Street Photography, the Art of Seeing and the National Monuments at Twilight

As the sun goes down and the temperatures drop, the vibe at DC’s national monuments simply changes. It is the time of the day when the setting sun paints the monuments in hues of gold. It is also when those hard-core tourists still left in the area, simply hang around on the steps of the Lincoln and relax while watching as the sun goes down.

It is also the time when the DC denizens, the hard-working local folks, come out for their daily workouts. Either as part of a group or individually, they go up and down the steps behind the Lincoln Memorial, or run laps around the monuments. Moreover, it is the time preferred by locals who have relatives and friends who want to visit the monuments.
The locals know the times when there are no crowds, the light is just right, the hassle of parking is no more, and the temperature is just more pleasant. The whole ambience is more relaxed.

When the sun has completely set behind the horizon, a small army of Segway and scooter-riding groups paint the area with the streaking beams of their headlights as they cruise around, discovering the illuminated monuments.

Come along with two-time Pulitzer Prizewinner photographer Essdras M. Suarez, one of our most popular instructors, and learn how to best photograph these denizens of twilight as they discover many of the monuments in the nation’s capital.

On this safari:

• You’ll learn how to best photograph people interacting with each other and with their environment. Essdras will teach you how to see the world anew through new angles and new perspectives while maximizing whatever type of photographic device you have with you.
• You’ll learn to predict, through observation, the best places to position yourself to photograph people against such majestic backgrounds.
• You’ll learn to recognize patterns within the chaos and the mundane of everyday life.
• You’ll learn to quickly recognize and anticipate the decisive moment at which to push the shutter.
• You’ll learn to pay attention to light and how it affects your photo subjects.
• You’ll learn to observe and analyze human behavior and interaction.
• You’ll learn to recognize groupings in design, and in our general surroundings.
• You’ll learn to visually interpret what you see through your photographic device in new and interesting ways by changing your angles and perspective; thus shifting your visual paradigm.
• You’ll learn to quickly apply principles of composition, leading lines, the rule of thirds, the concept of “layering,” and to recognize points of entry within your composition.

Finally, you’ll learn to use techniques such as “shooting for the highlights,” and “wrap-around composition” and others in order to create more sophisticated images. You’ll also learn what equipment is best suited to this type of street photography when you travel, and how to use that equipment in a way that does not invade the personal space or privacy of your subjects.

Safari Details
Requirements to attend this street photography workshop:
You need to have a basic knowledge of photography, so you must come with an understanding of such concepts as F-stop, shutter speed, WB, etc.

If you are not familiar with these basic principles of photography, we recommend you take on of our other Washington Photo Safari programs such as: “Monuments and Memorials “ or the “F Stops and Shutter Speeds” safaris, which will help you understand some of the basics of photography and the use of your camera.

You need to be familiar with your own photographic device. i.e. knowing how to quickly change the white balance, shutter speed, F stop, and ISO settings, continuous rapid shooting, and how to work on aperture or shutter priority (Tip: be sure to read the camera’s manual, if you have not already done so!)
We recommend you bring your DSLR or mirrorless camera body, a wide angle lens for great depth of field, and a telephoto lens of at least 200mm. All in-one-zoom lenses like an 18-270 or a 16-300 are very good for this type of work to avoid rapid lens changing.

Remember, this is a workshop to deepen your understanding of street photography so that you will come back from your travels with unusual iconic images to share with your family and friends.

The workshop will begin with a 40-minute presentation on street photography technique, followed by a 2.5 hour walk around the Lincoln, Korea, and Vietnam memorials during which Mr. Suarez will work with each client individually in capturing unusual and artistically composed images.

Here is what one client had to say about the safari: “Excellent instructor. One of the best I have attended.” Bill B.

Photo by Essdras Suarez