"Photography is an art of observation.

 

It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place; something that others might not have seen.

 

Sometimes what you find is tragic. Sometimes funny. Sometimes beautiful.

 

But is has little to do with things you see and everything to do with the way you see them." ....Unknown

 

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Welcome to my spot on FLICKR, I'm glad you're here!

 

COMMENTS ARE ENCOURAGED AND WELCOMED ON ANY PHOTO, HOWEVER, ANY AND ALL PERSONAL ATTACKS DIRECTED AT ME OR TO OTHERS WHO HAVE POSTED A COMMENT ON ANY PHOTO, WILL RESULT IN YOUR BEING BLOCKED IMMEDIATELY.

  

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Thanks for stopping by to see a bit more about me. I'm just a guy who lives in Washington DC. After 25 years of living in the Dupont Circle neighborhood, life afforded me the opportunity to purchase a home in Edgewood / Brookland (Catholic University) area of NE Washington. With this move I have discovered many new and wonderful areas and will try my best to conve the beauty of my new area here.

 

For the last 25+ years, until I retired from the DC Convention Center I made my living selling the city of Washington DC to national and international conventions as a possible place to hold their meetings and events for one of the largest convention centers in the US. Prior to working in the sales aspect of the convention industry I was an event manager who handled the logistics of hundreds of national conventions and city wide special events in the following cities: Atlanta, Miami Beach and in Washington DC. Some of the more memorable events that I have been associated with include numerous inaugural galas from Jimmy Carter thru Barack Obama, 100th Anniversary of the Coca Cola Corporation, the first visit by Nelson Mandela to the United States after his release from prison, the NBA Jam--part of the NBA All Star Game, Leukemia Ball, World Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention, Human Rights Campaign Gala, AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee), Congressional Black Caucus, NAACP, and too many others to list, but most of them have been very recognizable organizations.

Although I retired from the rat-race of convention management, I am now employed by Lockheed Martin as a Project Manager in Arlington, Virginia.

 

As far as my personal interest they are wide ranging but the top three (3) are: photography, Washington DC history, and biking which I often combine together in one activity. If you go thru some of the photo sets you will see portions of this history interest represented with "notes" attached that give detailed background information. The Information on these photos comes from a wide range of sources, including but not limited to, Wikipedia, Google, the internet, newspapers, personal knowledge, tours, guidebooks, lectures, independent research, and people with direct knowledge on a specific item.

 

One of the goals of adding all the additional information to the photos is to show that Washington DC is so much more than just the National Mall and the major monuments and museums that are so recognizable. I have come to learn that the city is full of hidden "gems" throughout all of its neighborhoods. Hopefully you, the viewer, will enjoy the information relating to the lesser known sites as much as I do in sharing it all with you.

 

Having the good fortune to call Washington home where history abounds on every corner, my interest in history went from merely a passing interest to a full blown all out passion as I began exploring this city deeply some 20+ years ago. I am a voracious reader of all things that deal with Washington DC, from the symbolism that our city represents to the people who call Washington home and everything in between. I have turned this passion into part time work by leading tours of the city as time permits and sometimes I am asked to help educate other tour professionals on various landmarks. I am often asked to share my knowledge to individuals who are meeting in Washington as well as to my co-workers. Should you ever wish to engage me in a lengthy conversation, just ask me about DC's monuments, memorials, neighborhoods, or any of the symbolism that any of those items represent!

 

While I personally won't even begin to consider myself as anything more than a hobbyist when it comes to photography, I have had the priviledge of doing brochure work for local tour companies, as well as, for my workplace and it's related entities to promote tourism in the city of Washington. I've also been priviledged to have several photos published in various travel / history magazines in the US and abroad. Additionally my work is often used on blogs, websites and web based news sites. Recently I have been lucky enough to have several photos published in European hard cover books. The publishers were kind enough to forward copies of the finished products to me, which was a welcome surprise.

 

Outside of the three (3) main hobbies I am an avid baseball and football fan, following both the Nationals and Redskins on a regular basis.

 

I don't know whether or not I should laugh or cry over the next interest, but I am more than a bit of a political junkie. It seems as though it becomes part of your makeup living in the belly of the political beast of the USA.

 

When not behind a camera lens, or on a bicycle, or making use of both items combined you'll most likely find me in the Washingtoniania Division of our central library, thumbing thru the local history books or with my head buried deep in some DC history ladden book preparing for another in-depth article on a given item or subject relating to the city.

