Take You Down

Photo #120

Lets face it, as Chinatowns go, DC's Chinatown is pretty weak. It is a pale shadow of real Chinatown like San Francisco, New York or presumably any town in China. One cool thing DC's does have is this gate thing. I was lucky enough to have a good vantage point on this as the sun was setting, and thus this picture. As cool as this gate is, I would gladly trade it for even 1 restaurant that sold soup dumplings.

Bon Bini

Photo #119

This is on the wall of a taco stand near Dupont Circle in DC. I want to say it is called Surfside Taco, which would explain why they have license plates from surfy tropical places. Not appearing in this shot is a plate from Costa Rica. Had I been a bit more clever, I would have included that as a slight teaser for some pictures from that country that will be showing up here very soon.

Up in the Sky

Photo #116

The 60th anniversary of VE day was commemorated by flying dozens of WWII aircraft down the National Mall in Washington DC. That is all happening right behind me as I take this picture. That is what everyone in the picture is looking at. Yes, I also took pictures of the airplanes, but those pictures are rubbish because:

• I wasn't close enough
• I only had my iPhone
• It was midday so the light was terrible

But even so, take that, Hitler

Dalek Street Pizza

Dalek Street Pizza by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #105

The coolest thing about this picture is the title. I was having a hard time coming up with a name for it, maybe because I don't know what these things are. It was then that I recalled the delicious &pizza I had recently enjoyed which is about this same shape. The Dalek part is obvious, I hope. As for "street", well they are on the street, or close enough to it. So there you go.

Graphic Photo

Graphic by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #104

I meant to post this before the previous one (the one with all the National Geographic magazine covers) because it was taken first. Since I am ignoring the other time based rules like taking a photo every day or at least 7 every week, I might as well ignore chronological order too. Anyway, this is the National Geographic building. Fun Fact: Their headquarters used to be right next to my neighborhood in Gaithersburg, MD. I'm not sure if that building has also shown up here, but if not, I suspect it will someday.

Graphic Wall

Graphic Wall by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #103

In case you've not figured it out, I was at the National Geographic building. The reason I was there was for a seminar on Adventure Travel Photography. It wasn't much of an adventure, and I only had to travel to exact same Metro stop I use to get to work. Even so, I brought my camera because that is what photographers do. The last few pictures are a result of this.

The seminar itself was very good at reinforcing things I know or once did, plus I learned some new tips too. More than anything it was inspiring to see the great shots taken by Michael Clark and Nevada Weir, and to hear the stories about how they got them. #jealous

Cherry or More

Cherry or More by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #102

The Cherry Blossoms are a big deal in DC. They are especially attractive to photographers. Even so, I've not seen them since 1997, at which time I was more interested in my new girlfriend than some bloomy things on trees.

Skip ahead about 18 years. Said girlfriend is now my wife, I am still very interested in her, and I've still not seen The Cherry Blossoms. I did however see some cherry blossoms in DC, just not The Cherry Blossoms. These are those.

Washing Ones

Washing Ones by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #101

You may or may not recognize this as the building in which I work: 1111 19th Street in Washington DC. Before I worked regularly in the city, I did not realize how often window washers wash windows. It is a regular thing. Whenever I see them out there, I always think it would be a fun and exciting job. I wonder what they think when they look in and see me sitting at my desk.

And a Panda

And a Panda by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #99

I like the world and I like wildlife. If I could choose any job devoid of practical considerations or implications, I might choose to be a wildlife photographer. (I might instead choose to be a Foley artist, but that is besides the point). Meanwhile, if I can't photograph wildlife in the world, I can photograph the World Wildlife Fund, or at least the logo on their building.

American Climber

American Climber by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #98

This is a statue that exemplifies the American Spirit. It conveys our willingness to climb to get to where we need to be.

In trying to achieve the best angle from which to take this shot, I climbed on top of the 2 foot high wall that surrounded the base of the statue. Within moments a friendly security guard was upon me, telling me I needed to get down for "safety reasons".

