ANGELA B. PAN

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.

Taken on the same day we took the tour around the Reach, we ended the excursion on the Kennedy Center Roof Terrace. I am in love with this roof terrace. The lines are amazing and I love how you can get such a great view of the Potomac River and Watergate Complex Apartments. Everything about this place is a photographer’s dream.

So pictured in this image is Morgan. I met her during the tour and she wore the most perfect outfit to be photographed in. I’m in love with the color and how flowy it is. I think my friend, Jarrett had the same idea because he was the one who asked her to pose for a few images. I think his specific instructions were to “jump, but don’t act like you’re jumping” LOL. Worked for me.

In order to capture this image, I got down real low to take it. I wanted to make her jump look higher than it really was- like she is levitating in the air. And then I placed the top of the rooftop so that it made for a direct line to her face. Just everything about it, the colors, the line and simplicity of this image makes me want to practice portraiture even more!

So if you don’t have any plans this weekend, I’d highly recommend checking out the Reach at the Kennedy Center. It’s very, very cool and opens tomorrow 🙂

My camera settings for this image is F4 at 1/4000th sec and ISO 250 with my Sony A7II and 70-200mm zoom.

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.