Just another day at the mall. It was late at night and with very few people left it made for an intimate time to shoot with the former President…

This weekend I had the pleasure of having a “caddy” with me who happened to be my cousin. My full kit weighs about 30 lbs, so it is a pleasure anytime I can walk freely without it’s burden. He and I strolled around the National Cathedral in the dead of night catching up on old times and talking photography. I could definitely see myself being a vampire of the night, sucking up the images that feed my soul.

This being the Memorial Day Weekend and myself being a Veteran, it seemed only appropriate to give tribute to those from forgotten wars. The Korean War has been labeled such a war and while it is getting ever increasingly hard to find a WWII Veteran, there are still many Korean War Vets among us. So this posting is for them, and also to every other person who has worn the uniform. You are not forgotten.

From Wikipedia:
The memorial is in the form of a triangle intersecting a circle. Within the triangle are 19 stainless steel statues designed by Frank Gaylord,[2] each larger than life-size, between 7 feet 3 inches and 7 feet 6 inches. The figures represent a squad on patrol, drawn from each branch of the armed forces; fifteen of the figures are from the U.S. Army, two are from the Marine Corps, one is a Navy Corpsman, and one is an Air Force Forward Air Observer. They are dressed in full combat gear, dispersed among strips of granite and juniper bushes which represent the rugged terrain of Korea. When reflected in the pool, there appears to be 38 soldiers, representing the 38th parallel. To the north of the statues is a path, forming one side of the triangle. Behind, to the south, is a 164 foot-long black granite wall, created by Louis Nelson Associates, with photographic images sandblasted into it depicting soldiers, equipment and people involved in the war. This forms the second side of the triangle. The third side of the triangle, facing towards the Lincoln Memorial, is open.

To the north of the statues and path is the United Nations Wall, a low wall listing the 22 members of the United Nations that contributed troops or medical support to the Korean war effort.

A further granite wall bears the simple message, inlaid in silver: “Freedom Is Not Free”.

This young child circled the monument several times trying to mimic the stance of a once great man. He was dedicated and would have probably prevailed had his mother not gathered him so abruptly to be on their way.

With the inauguration just around the corner, I thought it appropriate to ogle over some of my past Washington D.C. pictures and remember things the way they used to be. I have no idea whether the way things “used to be” was a good thing or not but i guess not if so much “hope” was needed now.

As for the picture, it was taken early on in my learning phase, and this picture was actually the second picture I ever got right. In the large version you can actually see the secret service men on the roof.

A day at the Zoo is always fun. A day at the Zoo with a camera is hard. When I was first starting to learn how to shoot, a friend of mine said that we should go to the zoo and that it would be a good learning experience for me. He was more than right and still today I continue to go to the Zoo to try and overcome the poor lighting (inside), moving subjects, dirty windows, reflections, chained link fences, bars, people, etc.. it might be one of the hardest places I have ever had to shoot.

This picture is from the Washington D.C. Zoo. They have a great Cheetah enclosure and this Cheetah had her eye on a small child (prey)…I didn’t stick around to see what happened.