SDuffyPhotography.blog

My Fotoweek/DC Entries

So, I finally submitted a few photos for the Fotoweek/DC Photo Contest. I entered as an amateur and submitted a couple photos for multiple categories since there was no limit.

First, for portraits, I submitted all five portraits that I showcased in my last post.

The second category I submitted photos for was “Architecture”. The category description is as follows:

“Your finest interiors or exteriors of buildings and spaces.”

I submitted the following two photos for “Architecture”:

The Arc de Triomphe - Paris, France:

A foggy morning in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Finally, I submitted one photo for the category “Fine Art”. The photo below was taken from the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France:

So, why did I pick these photos? To be honest, I couldn’t really say. Obviously, they are among my favorites but, as I spent a couple hours this morning browsing through my collection picking potential candidates, these photos just “felt right”.

Tags: contest, dc, entry, fotoweek, washington, washington-dc

Under Consideration… Maybe Not

So, last night I finally sat down to pick a photo or two for the first annual Fotoweek/DC contest and I started looking through my Palestine photos and retouching a few of my favorites. I never did any major editing on them since there were so many and I wanted to get through all of them.

After I had narrowed it down to about five possibles, I discovered that there is no “photojournalism” category for amateur photographers who enter the contest. That category only exists for professionals and students! Damn. I emailed them to see what they suggest I do since some of my favorite photos fit more into “photojournalism” than any of the other amateur categories. It being a weekend, however, I’m not expecting a response until at least Monday, if at all.

Can I enter as pro just to enter them? I mean I likely wouldn’t have a chance against some of the phenomenal photographers who do this for a living here, but it can’t hurt right? Would I be disqualified because I’m not pro? It doesn’t sound like it. I just want to enter them… I don’t really care if I win anything, though that would be pretty cool. And, of course, even if I’m not disqualified because I’m technically not a pro, I likely couldn’t enter any of the other categories as an amateur.

Anyway, I figured I would share some of the retouched Palestine photos with you until I figure out what I’m going to do.

The photo above is of a Palestinian boy scout on the New Askar Refugee camp where I was doing volunteer work.

This photo is of a young boy from New Askar Refugee Camp holding a poster of another resident of the camp who died within the last year.

This is a photo of a young girl from the refugee camp presenting a wreath to a grandfather over a slain child’s grave.

This young man is holding up a poster of his older brother who had recently been martyred in the Old City of Nablus.

Finally, we have three young boys, two of them scouts, on New Askar Refugee Camp shortly after the parade commemorating young martyrs of the camp.

Faves? Thoughts on what might be entry-worthy?

Tags: contest, dc, entry, fotoweek, palestine, photojournalism, washington-dc

Announcing DCPhotoGuide!

A few months back I teased many of you with a “project” that I was working on. Well, with all the traveling I’ve been doing, the project kept getting delayed. No longer! I am announcing a “soft launch” of DCPhotoGuide.com!

What is DCPhotoGuide?

From the About page:

“DCPhotoGuide is a blog specifically designed for DC Metro photographers. Here we’ll talk about being a photographer in DC, let you know about upcoming events you can photograph, opportunities to show your work in local art/photography shows, and tips and tricks for photographing this photogenic city of ours.”

Basically, it will be a photo resource for DC photographers, written by DC photographers. Anything photo-related in DC is fair game. This includes events that photographers might want to photograph (protests, concerts, events), events where DC photographers can sell or show their work, DC photowalks, or profiles of featured DC photographers, you name it!

Do I really have time to run another blog?

Not really. But that’s the great part! Over time, I will be inviting DC photobloggers to blog at DCPhotoGuide. I can’t pay anyone, but you will get an author credit, a link to your site, and, potentially your own ads in your articles! Not a bad deal. In addition, if you want to post your article on your own site as well, that’s fine! I don’t want to ask you to spend time blogging if you can’t use the content yourself, right?

But why?

It seemed like the natural thing to do, really. Many friends of this blog in DC have submitted all kinds of cool tips on photo exhibits, shows, and events that it only seemed natural to put these somewhere where all DC photogs can contribute. DC is an incredibly photogenic and exciting city with some incredible photographers, so why not have a place all to ourselves?

So if you’re a DC photographer, head over to the site, subscribe to the feed, and join our Flickr group! Some great DC stuff coming soon!

Tags: blog, dc, dcphotoguide, washington-dc

Off-Topic: Pro-Bono DC Photo Opportunity

A slightly off-topic post for my fellow DC photographers… The Deputy Director of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of Amnesty International USA contacted me last night about photographing an event for them on June 25th. Obviously, I’m not going to be able to do it so she asked if I knew anyone else that might be willing.

From the email:

“I am writing because, as you may have heard, we are bringing a replica of a Guantanamo prison cell to DC from June 25-29. We will be having a couple of events on June 25th that we’d like to document. First, we’ll have a visual protest at noon where activists will be in orange jumpsuits and we’ll being staging them around the cell replica. We may also have some celebrity or world leader types there (still awaiting confirmations). Then at 6pm we’ll have a concert. All of this is happening on the National Mall just across the street from the Washington Monument.”

