph something different, I spent a lot of time around the Library of Congress. I’ve mentioned many times before how the Library is my favorite interior in the entire city, but the exterior is beautiful all on its own. This particular composition struck me because of all the layers. I love how the staircases divide the image but I also love the little splashes of green. Everything is just lined up so nicely in this image. The best part is that the city is such a healthy city, that it doesn’t take a long time to wait for a runner to run by your shot 🙂

PS I love how if you peek through the windows on top of this image, you can kinda see what it looks like on the inside. LOL Can you tell I was proud of myself when I captured this? HAHA

My camera settings for this image is F6.3 at 1/200th sec and ISO 1000 with my Sony A7II and 70-200mm.