ANGELA B. PAN

WOW December 1st already! The last month of the year and then it’s 2018! CRAZINESS! I expect to capture more scenes like this in the next few weeks. From what I’ve been hearing we’re supposed to be getting an extra snowy winter. And if you ask me if it’s going to be cold, it might as well as be snowing or else what’s the point? Am I right?

My favorite is the untouched snow. But in order to do that, you gotta get up extra early to make sure you’re the first one there. Either that or photoshop. HAHA. But people ask me all the time about driving into the city when it snows. The answer is, I don’t. My little coupe can’t handle icey, slippery roads at all. I’m sliding all over the place and it’s just not worth it. Luckily I live within walking distance to the metro, so usually if you see snow pictures from me, it’s because I took the metro in. Probably the only time of the year where I’ll really use the metro. Otherwise, I much rather drive myself.

This was taken as I was walking down from the Foggy Bottom metro stop. It’s the closest one to Lincoln but I just love this side profile of the memorial. And my favorite part of the image is the hint of green you see on the trees. Otherwise it would be a totally unintended black and white image.

My camera settings for this image is F5.6 at 1/60th of a second and ISO 100 with my Sony A7II and 16-35mm wide angle lens.

Happy December everyone! Let me know in the comments if you have anything fun plan for the holidays. Otherwise, don’t forget to check out this month’s free calendar downloads! Click here to check them out.

This was taken the same morning as this image just about 30 minutes earlier. It’s a weird perspective in two different ways. 1 because this image is facing west. For some reason, this sunrise had all the color in the opposite direction and hardly anything facing east. You could imagine my surprise when I actually saw it. It was totally unexpected but very much welcomed. 2 because I knew I wanted to try to get the reflection of the colors in from the reflecting pool but there would have been no way I would have been able to get to the other side of the reflecting pool without the colors fading. So I decided that the edge of the reflecting pool was good enough. Personally, I don’t like it when I see other photographers stick their tripods in the reflecting pool to take pictures. I don’t know why but I just find it disrespectful. So this was a handheld shot to make it look like my tripod was in the water. LOL. Don’t worry, no tripods went swimming to capture this image! It stayed safely in the middle of the sidewalk so that no one could push it in. And by no one, I mean me.

But overall I love the way it turned out, especially the side of the steps where it sort of looks like a semi-circle in the reflection. Such an interesting pattern but one I’ve never noticed before and don’t know if I really would have if it weren’t for this angle.

Lesson learned here. Always look behind you when taking pictures. You could be missing out on some fantastic color and would have never known it!

The camera settings for this image is F/8 at 1/60th of a second and ISO 200 with my Sony A7II and 16-35mm wide angle lens.

I’m not sure what has gotten into me lately, but I’ve been waking up so early. Like way before my alarm goes off to wake me up for sunrise, even early enough where I could scramble myself some eggs for breakfest and still be on time to watch the sun. Oh man. That’s early! It’s like I’m jet lagged…

But what else is there to do at 5 o’clock in the morning but go out and take pics, right?

Luckily we’ve been having some awesome sunrises around the Washington DC area. This particular morning wasn’t as colorful as I usually hope for but it was so moody. I’ll take it!

It rained over night and the steps to the United States Capitol was so reflective. You know me, I love a good puddle when I see one. So I was playing around with different angles and perspectives when I finally came across this one. Holy cow, I love how the trees look as big as the Capitol Building. One of my favorite things to do is to get down low and make whatever is in the foreground look bigger than what’s in the background. Its sort of a eye-mind trick thing but I think it looks super cool. And for some reason my eye keeps going down to the reflection and staring at the Statue of Freedom lookin’ like a squiggly line. It’s so interesting how that came out.

Don’t get me wrong though, I am not complaining about waking up early. I’m complaining about being super sleepy by 8pm every night. #grandmastatus So expect to see way more sunrise images from me soon 🙂 I’ve got a few lined up.