This is a very low-pressure thing. They’re just looking for someone with a decent camera and decent photography skills to document their protest. I usually do these things free of charge because it’s a cause I believe in and it helps to build my portfolio. Having said that, they won’t be able to pay you for your time but you’ll have all the access you need to take photos. This might be a good photojouralistic opportunity. Likely uses of your photos will be in fundraising and/or on their website. You will get full credit for the photos you take.

The reason they contacted me is because I am a member and I attended the 2007 Annual General Meeting in Milwaukee. While I was there, I photographed as much of the event as I could.

Anyway, I thought some of you might be looking for something to photograph this month… If this is a cause you can get behind and you like photography, it might be worth your time to help them out.

If you’re interested, please contact Cecili Williams (cwilliams@aiusa.org). She is the Deputy Director for AIUSA’s Mid-Atlantic Region.

Tags: amnesty-international, dc, opportunity, photojournalism, protest, volunteer, washington, washington-dc

Cherry Blossoms 2008

For the first time since I moved to DC six years ago, I finally got the chance to really photograph the annual cherry blossoms down by the Tidal Basin. I woke up around 4AM and arrived at the Tidal Basin at around 5 to make sure I could beat the sun and crowds. I managed to do both. Below are a few of my favorites from the few hours I spent down there:

Anyone else wanna share their cherry blossom photos? There were a ton of photographers there yesterday morning. If you were one of them, put a link to yours in the comments!

You can buy prints of some of the featured photos here over at my online gallery.

You can also see the rest of my shots of the cherry blossoms in my Flickr stream.

Tags: blossoms, cherry, dc, hdr, jefferson, memorial, monument, washington

DC Photogs: Get 50,000 sets of eyes on your work!

A special notice to all of my fellow DC photographers… Artomatic 2008 registration opens tomorrow, March 27th at 12noon! Artomatic is an annual month-long event which aims to highlight the work of local Washington, DC visual artists such as painters, sculptors, and photographers.

From the Artomatic website:

“Artomatic was conceived as a way to break down the geographical and social segmentation of the Washington arts scene, to bring art directly to the public and to build cohesion among artists. The city’s ongoing development in recent years has diffused the arts community by breaking up pockets of artist studios. In addition, local artists are sometimes overshadowed by national blockbuster shows and federal landmarks. Artomatic provides a forum for all of our area’s artists to convene, perform and exhibit, strengthening the visibility, cohesion, and marketplace of Washington’s arts community.

“Artomatic began in 1999 in the historic Manhattan Laundry building. A dozen or so artists originally toured the empty building and within a month, three hundred and fifty artists had cleaned, lit, painted and colonized the 100,000 square feet. Over 20,000 visitors attended the first Artomatic over 6 weeks. From there, it grew organically, as buildings were made available to Artomatic by community developers. Music and performance of all kinds were added. In 2000, 665 artists exhibited and 200 performed at the old Hechinger’s building; more than 1000 artists and performers took part in 2002 at the Southwest Waterfront and even more in 2004 at the old Capitol Children’s Museum in Northeast.”(link)

Every artist is free to register, but registration is not free:

“Registration for Artomatic will be $90 per visual artist — such as painters, photographers, sculptors and graphic designers. Each visual artist is required to serve three volunteer shifts (approximately 15 hours total) to help stage the event. Artomatic is an unjuried show, so all artists are welcome to participate, from professionals to beginners. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis and will end once space is filled. Full details on registration, exhibit space, installation and hours of the event will be posted here on March 27th.

“Artomatic is expecting about 1,000 local and regional artist participants and 50,000 visitors at this year’s event.” (link)

A few hours of volunteer work and $95 for 50,000 sets of eyes on your work? Sounds like a pretty good deal to me!

Be sure to visit the Artomatic site on Thursday at noon for more registration information. Registration is first-come, first-serve, so don’t forget!!

Again, a special shout-out to Gyuri for passing this information along to me!

Tags: artomatic, arts, dc, event, exhibit, show, washington

DC Photogs: Hang your work in Springfield Mall!

A reader of the site, and frequent commenter, Gyuri, has notified me that Springfield Mall in Virginia is asking local photographers if they’d like to have their work displayed in the mall while they undergo some renovations. You’ll be able to hang as many as four photos from 8×10 to 20×24 and you’ll also be able to include a one page 8×10 biography where you can include your website, email, and/or details on how those interested can purchase your photos.

Full details below:

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Arts in the Marketplace

While Springfield Mall is undergoing renovation, empty storefronts that have been covered with drywall will be decorated with photography from local artists. We would love to include your work. Please review the guidelines below. We hope to see you April 6, 2008!

Size: Photographs must be between an 8”x10” to a 20”x24”

Mounting: Photographs must be mounted on Black Foam Core Board

Hanging: Photographer includes Foam Board Metal Hangers, and Mall provides nails to hang them up.

