Second and Third Shoots

Continuing the new project I went into DC to explore other location options. The whirlwind day began with the ghetto National Aquarium in DC. Buried beneath the Department of Commerce, the aquarium seemingly has found a home thrown together in a dark uninviting space. The collection looks like a large collection of fish sloppily patch-worked together of some private owner. Most tanks seem so barren, small, and uncomfortable. With that said, I still managed to get about 15 editable images. These should be probably edited down to four or five for actual printing.

Note: The thinner glass of the tanks at this aquarium created a very thick horizon. This is nice visually for a few images in the final series; however, I still prefer the thinner and clearer horizon for the majority. I tried to pull back to reduce the thickness but ran into reflection problems.

The second shoot of the day took place at the National Zoo. I wasn’t sure what I was going to get out of it. Tried the reptile house and found it to be very productive because of all the turtle displays. So much construction there that many displays were not on view. I should go back in a few months to see if there are any more that can be shot. The turtles actually yielded the greatest number of exposures throughout the day. From the reptile house I knew I wanted to experiment with the Amzonia exhibit. Originally I thought this place might be my best opportunity for images. Yet, only one of the exhibits on the ground floor really offered anything I could use. The otter exhibit, although void of animals, had a beautiful and a completely different color palette from what I had shot to date. The zoo yielded 26 editable images that will be whittled down to about five or six.

The day was very productive. I need to find other venues that will offer the same style of images. The thought of trying the Natural History museum might be worth exploring.

Images, as edited, will be posted soon.