ANGELA B. PAN

Almost two weeks ago, I attend my first Creative Morning. If you don’t know about it, I highly suggest signing up for their newsletter to get more information. But it’s basically a monthly networking and speaking event for any type of creative. It was a great time.

The DC chapter seems to have them in a variety of different locations. The one that I went to happened at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. So after the event was done, I took a little bit of time to go around the museum with a few friends. It’s crazy to say but I haven’t been since the media preview from before it opened to the public. I’m glad to have revisited it.

This image is of my friend, Dave. We asked him to go to the middle of the staircase to pose, but once he got to the middle he was trying to communicate with us that the wall actually goes up taller and we wouldn’t be able to see him. It was a funny moment to see him try to explain why he couldn’t go any further when all of us were on the floor pointing to the right from him to go further.

My camera settings for this image are F5.6 at 1/125th sec and ISO 1000 with my Sony A7II and 16-35mm wide-angle lens.

One last thing about the fireworks last night. The rain sucked. It had been raining on and off all afternoon and it almost made it not worth it. Jim and I were ready and waiting at NMAAHC by 7p when the fireworks didn’t start til 9:09p. It was obvious others felt the same way because there were not nearly as many people on the Mall as there usually is. I’d guess at least half of what it was last year. So we were standing in the rain for over an hour before it stopped. It turned out ok because it left a nice reflective glow on the sidewalks but the automatic sprinklers that turned 9:00p was an unexpected surprise. But with the low hanging clouds, it was difficult to see the really big, tall fireworks from where we were standing. We could hear the sounds and see the colors in the sky but just couldn’t see them. At least they added this special glow to the sky.

So unbelievably thrilled the fireworks show still went on last night. I had the amazing opportunity to go behind the fence and shoot at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. It’s not even opened! My friend Jim, who’s the photographer at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History got access and invited me to go along with him.

What’s crazy is that this shot may never come again. This year we were allowed to go behind the fence but next year it will be open to the public. That means there would be people all crowded around in this shot. Its still so cool to think that this could be the only one like this!! *mind blown*

I’ll be posting more similar to these, so be on the look out 🙂 Thanks again, Jim. You rock!