Beauty in Simplicity

While the previous post on the Library of Congress's Jefferson Building showcased beauty found in complexity, this image demonstrates beauty in simplicity.  This was and is intended to be a quick snapshot to show a few of my friends one among many tunnels connecting the various buildings on Capitol Hill, but a few of them pointed out how much they liked it.  I took a closer look, and I have to agree.

Taken with an iPhone 8s Plus this demonstrates that beauty can be found everywhere if you just pay attention.

Library of Congress, Jefferson Building

As best as I can, I try to make lighting adjustments to my photos that match what my mind's eye saw, not necessarily what the light sensors on the camera detected.  So I do make adjustments.  And when I make those adjustments, what was already there usually becomes much more evident.  In this case, there are several layers of depth that are visible simply by tracking the colors.  What is really cool in this image - something I didn't plan, but certainly did notice later - is that the pillars in the foreground seem to be serving as the foundation of the picture, and holding it up at the same time.  Framing!

Shot with an iPhone 8s Plus, I love this image for its complexity and beauty.  Also, this is the first photo I've posted on this blog where I did some proper photoshop work to get some (several) tourists out of the shot (there's the disclaimer for any real photographers out there who might stumble across this and see evidence of image manipulation...which you can see if you look really closely).

Jefferson

Going to the Jefferson Memorial to get a good image for me is a bit like going to the refrigerator repeatedly throughout the day hoping each time I'll find something enticing that I didn't notice the time before.  The troubles I have is when I'm at the monument, I'm sorta on an island occupied almost entirely by the deceptively large monument.  And if I want to shoot from across the Tidal Basin, I need a much better telephoto lens than what I've got.  But some weeks ago I took a portrait of a friend of mine at the monument and it really turned out well, so I know something up close can turn out well.

I shot this with my iPhone 8s Plus, then fiddled a bit with the basic color adjustments available on the phone's native software.  While a few people have wondered if the pillars were lit up with green lights, it was just the minor adjustments I made that brought out the four layers of coloring that I love so much about this image.  I also took the exact same image with my Canon SLR, and played with the colors on it as well; and was completely unsuccessful in coming up with anything as dynamic, yet "real" looking, as this one.

Looking Up

The National Portrait Gallery is one of the underrated museums in the Smithsonian Institution, and is most likely skipped because it's not on the Mall.  I've noted this before but in this town it is important to pause amidst all of the iconic buildings, monuments, display pieces, and artwork and look around at the items that do not have interpretive signs.  This gem is only noticeable if you look up in a certain wing of the Portrait Gallery.  You'll rarely be disappointed looking up in this building.

Taken with an iPhone 8s Plus, this image now adorns my phone's background.