Currently viewing the tag: "museum"

Door to the Castle / New Format

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The Door to the Castle

Today’s Photo:  The Door to the Castle

This is the back door to the Smithsonian administration building.  Also commonly known as the Castle.  I had a fun time taking photos in the flower garden just behind the castle.  If you ever have the chance to make it here, make sure you explore the sides of the garden.  There were lots of cool things to find that were not readily apparent from the central area of the garden.  In fact, you can see one from a previous post, Flower Petals for the Lady. …Continue Reading Here…

Star Time Lapse

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Adventures in Astrophotography

I was too excited about this to not post it tonight.  I have tried, unsuccessfully for a couple of weeks to get a good astrophotography time lapse.  It has been frustrating to say the least.  Whatever you do, make sure you check everything and then double check it again.

I wanted to post this to Vimeo, but had trouble with the video jumping when it was in the small player. However, I have added my first successful attempt to YouTube.

Today’s Photo:  The Saturn V

In honor of posting the star time lapse, I decided to post a photo of one of the rockets that took many of our finest one step closer to the stars.  The mighty Saturn V rocket is such a beautiful sight standing at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.  This place is even cool enough to have two of them.  One is standing in front of the center while the other is inside a huge room in the Davidson Center for Space Exploration.  The rocket outside is held off the ground by supports so that you can walk underneath it and see the five massive rocket engines of the first stage.  All I can say is, I can’t wait for the United States to have an active space fleet again.

I also got to go to the Udvar-Hazy building of the Air and Space Museum at Dulles Airport in Washington D.C. and see the shuttle Enterprise.  And while you check it out, don’t miss last Wednesday’s Daily Photo.

The Saturn V

The Quick Plane

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I took the family to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center on Saturday.  It was a great adventure but very tiresome for a day trip.  It was a dream of mine when I was smaller to go to Space Camp there, but that never came to fruition.  I was glad to finally make it to the center.  When you pull into the parking lot, you are greeted with the massive view of a Saturn V rocket sitting in front of the building.  The length of the shadow which it throws at 9 A.M.  is just amazing.  There was a lot to see there, but not as much as I would have liked.

Today’s Photo:  The Quick Plane

When you enter the front of the Davidson Center for Space Exploration, you are greeted by the Quick Plane.  This plane was made by William Quick and it is hard to believe this plane was the competition to the Wright Brothers.  To me, it looks so much more advanced.

The Quick Plane

The Fairy Orchid

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Today’s Photo: The Fairy Orchid

During my high speed visit of the rapidly closing museums in Washington D.C., I came across the Orchid collection in the Museum of Natural History.  It amazes me at how difficult it is to grow these flowers.  And then to encourage them to grow in the variety that is seen at the show is amazing.  This particular one caught my eye.  I can’t explain why it stood out against the other amazing flowers, but it did.  My first impression of this was of a hawk or some type of bird of prey with it’s beak open.  However, once my wife saw it, she pointed out that it looked kinda like a fairy.  (Don’t tell her, bu I think she may have been watching too much Barbie and the Fairy Secret.  I’m just sayin’.)  And then I began looking at it again.  And I could see the fairy.  (Good grief, now I KNOW I have been watching too much.)

While you are checking out this flower, why don’t you look at The Flower (I know; original name.)  And then visit last Friday’s Daily Photo.

The Fairy

The Old Plane

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Yesterday I posted a primer for the Fireworks Tutorial I am working on.  Thanks to everyone who took a look at it.  This is the link to lots more I took at the same fireworks show at Lake Allatoona.  Check out this photo by Martin Soler of some fireworks at the Eiffel Tower in France and other great photography.  My dream is to travel and get to see these great sites myself.  Anyone want to become my benefactor?  “Have camera, willing to travel”.

I was going through my archive and found some good fall photos.  I can’t wait fr it to get cold again.  Check back tomorrow for a “wishing it was really cold right now” photo.

Today’s Photo:  The Old Plane

It amazes me that anyone would think of making a man made flying machine.  Let alone actually be successful as the Wright Brothers.  And then, after flying the first airplane, for it to take off like it did.  (pun intended)  I have to say that I am extremely happy that all the inventors that devoted their time to making airplanes, did make them.  Because I absolutely love to fly.  Mostly in small single engine airplanes.  This airplane now sits in the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum building.  All the planes there are perfectly restored.  Too bad they wont let guest take them for a quick spin.  I mean the museum is attached to Dulles Airport.  Also check out a photo of the X-15, one of Tim Stanley’s photos from the Air and Space Museum on the mall.  I wish I could have made it there, but maybe next time.

