D.C. Metro abstracts

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D.C. Metro abstracts

August 29, 2015 by Mike Powell

In its simplest form, photography is about light and darkness, about lines and shapes. That was what I was seeking to capture when I took some shots in a Metro station in Rosslyn, Virginia earlier this week.

I took this week off from work and have spent a considerable amount of time thinking about photography, watching lots of videos, and shooting different subjects in different ways. I have even shot and developed some black and white film—I’ll do a separate posting on that soon.

This first shot highlights the distinctive ceilings that are present in many of the stations in the D.C. Metrorail system. I love the geometric patterns and the interplay of light and shadows in this image. I took this 1/3 second exposure by leaning my camera on a railing.

The Rosslyn station is at a point in the Metro system where the trains pass under the Potomac River. Consequently, the escalators are extremely long. As I rode the escalator up, I was fascinated by the different lights and captured this image when I was approximately at the mid-point between the level of the tracks and the above-ground station.

It was midday on a weekday, which is why you don’t see more people in this shot. Things get really crowded during rush hour and woe to those who do not follow the Metro etiquette of staying to the right on the escalator steps unless passing.

Posted in Architecture, Art, Photography, Urban | Tagged abstract, Canon 24-105mm lens, Canon 50D, metro, Washington D.C. | 15 Comments

15 Responses

on August 29, 2015 at 8:31 am | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

That first shot looks very futuristic, like what you would have seen in a 1960s space movie.
on August 29, 2015 at 8:36 am | Reply Dan Antion

I’m glad to see I’m not the only person who takes pictures inside train stations 🙂
- on August 31, 2015 at 4:57 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Dan. It’s a testimony to our current state of security, though, that several of my Facebook friends said I was lucky I did not get stopped by the police for suspicious behavior, i.e. scouting a location for a possible terrorist attack.
  - on August 31, 2015 at 10:08 am Dan Antion
    
    Yes, I get that too
on August 29, 2015 at 9:08 am | Reply Robyn Graham Photography

Excellent shots, Mike! I especially love the first one!
- on August 31, 2015 at 4:55 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Robyn. The first one is my favorite one too.
on August 29, 2015 at 9:35 am | Reply Chrissy

incredible shots
- on August 31, 2015 at 4:55 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks so much.
on August 29, 2015 at 9:56 am | Reply mvschulze

The images bring back a lot of memories, as I spent many days in the city and on the Metro during my career. Rossylyn, Arlington, (mainly for USA Today related things.) Nice pictures. M 🙂 (Film?….hmmmm, what is that )
- on August 31, 2015 at 4:54 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. Film? Yeah, they still make it. 🙂
on September 1, 2015 at 4:57 pm | Reply Sue

Cool shots, Mike, and well done!
- on September 1, 2015 at 6:38 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Sue. This was on one of my creative forays last week when I was trying to change things up.
on September 1, 2015 at 4:58 pm | Reply Sue

Meant to ask — what were your camera settings for these shots?
- on September 1, 2015 at 6:39 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  I’ll get back to you with the settings. The only one I remember was the 1/3 second exposure for the ceiling shot.
- on September 2, 2015 at 6:52 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Sue, for the ceiling shot, my settings were f/5, 1/3 sec, ISO 200, and 47mm (on a 24-105mm lens). For the escalator shot, they were f/5.6, 1/30 sec, ISO 200, and 28mm.