PHOTOGRAPHING DAY ONE ON THE DC STREETCAR

Fujifilm X100S,f8.0 @ 1/800, ISO 400.

On Saturday, the DC Streetcar began carrying passengers along H Street, so late in the afternoon, I decided to check it out.

To get the first photo, I positioned myself close to the edge of the platform in order to capture the driver and the waiting passengers as the streetcar approached the platform. I was somewhat limited because on this first day of operation there were plenty of volunteers on hand to keep people from doing exactly what I wanted to do, which was get closer.

I like how the shadows create a criss-cross pattern on the platform, mimicking the design pattern on the side of the streetcar. Additionally, I like that the light illuminates the boys face to the right, which makes a connection to the light on the driver.

Fujifilm X100S,f4.0 @ 1/900, ISO 400.

When I boarded the streetcar, I moved to the back of the car hoping to catch some shots as we left the platform, maybe including one of the volunteers out the window. The woman in this scene with the wonderful light on her face immediately caught my eye so I knew I wanted to place her in the foreground. The streetcar was very crowded and I was only able to get a few photos before we pulled out so instead of capturing her with the station in the background as originally intended, I caught the Hopscotch bridge and another photographer. I still like the photo.

Fujifilm X100S,f2.8 @ 1/900, ISO 400.

As I returned to the Union Station stop after making a four-mile roundtrip I knew that I wanted to get at least one more shot; one that would connect the crowd to the streetcar while at the same time give a sense of the opening day ridership. I purposely focused on the streetcar and just let passengers walk by doing my best to frame the logo. In this photo, I like the boy on the right holding a hand and while I purposely tried not to show faces in this shot, the man looking down does help to draw attention to that gesture as well.

NOT ON TASK OR PURPOSE, BUT STILL COOL

*original photo caption appears at the end of this post.

I have noticed this sponsored post in my Facebook feed about a dozen times over the last couple of weeks. I'm sure it is because many of my friends have liked it, or maybe because I'm a veteran, or perhaps for entirely different reasons, but what I am sure of is that it is not because I posted my photograph.

It is almost always a surprise when I come across one of my photographs in print or online, especially when it is used to promote or advertise something unrelated to the original intent of the photograph.

In this case, I had several reactions.

Cool! One of the reasons I'm in this business is because I like having my photos seen by the public, so whenever they're published, it somehow validates that I'm doing my job well.

What? Why is a photograph taken in 2012 in Southern Pines, N.C., being used by Task & Purpose to urge people to sign a petition telling the Veteran's Administration to approve the cost of service dogs to treat mental health issues? This photograph was taken on assignment for the U.S. Government and then publicly released, therefore, restrictions are few in who and how it can be used, but it still makes me wonder.

Wrong? I know that many times photographs are used to illustrate concepts or support articles that have no direct connection to the original photograph. And that is the case here. The photograph is actually of a military working dog being trained to detect improvised explosive devices.

Ultimately I don't own the photographs I take for the Navy and can't control where they are used once released. And in this instance, I can't even argue with the cause or that the photograph doesn't work as file art. However, a quick search on DOD image sites that the public has access to shows plenty of photographs, many better, that would support this plea for signatures, so why this photo.

I'll just go back to my original reaction. Cool!

*Original caption reads: SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. (Jan 18, 2012) Grady, an improvised explosive device detector dog (IDD), waits for a command from his Marine trainer during an Office of Naval Research (ONR)-hosted IDD 2.0 project technical demonstration. IDD 2.0 is funded by the Joint IED Defeat Organization and the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory. (U.S. Navy photo by John F. Williams/Released)

PHOTOS OF SNOWZILLA 2016

Placing a person in this photograph helps to show both scale and the dilemma of the pedestrian in the aftermath of the 2016 blizzard.

Sitting at my window watching the recent blizzard dump over two feet of snow on Arlington, Va., I found myself in a familiar internal debate; venture out while it is still snowing or wait until it has stopped.

This time, I waited for it to stop, mostly because it really was a blizzard, or as you may better know it as, "Snowzilla," which in my neighborhood started at 1 p.m. Friday and didn't stop until 11 p.m. Saturday. It wasn't until Sunday mid-morning that I dragged myself out of the apartment in order to photograph the aftermath. 

Even by noon, many side streets had not yet been plowed. I like the light in this photo, people emerging from the shadows; while some streets are cleared, many remain untouched and unexplored.

I titled this photo "Whole lotta love." What originally caught my attention was the line of people waiting for the Whole Foods to open. Then this couple caught my attention and I loved that they were in their own world. I also like how they help to fill some space in the empty parking lot.

What drew my eye to this scene was just how far-reaching and intrusive the snow was, even entering the parking garage that no cars had entered. I also like the symmetry of the opening and the splash of color from the poles.

I probably could have spent much more time with this scene, but the juxtaposition of dining al fresco just 13 hours after the blizzard ended tells a story about the Clarendon neighborhood in Arlington.

This was the aftermath of a much larger snowball fight held at the Clarendon Metro Station. I clearly wasn't the only one who had a bit of cabin fever.

HANDS ON WITH THE SOLO 3DR DRONE

I may be late to the drone game, or more specifically late to actually owning a drone*, but it's not because I haven't wanted one. I've been reading about drones, talking with drone owners and wanting a drone from the beginning. I even came close to making the purchase on several occasions, but now I'm glad I waited.