  

Camera equipment that I use currently:

 

1) Canon Rebel XTi until / April 2005 thru May 2010

1A) Canon 7D / May 2010-2016

1B) Canon 7D Mark ii

 

2) Canon 70-200mm 1:2.8 IS Lens

 

3) Canon 100-400 1:4.5-5.6 IS Lens

 

4) Canon 75-300 1:4.5-5.6 EF Lens

 

5) Canon 55-250mm 1:4.5-5.6 IS Lens

 

6) Canon 17-85mm IS Lens

 

7) Canon 18-55mm IS Lens

 

8) Canon 15mm Fisheye 1:2.8 Lens

 

9) Canon 2x Extender

 

10) Canon 18-200 IS Lens

 

11) Canon 10-22mm Lens

 

12) Canon 70-300mm Lens

 

13) Tamron 18-400mm Lens

 

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Photos Shows I've participated in:

 

Atlanta Urban Photography "Black and White", Nov. 2007, Atlanta, Georgia

 

DCist "Exposed" Photograpy Show, March 2008, @ Civilian Arts Project Gallery, Washington DC

 

Art-O-Matic (Washington DC) May 29-July 5, 2009

@ 55 M St. SE

 

DCist "Exposed" Photography Show, March 2010, @ Long View Gallery, Washington DC

 

DCist "Exposed", Photography Show March 2013

@ Long View Gallery, Washington DC

 

www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/122770/follow

  

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Photo Contest I've participated in and Photography Milestones along the way...

 

July 08, Runner Up, Washingtonian Magazine's "Summer Interpreted" Photo Contest

 

August 08, Finalist & 2 Runner Ups, Washingtonian Magazine's "Sports" Photo Contest

 

September 08, Runner Up, Washingtonian Magazine's "Transportation" Photo Contest

 

December 08, Runner Up, Washingtonian Magazine's

"Portraits and People" Photo Contest

 

March 09, Finalist, Washingtonian Magazine's "Only in Washington" Photo Contest

 

May 09, Finalist, Washingtonian Magazine's "Geometry / Shapes" Photo Contest

 

February 2010, Runner Up, Washingtonian Magazine's "Stipes" Photo Contest

 

September 2010, Invited to be a Getty Images Contributor

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11.15.08 - Professional Portfolio Review @ Corcoran Gallery School of Art during FotoWeekDC

 

Reviewed by Nancy Walz, Manager of production photography at Discovery Channel headquarters. She oversees a team of photo editors who assign photographers to shoot promotional stills while documentaries are being filmed worldwide. For many years she was an editorial photographer for universities and publications in Connecticut, Seattle and Spain.

 

Comments from reviewer:

 

1) " definately not an amateur, but not at professional level yet...that could come with more experience"

 

2) "a good eye for composition"

 

3) "get different perspectives (above/below etc) for shots"

 

4) "watch contrast and color saturation a bit closer"

 

5) "crop a bit more to keep main subject in clear focus", watch unnecessary background clutter that doesn't enhance the subject of the photo

 

6) "shoot wide open aperture more often to help with detail"\

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11.07.10..Professional Portfolio Review @ Corcoran Gallery School of Art during FotoWeekDC

 

Reviewer: Frank Diperna: Professor Corcoran School of Art and Design / Member of Corcoran faculty since 1974 / Started BFA Program and has headed up the photography department at various times.

 

Comments from the reviewer:

 

1) Without a doubt I had what it took to go professional should I desire to do so.

 

2) He talked about how my photo style is documentary and journalistic and geared for illustrative type purposes in various forms of the media.

 

3) All except two (2) of the photos were perfect for a career as a media photography professional. The two that weren't "media" types lent themselves more to being in the fine art community (which is his specialty). The two for the fine are category were the "underside of the Anacostia River bridge" and "the Pentagon Tunnel".

 

4) He made note of how strong my compositions are and that he clearly could see the linear aspects in my photos.

 

5) He also made note of how each photo stood on its own and completely captured each scene clearly without leaving the viewer to interpret the scene.

 

6) He was interested to hear how much commercial work I had done which is where he sees the most potential for a possible career path.

 

7) He wanted to know if I had ever really marketed myself...when I said, not to any real extent, he seemed to want to talk to me more about how to do that since the photo quality and compositions were excellent.

 

8) He strongly suggested that I become a member of the American Society of Media Photographers (DC Chapter) as an associate. This would allow me gain a foothold in the media area of photography and aid me in making some valuable contacts. He also said they would give the marketing knowledge and other info on the business side to go further.

 

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