Old Plane

The Smithsonian

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As a blogger, I depend on reliable Internet. However, where I live there is only one provider. I have been thinking of satellite Internet, but am worried at the traffic limits. Does anyone have any experience with satellite Internet? Any recommendations?

Today’s Photo: The Smithsonian

This is the front of the Smithsonian administration building. I loved the flowers all around the grounds of the museums on the National Mall. I was rather disappointed when I learned that the flowers are constantly being replaced. Well, not really, I don’t know of any way they could get flowers constantly all year long. Not to mention, it would be impossible to make all the cool designs last longer than a few weeks.

The Castle

The Blue Room

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What is your favorite place to take photos?  I am still up in the air. I always seem o go for the big landscapes or vast distance photos.  However, I have begun working on some close-ups.  Does anyone have suggestion on a photographic style they would like to see me attempt?  I could then write a post outlining my trials and tribulations.  Click the “leave comments” link at the top of this post.

Today’s Photo:  The Blue Room

This is one of the exhibit halls in the Museum of Asian History in Washington D.C.  I just loved the blue along the ceiling.  I don’t know if this is a skylight or just a back lit light.  But, however it is done, it is cool.  The only things lit well were the actual exhibits, the galleries themselves were very dim.  This was handheld, 3 exposures.  To get the shutter speed where I could hold it, I had to crank up the ISO.

The Blue Room

The Fast Plane

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For those of you who are new to the blog, I offer the vast majority of my photos under a creative commons license.  For details, click on the Creative Commons License link on the right.  Also, when you click on the individual photos in each post, it is a link to that photo in my Flickr photostream.  From there, you can get to an original size photo.  Unfortunately my one problem so far with Flickr is that individual photos are limited to 20MB.  So, most of my photos are in the 60 – 80MB range, this means there is some reduction in quality; something no one viewing these photos on a computer will ever notice.  Long explanation to tell you to click on the photos for your new desktop.  Along those same thoughts, at the bottom of each page, you can click on previous entries to work your way backward through my blog posts and see the photo of the day from previous posts.

Today’s Photo:  The Fast Plane

Today’s photo is another one captured from inside the Air and Space Museum at the Dulles Airport (The Udvar Hazy building).  I am so focused on taking photos when I make a dedicated trip that I tend to miss absorbing what I am actually looking at.  In that process, I also missed the names of most of the airplanes on this trip.  Or then, maybe I was still in awe ate getting to see the Enterprise, the Blackbird and the Enola Gay.  Next time, I make the promise to make a concerted effort to take a pad of paper and write down the description of what I am looking at, but until I am successful, I leave it up to you to help me along.

Fast

Huh?

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I have not had the time to slow down and think for myself today.  Let alone think of something fabulous to write.  I don’t know why sometimes, I can’t stop the words and other times, the words wont stop.  Is it like that for anyone else?

Today’s Photo:  Huh?

This was another photo from my sunken gallery expedition.  There were many statues and works of art here that I understood and appreciated, but then there were some that just had me scratching my head and thinking “Huh? What were they thinking.”  But then, I began taking photos of those odd things and started thinking “Then, What am I thinking for taking photos of these.”  The funny thing is, the thoughts still did not stop me from taking the photos.  This piece is actually tucked away in a quiet out of the way place in the gallery.  Like it was hiding there just for me to find.  I think it had something to do with a rabbit, but I don’t remember.

Huh?

The Asian Art Hall

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I read a post on Photofocus the other day about becoming a better photographer.  In it, Scott Bourne talks about using writing to become a better photographer by making the photographer focus on telling a story.  That made me think and go back to some of my work from when I first started writing this blog.  What I discovered opened my eyes.  Maybe writing really does work to improve photography.

Today’s Photo:  The Asian Art Hall

Today’s photo comes from the Asian History Museum in Washington D.C.  It amazes me how the architecture is as much a part of the museums as the pieces on display.  I was walking around this museum when I rounded the corner and saw these windows lined up and leading to a large metal bared door on the other end of the hallway.  (I later learned that is where some of the more valuable pieces are as well as the stairway leading to the administrative offices in this building)  I just thought the symmetry was perfect in the architecture.

The Asian Art Hall

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