In my last blog post, I was thrilled to announce that one of my photos is gracing the cover of National Geographic. So how do I follow that up in my next post? Is it possible to even compete with this news? Unlikely, unless of course I photograph the landing of a UFO on the White House lawn. Followed by a series of photos, of a conga line of little green men exiting the spaceship. But I digress… The short answer is no, I can’t top this news, and that’s okay. After all, I’m still having a hard time wiping the grin off of my face, and I don’t think that the grin is going away any time soon.
I want to thank all my readers who left me such awesome comments here on my blog, on Twitter, and Facebook. I am also touched by all the nice emails I received, it really meant a lot to me. What a great feeling to know that there are so many people out there who are celebrating this nice moment with me.
Oh yes… Today’s photo. While there is no National Geographic yellow rectangle around this photo, it s a photo from the city where Nat Geo is located, not much of a tie in , but hey, I tried! The Library of Congress in Washington D.C. is not one building, but rather three separate buildings. The John Adams Building, the James Madison Memorial Building, and the Thomas Jefferson Building which we see in the above photo. In terms of number of books and shelf space, the Library of Congress is the largest library in the world. The library is open to the public, but only members of the U.S. Congress, Supreme Court Justices, and other high ranking government officials are permitted to check out the books. If you are ever in Washington D.C. make a point of walking through the corridors of the Jefferson building, the interior as you can see from the photograph, is spectacular.
Moments before taking this photo I was attempting to take a shot from another vantage point and a tour group walked right in front of me. I’m glad they did, because the woman leading the tour was very informative. She was talking about the mosaic in the middle of the photograph Elihu Vedder’s Minerva of Peace. Walk up to this beautiful work of art and you’ll be amazed at the craftsmanship and incredible details. The symbolism in the artwork is quite interesting too. The guide went on to explain about all the different elements in the mosaic, like the spear, crown, serpentine necklace, owl, winged figure, helmet and more. She then talked about how the mosaic was installed before continuing on. I wish I could have followed the group, but I had to get back to taking photos. There is so much to see in Washington D.C. and with only a few days to explore, I had to make the best of the limited time I had there.
On a side note, photographers can register the copyright on their photos with the Library of Congress, to best protect their rights in case of copyright infringement. I’ll be writing about just how to do that in a few weeks. Copyright is a very important topic for photographers and other artists, and often misunderstood. I’m looking forward to sharing some valuable tips and information with you on the subject of photographer’s copyright, so look for that in an upcoming blog post.
Enjoy more travel photos and stories:
Your photos are always so gorgeous. The Library of Congress is a little slice of Europe. I love the fountain sculptures and, of course, the Jefferson reading room.
I Love the Lights…great Work.
greetings from Germany
Beautiful indeed! Even though I know the feeling is not the same for you, I think your pictures don’t need the yellow frame, as they are always just simply amazing.
I even feel like I want to be a high ranking government official now, so I can go check out the books in such a beautiful place.
Very nice image, I like how the warm tones in the top of the image play off the cooler tones on the bottom of the image. Copyright is an important protection photographers should embrace, I no longer publish any of my images on the Internet until after I have registered them in the Copyright Office.
Wow! Love the framing and composition of this photo! I don’t know how you do it, but you consistently create amazing images with your use of lighting. Great job! C.
Nice shot, though intersting to see you have cropped off the light burst at the bottom of the image. Is this where the image natually ended or was there something there affecting the shot?
I look forward to reading about the copyright stuff in the future also, thanks.
Congrats again on the National Geographic nod. Truly amazing and exciting. Every photographers dream! This one could be a cover shot too! Good information on registering with the library of congress, will keep our eyes peeled for your future tips and information.
Charles, I agree, it’s like stepping into an old Parisian palace. Wish I could take the time to go and sit in the Jefferson reading room and read for hours. I love libraries.
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Marco, Haben Sie vielen Dank!
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Thanks Gaby! One day you’ll be running the U.N. and I’m sure they will let you check out some books ;)
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Wayne, good job on registering your copyright. You’re doing it the right way!
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Carlos, thank you so much my man, you always manage to make me smile!
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Murphyz, I cropped on purpose. Since in the middle archway below there was a Christmas tree. It would have been rather distracting. I have a great shot of it from another vantage point :)
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Dave and Deb, Thanks guys! I’m still walking on air after getting that cover. Take care and safe travels.
Hey Ken,
So I came across your blog from a comment you left on mine. And boy am I glad I did. Your photos are FANTASTIC! Congrats on the Nat Geo scoop. You have a new follower :)
Beautiful photography, Ken! I just recently discovered your blog, and as I’m a librarian myself, just had to comment on this post. Just a slight correction: it’s an unfortunate and common myth that only government officials or special researchers can check out books (for some reason a lot of the docents believe this, but it is just not true). There are indeed special reading rooms reserved for members of Congress, but any member of the public with a valid ID can register for a library card here, and can check out books from the circulating collections. If you ever get a chance, get your card and take a seat in the Main Reading Room-a magnificent place to photograph, if you can get permission.