Jennifer Sergent

Freelance design writer + blogger | Marketing copywriter

DC, Through a Photographer’s Eye

For a long time, under the #mydccool hashtag on Instagram, I’ve been cataloging several photographers who are shooting the most breathtaking scenes in the DMV region. They’re prolific in posting images of both monuments we all know, and other corners of our city and region that light up through their lenses.

I reached out to many of them, and they were gracious enough to share with me their personal top three, along with a brief explanation about why each image is so special to them. Here starts a series on DMV photographers and the places they memorialize with their cameras.

Keep in mind, these people don’t necessary do this for a living. Adam Brockett has a PhD in neuroscience and psychology, and works as a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Maryland. Eugene Soh is a cardiologist. Birch Thomas IS a professional photographer, and in her spare time she’s been shooting a documentary on the creative process of artists. Pretty cool stuff all around.

I hope you’ll follow them—each of their IG handles are linked through their name:

Adam Brockett

 

Red

Winter is my favorite time to shoot the monuments. Although I don’t love the cold, I love being able to wander the monuments alone. In this picture I was struck by the shape of the puddle, and how it reflected the intense red sky. This is an angle from which you don’t always see the Washington Monument, and together with the sky and its reflection, it’s become one of my favorite compositions.

 

Holidaze

Union Station is one of my favorite places to shoot—it can be lively during the day, and pretty subdued at night, and, on top of that, it has beautiful architecture. This was taken at night, the day after Christmas. The combination of the different expressions on everyone’s faces mixed with the symmetry of the post-holiday backdrop is what makes this photo so interesting to me.

 

First Light

Annapolis is one of my favorite towns. I like being by the water, the historic architecture and just how different it feels from the DC area. What I liked most about this picture was just the juxtaposition of the people on the water in kayaks next to the larger boats. I feel like depending on how you look at the image it tells a story about size and extravagance, about summer mornings, and about a couple. I don’t know which story I like more, but this is my favorite image to date.

 

Eugene Soh

Bennett

Almost every morning that I go out to take photos, Bennett comes along with me. He’s usually quite patient unless there are squirrels in the area. This morning, I was able to have him sit still just long enough on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial so that I could compose this shot. His ears perked up because there was some activity in the bushes. About a second after taking this photo, he bolted after the offending squirrels.

 

Jefferson Sunrise

This photo from a sunrise in January 2019 is a perfect example of being in the right place at the right time. I’ve taken a similar shot many times, looking directly south across the Tidal Basin at the Jefferson Memorial, carefully centering the statue of Jefferson between the columns. But sunrises at this angle are usually pretty underwhelming as most of the color is usually to the left of this photo. However, on this morning, there were these beautiful clouds to the south, and the light hit them just right for a few moments. The wind was making the water ripple a few minutes before this shot, but it just happened to stop blowing just in time to get this lovely reflection.

 

Four Minutes

Most of the photos I post are long exposures as I love the effect this has on lights and clouds. This was a four minute exposure at sunrise. The sun literally rose during this exposure, hence the splash of color in the left part of the sky. The wind happened to be blowing such that the clouds were moving in this radial pattern, as if they were coming from the Capitol.

 

Birch Thomas

 

Rain or Shine

 

Push and Pull

Capturing sunrise while most of the city is still asleep is one of my favorite feelings to experience. On this particular morning I was greeted by the sun and a group of rowers at the same time. The timing of this moment is my favorite aspect of this photograph.

 

Abe’s Top Hat

I had the once in a lifetime opportunity to take pictures from the roof of the Lincoln Memorial, a perspective on our city that I had never seen before. As a native Washingtonian this was a night I will never forget. 

Honor the Moment

Some photos serve as a reminder that you’re in the right place at the right time on your journey. They create a feeling that you’re right where you’re supposed to be. This is one of those photographs. I arrived at the Capitol for sunset and within a few minutes a string of police officers rolled up on motorcycles and lined up perfectly for a few seconds.

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Comments

  2. Tracy Mitchell Griggs says

    Always interesting to see fresh perspective on tried-and-true iconic DC subject matter. Lovely all, but love the mood “Red” the best. But as a dog lover, really liked the faithful companion shot too.