And to be clear, I should say that I'm a part owner of a drone, in this case, a Solo 3DR, that I purchased along with my son. Part ownership is something that might consider as well.

So what was it like flying it for the first time?

My son Patrick prepares the Solo 3DR prior to my first flight.

Prior to flying the 3DR, my sole "stick" time consisted of 10 minutes with a DJI Phantom. The 3DR was incredibly easy to fly, easier than I remembered from my brief DJI experience. From take off and landing to flying patterns, I went through two batteries before I knew it and during the entire time, I never felt like I wasn't in complete control. And even though the 3DR was set to "child mode" it was nimble and reacted immediately to my inputs.

Something that always concerned me when considering the purchase of a drone was the camera; Would it be obsolete before the drone itself. The 3DRs current 3-axis gimbal houses a GoPro** and since Solo worked directly with GoPro, it means you have in-flight access to the camera's controls allowing you to start and stop recording while you fly. Not only is this unique to the Solo, it greatly reduces the amount of footage you have to go through during the editing process. Additionally, the camera receives its power from the gimbal.

One of the features that really impressed me about the 3DR is that it is the only drone that can automatically control both the drone and camera position while in flight using their Smart Shot feature. Think of Smart Shots as presets that allow you to circle an object for a wrap-around shot (Orbit), go hands-free (Follow), put yourself in the center of the action for an aerial reveal (Selfie), or follow a virtual cable (Cable Cam), all to get a perfect shot. A soon to be released update will expand the Cable Cam Smart Shot allowing you to enter multiple points.

It's simple, fly to a point A, frame your shot, fly to point B and frame your shot, then hit play and the drone will fly from point A to point B exactly as you programmed it. And maybe the most impressive thing is, you can save a shot and repeat it. Think how useful that would be and how much production time it would save.

The 3DR was really easy to fly and using Smart Shots, even a novice like me can achieve professional cinematographic looks with very little experience. (Photo by Patrick Williams)

Bottom line, the 3DR with a gimbal and GoPro isn't the cheapest drone on the market, but if you are looking for a solidly-built, easy to fly drone that is capable of capturing amazing aerial footage, I would highly recommend it.

Watch footage taken at Cape Henlopen State Park and around the North Beach, Md., area taken by Patrick Williams.

* I'm using the term drone throughout this post, so if you prefer unmanned aerial vehicle or quadcopter or something else entirely, feel free to substitute those terms while reading.

** I'm currently using a GoPro White. To take advantage of the in-flight camera control, you will need a Hero 4 Black.

A WALK IN THE PARK WITH A CAMERA

Fujifilm X100S, 1/30 @f2.0, ISO 1600.*

I found myself in a bit of a photographic rut recently, not on assignment, but in my personal photography. I think this happens to all of us from time to time and there are probably many reasons, however, since I'm not a psychiatrist or therapist of any kind, I won't try to analyze the why, but instead reflect a bit on how I cope. And this time, it simply took a walk in the park with my camera.

In a 2014 post titled 5 TIPS TO GET YOU OUT TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS, I shared ideas to help motivate you and get you out shooting, but this post is more about understanding that even while out shooting, sometimes it just doesn't click.

I titled this photo Santa and his Reindeer. Fujifilm X100S,1/30 @f2.0, ISO 1600.

I think it's important to remember that this happens to all creative people and that it's important to accept that we can't be 'on' all the time, that it really is healthy to have short periods of creative downtime. The key is to not allow those short periods to stretch into long periods and to find ways to overcome and manage these slumps so that you don't stay there or worse, give up entirely.

When I'm in a creative rut, I do what can sometimes be the hardest thing to do, grab your camera and go out. Shoot pictures. Bad pictures. Anything. It's alright because not shooting will never get you out of your rut.

The statue of Milton Hershey seems to be rising from the steam caused by unseasonable warm weather. Fujifilm X100S,1/ 30 @f2.0, ISO 320.

Back to that walk in the park. It had been a few weeks since I had taken a photo I liked and then came a two-day visit to Hershey, Pa. On the first day as I walked around downtown I could sense some creativity coming back. As I started shooting I began to see things, everyday things, things unique to Hershey, that I had been ignoring. That's the thing, you will sense when that creativity is returning. That night I resisted the urge to download the photos from that day because I didn't want to be discouraged if the results failed to meet the feeling I knew was coming back. 

The park wasn't completely empty, but the weather did keep many people away which gave the park an ominous feel. Fujifilm X100S, 1/60 @f2.8, ISO 1600.

The next night I visited Hersheypark's Christmas Candyland and somehow had a sense that I was going to get photos that I liked. There was fog, mist, and some light rain which might have dissuaded some, but experience tells me that this was the exact time I should be out shooting. And within an hour, I knew I was getting photographs that I liked. 

Once that feeling returns, you get lost in the process of making photographs and forget that you were ever in a slump. 

Fujifilm X100S,1/30 @f2.0, ISO 1600.

* All photos were taken using the Fuji X100s which has a fixed 23mm (35mm DSLR equivalent) lens. The camera was set to record both in raw and jpeg formats with a monochrome yellow preset on the jpegs. I used auto ISO, set to a maximum of 1600. While I typically shoot in aperture priority, these photos were all taken in manual mode.