Amount: Individual Photographers may display up to four works of art.

Biography: Artist may supply one 8”x10” Biography mounted on Black Foam Core Board. Include in the Bio a website or contact information where photo’s can be purchased, if they are for sale.

Dates: Participants will bring their mounted photos on Sunday April 6, 2008 at 10am to the Customer Service Desk in Springfield Mall. Exhibit will be displayed until Sunday July 13th. Photos will be removed on July 13th. Artists can pick their photo’s up at the Customer Service Desk

Forms: When Artists Drop off Artwork, they will need to fill out an Inventory Form, and sign that Springfield Mall is not responsible for the safety and security of the photos. The Mall will provide the forms.

How: To participate in Arts in the Marketplace, please e-mail Stephanie.thompson@fcps.edu or call 703-971-3289 to reserve your space.

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I look forward to seeing some of your photos on display!

Tags: dc, mall, show, springfield, virginia, washington

Friday Link Love

It’s that time again… Just wanted to share a few interesting links and articles I’ve found over the last week or so. I hope you find them interesting and helpful!

- Photojojo has a great article on your rights as a photographer. On a related note, a British MP is trying to curtail the harassment of law-abiding photographers.
- A Photo Editor has a great article on the future of photography and how it relates to the web… There’s a fundamental shift happening in how consumers consume digital media.
- Great article from Photopreneur on choosing a niche in which to specialize.
- New digital forensics software claims to be able to discover Photoshopped images.
- PopPhoto Flash has a cool little video on how lenses are made.
- According to DCist, the peak dates for Washington’s cherry blossoms are between March 27th and April 3rd. If you’re planning on taking some photos of the cherry blossoms, be sure to check out this article from Hankins-Lawrence Images for some tips on photographing this annual event.
- Finally, I know a lot of you have your own blogs and a large number of them appear to be running Wordpress. Well, Wordpress 2.5, a major release, will be out soon. Are you ready for it? Check out this sneak peek and this upgrade prep checklist.

Tags: cherry-blossoms, dc, links, niche, rights, washington, web2.0, wordpress

A Look Back: March 2007

It’s that time again… Time for me to reflect on what I was taking photos of last year at this time. How was I doing? Have I improved at all? Can I find any new inspiration? I hope you’ll bear with me as I share some of my favorite photos from March 2007…

During the first weekend of March, I took some night photos down at the Georgetown Waterfront and in Old Town, Alexandria, VA. A couple of them, including the ones below, are still among my favorites:

Click on each image for a larger version…

You can view my other photos from March 3rd here…

The following weekend (March 10th), I decided to head up to the US Air Force Memorial to shoot my favorite monument in the day as opposed to the night shots I already had… Between the majesty of the monument and the clouds that day, I decided it warranted some HDR work:

You can see the rest of this day’s set here…

The next day I went out and took photos in the Ballston area of Arlington, VA. Not many turned out that day that were worth showing… except one. The only one I was allowed to take in Ballston Commons Mall (along with the Flickr caption detailing what happened). I call it “Al Qaeda is in the food court!”:

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This was the only shot I was able to get before Ballston Common Mall security informed me that I cannot take photos in the mall… Something about Arlington County and terrorism.

So, please, if you download this photo, do NOT send it to al Qaeda. Apparently they don’t have any photos of Ballston Common Mall yet.

If you’d like to thank the people at Ballston Common for keeping us all safe, you can find their email addresses below:

John Moore
Vice President & General Manager
JohnMoore@forestcity.net

Selina Tolentino
Marketing Director
SelinaTolentino@forestcity.net

Michael Britt
Operations Manager
MichaelBritt@forestcity.net

Michael Webb
Security Director
MichaelWebb@forestcity.net

Leyla Verme
Office Manager
LeylaVerme@forestcity.net

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Finally, during the last weekend in March, I traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the 2007 Amnesty International USA Annual General Meeting. Of course, while I was managed to get some photowalking in:

You can see the rest of the Milwaukee sets here and here.

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You can also buy prints of many of these photos as http://photos.sduffyphotography.com.

That’s about it for this month!

Tags: a-look-back, air-force, alexandria, ballston-commons, dc, hdr, kennedy-center, mall, memorial, milwaukee, old-town, virginia, washington, wisconsin

An Overcast Chinatown

On Friday morning, before DCist Exposed, my department from work coordinated a visit to the Spy Museum. I decided to head down a little early so I would have some time to photography Chinatown since it was one part of the city I had never really shot before. The sky was overcast and the forecast was calling for rain so I couldn’t resist doing some HDR shots. Low hanging clouds and dark skies are perfect for dramatic high dynamic range photos. Below are a few of my favorites from the day…

Bear with me since I know a few of them are a little over-processed but I’m still feeling my way around Photoshop and I wanted to see what I could do…

Click on each image for a larger version…

There are two more of this set on Flickr.

Tags: chinatown, clouds, dc, hdr, overcast, spy-museum, washington