This is another example of the American Spirit

Three Wheeler

Three Wheeler by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #97

We all know that the wheels on the bus go round and round, but what do the wheels on the side of the building do? Obviously they want us to turn them, that is what wheels are made for. If not, why would the paint them so red? Do you think I tried to turn them, you know, for science? I won't tell you. Instead, let me encourage you to find out for yourself. When you do, please take pictures.

What Might Be Right For You

What Might Be Right For You by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #96

I like to think that living in each of these DC townhouses lives someone whose personality matches the exterior of their house. The corpulent man from 2139 has a heavy disposition and often smokes a cigar as he sits in his over upholstered brown leather club chair reading the Wall Street Journal. His next door neighbor is a slight artist who smells of lavender and a makes tasty ceviche the with fish she brings back on her bike from the farmer's market. The twist of fate that caused them to share a wall makes for many hilarious encounters.

DC is for Lion

DC is for Lion by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #95

I've fallen off the wagon in a serious way. Over the last few weeks I've hardly taken any pictures. I could blame it on the fact that I've taken up another hobby - home brewing. Though this is true, it is not the real reason. The real reason is that I am a SLACKER. Not only have I been terrible about taking pictures, I've been terrible at posting the pictures here. I have even less excuse for this because I still have a good handful of pictures ready to be processed and posted. This is the first of them. There are at least 6 more. I don't even know what my plan for recovery is. I could just skip the weeks that I skipped. That would lead to a Roth 365 with less than 365 pictures, and that smells like fail. Perhaps I should take the /7 concept further and try to post 365 pictures for the year, with no hard restriction on when in the year they were taken. Maybe I'll do that.

On the Grid

On the Grid by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #87

So ends the 12th full week of this 365x7 odyssey. This shot combines several of the previous (which were all from the same Friday). The message here is clear - find new things to take pictures of.

(Week 12 - Photo 7)

Looks New Again

Look New Again by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #86

Maybe I am getting into a rut here, what with all the reflecty buildings. At least it is not the blue glass bottle over and over (reference for you old-time followers). Where you are is what you see, and what you see is what you notice. At least it is if you are doing it correctly. Unlike the first quest where I rarely left my house, now I am going into the city several times every week. In the city they have cool reflecty buildings, so that is what you are going to get. If you don't believe me, wait for the next post.

(Week 12 - Photo 6)

American Perspective

American Perspective by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #85

I know how it was when I took this. Standing on the ground, I pointed the camera up to one of the ubiquitous many American flags in Washington DC. There was nothing unusual about the angle the flag pole came off the building. Even so, when I look at this picture I get spun around trying to see it as it really was. It is something about perspective, I suppose. Also, if you turned your head, I win.

(Week 12 - Photo 5)

Fountainhead

Fountainhead by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #84

In the middle of Dupont Circle is a circle. In the middle of this circle is a fountain. Well, I think it is a fountain in the summer. Right now it is whatever you call a fountain with no water. In the middle of this fountain with no water are some statues. This is one of them. It seems to be some lady with a big bird on her shoulder and some sort of a toy boat in her arm. I have no idea how she came to be part of this fountain, but I expect she is waiting for it to be filled with water so she can use that boat.

(Week 12 - Photo 4)

Sit Around

Sit Around by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #83

What we have is here is an introverts bench. You are guaranteed not to have anyone directly next to you. How nice to have no pressure for chit-chat or small talk. You can just be out there quietly, minding your own business, sitting on a bench and being introverted.

(Week 12 - Photo 3)

Gotta Get Myself Right Out of Here

Get Myself Right Out of Here by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #82

I get up. I get down. This is basically the opposite view of the last picture. Instead of people escaping to the light, these people are escaping from the light. It is a good exercise in photography to take pictures of the same subject from multiple locations and angles.

(Week 12 - Photo 2)

Into the World

Into the World by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #81

This is the escalator at DuPont Circle in Washington, DC. At least three times a week I go up the escalator at DuPont Circle in Washington, DC. I never go up this escalator. You see, this is the North side escalator. I go up the South side escalator. Except this day. On this day I went a different and it took me to whole different place. With escalators as with life, if you never break out of your routine, you will miss many things.

(Week 12 - Photo 1)