Vacation! Air & Space Museum Annex

So I'm posting my vacation photos out of order. This was the day after Christmas at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center which houses the Air & Space Museum's annex. They have the SR-71 Blackbird (world's fastest plane), the Enola Gay (dropped the atomic bomb) as well as the Space Shuttle Enterprise and lots of other airplanes.



The B-29 Enola Gay which dropped the first atomic bomb over Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945.



These are the arming plus for the first atomic bomb. You removed the green ones - which kept it unarmed - and inserted the red ones in flight. According to the tour guide, they were found in the plane during its refurbishment.



The Space Shuttle Enterprise. (I saw it at Dulles once before out in a field, years before this museum was built)

It was a static, atmosphere only test vehicle and never flew into space. But its still cool.



Just was trying for the layered overall shot with a lot of airplanes. In there is an AIr France Concorde, which used to fly in and out of Dulles all the time.



As we were leaving, this KLM 777 was landing on 1R at Washington Dulles.

Vacation! DC and the Newseum

A Boeing 737 heads towards Reagan National Airport with the Smithsonian Castle in the foreground.

So i took some time off and headed off to the arctic, known as Northern Virginia and did some touristy stuff. I try to keep my tourist photos looking like they're not tourist photos.

Anyways, 2 days after Christmas, I visited the Newseum. As a working journalist, i was offered a 10% (2 dollar) discount but i forgot my ID back in my bag at home. Alas i tried to make good photos.



The remains of the antenna from the top of WTC 1.



The entire southern face of the building is glass and with the low sun in the afternoon, it made a neat silhouette.



A group of Segways appeared to drag race outside of the Canadian Embassy.



I just liked the light coming through the windows.



Thats where our laws come from. Pretty building.



Me and my silhouettes. Waiting for an orange line train home.

Saw something else interesting on the METRO platform but in light of what the Dept. of Homeland Security did to Fish this week, no way in hell I'm posting a picture of it.



A couple traveling on the Metro.

The Hellfire Cabaret

Saturday night i took in a show at Canopy Studios called "The Hellfire Cabaret" which was a mix of modern dance, live music and aerial dance. Think cirque-light but very, very impressive. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Now i've photographed in Canopy countless times and this is the first time i've ever worked with an audience there. Completely different experience. Generally its just me and the dancers and i have freedom to move around. Instead i just stayed in the back and tried to stay out of everyone's way and make good photos.

For the most part, it was easy to shoot. (6400 ISO around 250th f/2) A dim as the stage lights were, they were nice and solid. Basically i just looked for the pretty light and tried to wait for the dancers to get into it. Most of the leaps, jumps, etc, were not in the aformentioned pretty light. I love the reflection off the stage floor but I think a more reflective surface would be more fun.



Victoria Faust.



Melissa Roberts, director of Canopy Studios, performs aerial dance on a steel chain. Ridiculously impressive.




This part reminded me of the YipYip monsters from Sesame Street. Beyond that, I have no idea what to say about that.











Ed. Note: Somehow the color profile was stripped out of the photos so the color doesnt look anywhere the way it should.

Thieves Market!

Last Wednesday my friends in Thieves Market had a show... and naturally i was there.

Its interesting photographing/documenting a band here at the beginning, even if its my friends. The show was good, the music was the best it has sounded yet. The thing with these small venues is that the light is awful. We're talking 6400 ISO 1/30-60th at 2.8 and the lights are generally not even, causing people's faces to be blown out.

In photographing them, i have to consciously remind myself that there are 4 people on the stage and they're all very into it and makes for good pictures. If only every band gave me good photos like this.







The setlist and whiskey. I find that alcohol and photos is generally a bad combination.









The quick aftershow meeting.



I just liked this photo. Its the bassist from one of the opening acts.

Foggy, Foggy Day

Earlier this week, Athens was covered with some serious fog. So i tried to make some features.

I tried a quick panoramic but you can tell where the lens vignettes.



I tried for a long while to try and silhouette people against the headlights in the fog. It sorta works.



And then it looked like Ireland.



More people crossing the street in the low light.



... and in the middle of all this, I find an alligator with a leaf on its snout in the local zoo.

In the Locker Room

Last Friday, Clarke Central High School played Sandy Creek for the GHSA Class AAAA State Championship at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Dec. 11, 2009.

Coach Leroy Ryals allowed me the opportunity to be in the locker room pregame as to document the rare look behind the scenes.

Chow, Y'All.....

So some friends of mine that work at a local coffee shop Espresso Royale Cafe played a battle of the bands the other night under the name "Chow, Y'All" at the 40 Watt. So i had a lot of fun supporting and photographing the show.

4 bands played from local businesses - The Globe (good), Transmet (Nirvana covers), ERC and a lame tribute band.

I had fun, tried to make good photos. It went to a good cause.