My camera settings for this image is F22 at 0.6 seconds and ISO 400 with my Sony A7II and 16-35mm wide angle lens.

Last but definietly not least, I’m grateful for all of you. You all have made it possible for me to do what I love every single day. There isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not grateful for it. And it blows my mind that you actually take the time out to read my blog and view my pictures everyday. I’m just a girl with a camera. Seriously, THANK YOU!

I took this image in 2012. I remember it very clearly because it was one of the first times I had ever done a long exposure like this. I remember coming home and being so proud that it actually worked. How have times changed. Now I’m taking long exposures every other day. HAHA

My camera settings for this image is F11 at 1/6 seconds and ISO 100 with my Canon 5D Mark II and 24-105mm lens.

Above is an image of a recent project that I had been working on for a private home. The final result is a 44×86″ double framed print. The white frame is meant to look like a regular mat and it will prevent any curling or anything in the future since the print is so large. So cool, right? Unfortunately, like many other projects that I work on, I did not get to see the final product in person. But I did get to see the print before it got framed and it looked excellent. It got installed last weekend and I’m grateful for the family who purchased this to send me a picture.

So out of appreciation of you all, I’d like to offer a discount code for black friday on all my prints. Click the link here and use the discount code: “HappyHolidays” at checkout.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for all your kind comments, support and love. They mean the world to me.

Day three of gratitude and I could not be more grateful for the DC photo community. When I first started out in photography, I thought I was the only one. I honestly thought that I was the only one from this area who enjoyed walking around and taking pictures. Obviously I had seen other photographs of DC before, but I had no idea who these people were or how to connect with them. So I spent the first 3 or 4 years all by myself.

After a while, I think I just got bored…

so I signed up for Instagram. My eyes seriously exploded. This is where all the people were hiding! I had no idea there was such a large community of local photographers and all their images were amazing! I decided to go on my first photo walk with IGDC and soon after that, Walk with Locals. It’s hard to describe the energy around these walks but I have nothing but positive things to say about them. And it’s so great because even if you don’t know anybody on the walk, you know you at least have one thing in common, a passion for photography. It’s so fun to spend a few hours with like-minded people creating. Ugh, I love it.

Now I love going out to take pictures with people, I’m no longer bored, and somehow I see things in a different perspective each time I go out. It has opened my world to new people and new places and I’m so grateful to the DC photo community for helping me do this.

This image is of my friend, Laurie one morning at the National Gallery of Art. She’s just one of the awesome people I’ve met through Instagram and thrilled every time we get to hang out.

The settings for this image is F/8 at 1/800th of a second and ISO 160 with my Sony A7II and 16-35mm wide angle lens.

Flashback Friday to spring time in Washington DC. It is my favorite time to be in the city. The whole place just sparkles.

But to be honest, I’m not sure which one I like better, the Chinese saucer magnolias or the Japanese cherry blossoms. Both are beautiful in their own way and pop up everywhere around the city. The magnolias are just bigger and easier to see. They also fall like leaves when they’re ready and it makes for the most beautiful dusting of pink. But then there are the cherry blossoms… I’m gonna have to say that flowers in general make me so happy.

Now keeping them alive when they’re in my home… that’s a different story.

I captured this scene while exploring the Enid A Haupt Garden behind the Smithsonian Castle on the National Mall. I was walking out of the Moongate Garden and felt such an overwhelming amount of flowers and branches surrounding me. I knew I had to capture it with that early morning light. At first I was trying this composition out with no one in it. It was cool, but it needed to be better. Then a bus most have let people off or a metro just arrived because all of the sudden there were quite a few people walking past. Luckily, I had my camera ready and waiting for the perfect person to enter my frame. I really enjoy the way that this turned out. I showed it to my dad once and he said it looks like it was taken in Japan rather than Washington DC. I thought that was pretty cool for him to say that.

My camera settings for this image is F7.1 at 1/1000 of a second at ISO 200 with my Sony A7II and 16-35mm wide angle lens shot handheld.