Johnny

Johnny by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #35
Contrary to what you might suspect, I was thinking of the Men at Work song when naming this, and not a song from the 50's that was featured in a movie from the 80's. It doesn't matter either way because it is good advice, even if you have some other name.

People Mover

People Mover by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #34
Some days you wake up thinking you are not going to California, but then before you know it you are on your way to California. This was one of those days. Hopefully I would see things in California worth noticing. Most of the pictures you'll see from this trip however will not be from California. Like this one - it is from exotic Dulles, VA. As is the next one. And the one after that. The next one after that however is from California. So you have that to look forward to.

Flying V

Flying V by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #33
I told you they would be back. Maybe they are trying to spell out a message. What starts with LV? Maybe they are using Roman numerals to say 55, but why? Obscure Back to the Future Reference? Lets go with that. Meanwhile, I'll tell you a secret. The sky was not this color. I totally cheated and added a graduated filter in Lightroom. I try to avoid doing stuff like that, but sometimes the picture just needs it. This post dedicated to Hoops

Flying L

Flying L by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #32
My mother was scared of geese. Or maybe it was chickens. One or both of those attacked her when she was a child, and she never really got over it. Despite this, I spent most of my life geese-agnostic. That is until we moved to this house, which has some walking trails nearby. These trails go by some small lakes. You may have seen these in some of the pictures I've posted. When the geese are around, these trails tend to have a nice layer of geese scat.

This makes me like them less.

Anyway, I do still like geese in the air, as long as they are not directly over me. On this morning's walk, many geese were flying by in various directions. I don't know where they were going since it is the middle of winter, and they should just be staying in The South. Maybe they are Canadian geese and is this is their South, eh? Point is, the geese flew by, I took their picture, and it became Photo 32. A short while later some more geese (or maybe the same ones?) flew by, and I took their picture, too. If you don't believe me, wait until the next post.

Life Was Such a Simple Game

Life Was Such a Simple Game by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #31
One last shot from a fruitful Friday. For this one I ignored the rule about keeping the camera level and also gave it some extra attention in Lightroom. I'm pleased with how it came out. In fact, this might be may favorite so far. It is definitely in the top three.

Twin Peaks

Twin Peaks by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #30
Under the mid-day sun I went in search for pictures and food. Lunch time is a good time to get lunch, but that mid-day sun from the last sentence means it is not a good time to take pictures. Luckily there were also mid-day clouds, and that made this shot possible since I had to point the camera towards the sky. Aside: As it turns out, pointing your camera to the sky up the side of just another building will get you some strange looks. If you are trying to avoid getting strange looks, I suggest you find some other kind of odyssey.

1900 M Street

1900 M Street by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #29
I had one more stop on my morning mini-photowalk before I needed to get to work. It was a building on the corner of 19th and M Street in Washington DC that I walked past every day. I positioned myself on the sidewalk in front of the building and took this one shot before a security guard came out of the building to confront me. The conversation went something like this:

Her: "Hey! Hey! You can't take pictures of this building!"
Me: "Yes I can"
Her: "No you can't"
Me: "Sure I can. I'm standing on public property. I can take pictures of whatever I want."
Her: "You have to stop!"
Me: "Why?"
Her: "You can't take pictures of this building!"

The conversation went on like that for a couple minutes before I decided it wasn't worth any more of my time. Unfortunately it is a common thing for security guards and even police to be ignorant of the law. Ignorance is a stubborn problem to solve. Perhaps the next time any of you are in NW DC with your camera, you should visit 1900 M Street and give the guard another lesson.

The Cranes Above Us Soarin

The Cranes Above Us Soarin by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #28
Continuing my morning photowalk, I headed over to a building that is under construction. The thing about new buildings that I like is that someone, somewhere had a idea that there should be a new building there, and now that idea is becoming reality. Can we build it? Yes we can!

To See You Again

To See You Again by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #27
This is not the first time that I've taken picture of glasses in a store window, nor is it even the second. I guess if you take enough picture you'll start to copy yourself. This one (and the next few that you will see) happened because it was Friday and I only had 2 pictures for the week thus far, so I brought my Sony a55 along with me to work. I should do this more if for no other reason that having a real camera in your hand nearly forces you to look for things to shoot.

Beyond the Wall

Beyond the Wall by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #26
This week's photochallenge was about man made objects in nature. Usually I try to shoot one or the other, so this was a fun challenge. One Thursday morning as I was getting ready for work I noticed how the early morning sunlight was hitting the non-fuctional wall in our backyard. I thought it would be worthwhile to get a shot of it, but my four-legged friend decided that I was in the backyard to be barked at or played with. Little did I know this was not the last time this week that I was going to be harassed about taking a picture from somewhere I had every right to be.