While in South Africa last summer, I was enlightened at the Apartheid Museum, especially when I considered the parallels to life here in the US. Even more exciting was the fact that South Africa came out of apartheid and still continues to keep dialogue going about race relations and how to make things better. We also ventured to President Nelson Mandela’s house in Soweto. While in South Africa, you cannot help but notice the beauty all around you.
I attended my first photo walk this past weekend in College Park, MD. It was a joy to see how several photographers came together and walked the same route but came up with different perspectives. I did enjoy myself in spite of the extremely cold weather (I am just not cut out for this stuff). However, when I was said and done, I realized that while I do love capturing nature and landscapes, I prefer focusing in on people! Regardless, here are some of my favorite shots from this Photo Walk.
I had the opportunity last month to revisit the National Cathedral for a portrait session of a young lady celebrating a milestone birthday. This was the first time I’d been back since the earthquake last year, and I actually forgot that they had sustained some damage during that quake. I was astonished at how much damage there was at the cathedral with all of the scaffolding that I was trying to dodge with my lens. As the young lady had make-up applied, I took the opportunity to look around the interiors of the cathedral… WOW!!!!! I was speechless! Just like when I visited the Holocaust Memorial, I was thinking about all of the money that was needed to make this Cathedral a reality. There were so many details and such high beautiful ceilings.
I have included some photos of the inside of the cathedral as well as some of my favorites from this portrait session. She was definitely a trooper because while we were out there, it started to rain, and she was out there braving the elements! All in all, I love the end product, and I was so excited that I was able to get some structural shots without the scaffolding and other signs of construction and repair!
By the way, if you see something you like, don’t hesitate to leave a comment!
Last week, I spent Memorial Day with my brother and cousin in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. While there, we saw some of the famous landmarks like the Love Park, the Liberty Bell, Constitution Hall, and Reading Terminal. That Monday was a bona fide hot day – if you know me, you know it takes a lot for me to call a day hot. Anyway, it was so hot that we ended with ice cream, and I agreed to use the A/C in my car (again, if you know me, you’ll know I am a little cheap, and air conditioning is a last resort for me). See images from our Philly expedition below!
A few weeks ago, my brother and I went to a DC Catholic Cathedral to shoot around. I was partially interested in the venture because I wanted to see what he could do with the camera, so that I could possibly hire him on to be a second shooter for me at weddings and events and portrait sessions. Well, it was clear to me, that we definitely have different photographic interests: I prefer people, he prefers scenes! Nonetheless, we were able to capture some nice images with and without people. Here are some of the images from this session. The images of me are compliments of my brother, Darren Payne (thanks bro)!
The other day, I went with my little sister (through Big Brothers Big Sisters) to the Cherry Blossom Festival in our nation’s capital. This event is one of those mainstays in DC that folks look forward to attending every year. We chose a decent day to go, though I was surprised by how cold it was that Saturday. Thankfully, I’ve been delivered from worrying about what people think about how I look, so I walked down the pathways with my head completely wrapped in my scarf (and stayed warm). I think the subsequent weekends were filled with rain, so again, we really did pick a great weekend to go and see the blossoms. And I guess you can say it was my first time really attending the festival, although a couple of years ago, my mom and I went at the end of the celebration and saw the remnants of the blossoms on a few trees. All in all, it was a beautiful sight to see pink and white cherry blossoms hanging on trees and being carried by wind.
My PSA: If you ever in town for the festival, I suggest you come and see it! But don’t be like me and forget your hat, earmuffs and gloves! It’s still cold in April in DC!
See select photographs from this trip below, and if you see something you like, don’t hesitate to leave me a comment!
If you went to Oglethorpe University, you will recognize this project title from the Junior Year Core Classes. For whatever reason back then, I did not have an appreciation for the historical perspectives that were shared with the exception of one of the books we read (I did like the other Core classes though). At the time, we read ancient texts, like Aeschylus’ Oresteia, which wasn’t entirely bad, it just wasn’t something that I was going to pick up on my own. Perhaps that is one of the goals of higher education – to expose people to other perspectives, other literature, and other cultures.
Well being in the Nation’s Capital, I am constantly reminded of our early beginnings as a country. This happens when I’m downtown and I see the Washington Monument standing high and proud in the sky or when a newly formed political party decides to have a “Restoring Honor” rally at a historic site… Regardless, I have made several trips to really see the DC area landmarks during the past year, and its exciting because almost everywhere you go, you will be a part of the masses from US citizens to people from Asian countries to the citizens African, European, and other Eastern nations. You will hear different languages spoken. You will see an abundance of cameras (I think you’ll see more Nikons than Canons, and I am not biased). You will attempt to catch a clear view of one of the monuments, and then people will walk right in front of you and your camera, so much so that you will then decide to make the people the subjects of your images, and just let the monuments be the backdrops. Perhaps that was just my approach, but I think I have painted you a vivid enough picture. Now allow me to show you what my Nikon and I captured in Downtown DC!
Images below are from the Lincoln Memorial, the Reflection Pool, the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, the National Mall, the Potomac River, the World War II Memorial, and all of the places in between!
