Photo: The use of fill-flash outdoors

This is a scene similar to yesterday's photo, but with a different camera setting and using a fill flash to illuminate the cactus in the foreground.

I don't like to take flash picots, as I prefer natural light.  Most of the time I use a flash is to lessen the shadows in back-lit subjects in the foreground of photos taken during daylight.

If there is one subject that people in Arizona should have plenty of experience photographing, it is cacti in the sunset.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos  posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos from a festival in Punahka, Bhutan.

Washington Skyline at Sunrise

Today is the last photo from our trip to Washington DC.

Here is a sunrise photo with the silhouette of famous buildings with ducks swimming in the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

The buildings outlined against the golden sunrise are, from left to right, the Capitol Dome, the Washington Monument, the rotunda of the Library of Congress, and the "castle" of the headquarters of the Smithsonian Institution on the Mall.

My husband, who took these photos, has a special fondness for Washington, D.C. He was born there and he returned to Washington for his undergraduate and two post-graduate degrees, and he worked for several Members of Congress for 12 years, more than 25 years ago. I hope you agree that I had a good idea to "suggest" to him that he go out very early on a crisp, cold November morning to take sunrise photos during our recent trip to Washington.

Today is Sunday so that means new travel photos. Check out photos of the unique Mayan pyramid at Ek Balam in Yucatan, Mexico at Viva la Voyage!

The Colors of Sunrise at the Washington Monument

Happy Thanksgiving. Here is a patriotic photo for the holiday. The Washington Monoument is the tallest structure in Washington. It is the height of a 55 story building and is a copy of an Egyptian oblisk.

Washington D.C. has restrictions that limit the height of all other buildings to about 11 stories so that nothing will interfere with the skyline and detract from views of the Washington Monument and the Capitol Dome.

This week we are showing nighttime photos of Budapest on Viva la Voyage.

Sunrise on Columns

This is the interior of the Lincoln Memorial. The classic lines of the columns are illuminated by streaks of the dawn sunlight split into vertical shafts by the columns on the east front of the Memorial.

I think that the early morning is the best time to go to the Lincoln Memorial. It is a solemn place, and before it becomes crowded with other visitors it is more conducive to quiet reflection.

Tomorrow I will show the larger context of the scene where this photo was taken. The pillars of the Lincoln Memorial, as do much of the classical architecture of the government buildings in Washington, D.C., show how much our society admires the Greek development of democracy. We have copied Greek architecture as our founding fathers were inspired by Greek philosophy.

Today is Sunday, so we have posted new photos on Viva la Voyage. This week we are showing night time photos of Budapest, Hungary.

Sunrise Mist of Reflecting Pool

This is the capture of a magical moment. My husband took this photo with his zoom while focusing on capturing the glow of the sunrise streaming through the trees illuminating the mist on the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial. The bench and street light added to the atmosphere, and then a man walked by and blew a puff of smoke into a streak of sunlight.

This is my favorite photo that Dave took on his sunrise walk during our recent visit to Washington, D.C. He had to get back to our hotel by 8:00 a.m. for some professional meetings, but I wonder what was more productive, his photo walk or his meetings. I will show a few more days of photos from this little field trip to our nation's capitol.

Check out photos of Murano, Italy at our travel photo site at Viva la Voyage!

The Washington Monument in the Mist of Constitution Gardens

Constitution Gardens is a park just north of the reflecting pool between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.

On the cold November morning, the warmer water temperature and colder air temperature combined to form a mist on the pond in Constitution Gardens. the stillness of the morning mirrors the Washington Monument.

The land where Constitution Gardens is now located used to be covered with temporary buildings build during World War II called the "Navy Annex," which were some of the ugliest government office building imaginable and which were not torn down until the 1970's. The park and gardens is a big improvement, wouldn't you agree?

Travel photos of Murano, Italy are at Viva la Voyage!

The Capitol at Dawn

I was in Washington, D.C. about 10 days ago and thought it would be worthwhile to get some photos of the monuments at sunrise.

It was 30 degrees outside, so I decided that the best way to get sunrise photos would be to send my husband, Dave of Costa Rica Daily Photo out to take some photos in the cold while I stayed warm and slept in our hotel room.

Here is a photo that he took of the U.S. Capitol building from the grounds or the Washington Monument. I like how you can see the glow from the sunrise through the windows in the dome. You can also see a plane.

I will show some more of his Washington photos during the next week. Although all of the monuments are familiar to everyone, Dave tried to get some special shots in the sweet light of dawn. The photos really turned out fabulous so I thought I would share them for the next week.

We have travel photos of Murano, Italy on our travel site Viva la Voyage!