ANGELA B. PAN

You know what’s funny? As I was shooting this, I noticed I was the only one who was getting up close to the US Capitol building. There were quite a few tourists out there with me. I think a bus pulled up while I was there and so many of them were taking selfies in front of the Capitol. But no one would even get near the fountain. Weird, right? Maybe it was the Capitol police with their guns that looked so intimidating. Or maybe they were just not trying to get into my shot. Either way, I was all alone taking this picture. I’m not complaining though. It was really nice to be the only one. Who knows how many people got pictures of my back side though. HAHA.

On this evening, it looked like it was going to storm but I don’t think it actually did. The clouds were super dark. I couldn’t tell with my eyes if they were moving but once I slapped on the Ice Neutral density filter 10 stop, I could see that they were making this really cool effect. Like they were all racing out of the Capitol dome. I really liked it so I tried different angles and came out with this one. This one came out particularly awesome because you can see some reflection in the water and may I add the symmetry of the building’s architecture is probably the coolest part of the image.

For some reason seeing dark and moody images of the Capitol always reminds me of President Underwood. So now that House of Cards season 5 is officially back on Netflix, I think you know what Andrew and I will be doing on our flight back home from our trip. Oh man, can’t waitttt. This season is really going to be good!

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.

Is it wrong to say that this reminds me of House of Cards? Is it also a mistake to say that Andrew and I have already finished the 4th season? Man, I hope we don’t have to wait another year to find out what happens next to the Underwood campaign.

This morning seemed like a regular morning. I woke up got and got ready to go to the gym. However, I didn’t go to the gym right away, I went to the Capitol to go shoot the sunrise. There were some gorgeous pinks and purples in the sky but I couldn’t find a perspective that I really liked. I’ll probably have to look at the images some other day with fresh eyes. So, I walked around the little reflecting pool and was trying to be a little more attentive to everything around me. That’s when I noticed the moon.

Usually it’s so bright and beautiful but this morning it was covered by the clouds. And thats when I noticed the lions by the Ulysses S Grant statue. It looked like they were staring right at it. Now I know I said a few days ago that I was going to try to be more mindful when I’m shooting, but the whole time I was trying to capture this image, I kept on thinking about President Underwood and what’s been going on in House of Cards. It’s been my latest TV obsession. AHHH what’s going to happen in the Underwood administration and how will they handle the pressures of their higher rankings. And is it me or is Doug extra creepy in this season?