Edwin Mah photography
film
Stained Glass at the National Cathedral (3 photos)
The stained glass window that contained these flowers is in a staircase off to the side of the balcony at the National Cathedral, and it’s fair to say that I would have missed this window had I not gotten lost trying to find my way back downstairs. Luckily, there was just enough room on the [...]
Columns at the National Cathedral
While it’s tempting to focus on what’s at the top of the columns at the National Cathedral, I was drawn to the base of these columns because of their texture, the shadows, and the contrast between the base’s curves and the vertical nature of the columns that reached upwards toward the ornate ceiling.
Organ at the National Cathedral
The National Cathedral with a myriad of things to photograph. While this organ isn’t The Great Organ with 189 ranks and 10,647 pipes, it was impressive in its own way as it sat on display in a space behind a row of pews. The organ’s worn keys, pedals, and chassis are a visual reminder of [...]
A bird through the roof of the U.S. Botanic Gardens
This photograph was another attempt to find more light in the U.S. Botanic Gardens. Looking up, I saw the structured grid created by the panes on the greenhouse roof being intersected by another diagonal structure, which looks to be a stairway to the observation catwalk. Rather than frame the shot with horizontal and vertical lines, [...]
The Capitol Rotunda from the U.S. Botanic Gardens
In an earlier post, I briefly mentioned that there’s not much available light to work with inside the U.S. Botanic Gardens, especially on a cloudy day. I came across this composition after looking upward toward the only source of light in the large greenhouse and seeing the Capitol Rotunda peeking above the top of the [...]
Planter at the U.S. Botanic Gardens in color
This is a color photograph of the planter previously posted in black and white.
Planter at the U.S. Botanic Gardens in black and white
This planter is located in a side room of the U.S. Botanic Gardens; it sat near the entrance to the room away from the hands-on exhibits where people could touch and feel things and quiz themselves on their knowledge of plants. The challenge with photographing at the Botanic Gardens was the sheer number of people [...]
Senna (2 photos)
As a puppy, Senna would rest with his feet tucked under him and head held high as if he were a young lion looking out over his kingdom. Because his temperament is naturally dominant, confident, and outgoing, he didn’t hesitate to bully my girl, Grendel, and become the alpha dog of the house even though [...]
Thirty-two (4 photos)
This set of photographs was motivated by the interesting shapes and contrasting colors of the number 32 on a trolley car in Glen Echo Park, Maryland. This, of course, is the same trolley car that was the subject of the rusty trolley, trolley wheel, and suspension posts. The first photograph in this set captures the [...]
Rusty Trolley (2 photos)
This trolley car’s rusty chassis and peeling paint reflect its age and exposure to the elements. Besides providing great texture for photographing, the rust and peeling paint reveal what is no longer visible as well: the innumerable stories of its riders. Who were they, and where were they going? To work; to visit a loved [...]
Trolley Wheel (2 photos)
These two photos were taken after the I took the photos of the rusty suspension parts of the trolley car. I was drawn to the hub of trolley wheel, which was nicely textured by the rust and had bolts resembling eyes.
Suspension (2 photos)
Just behind one of small art gallery in Glen Echo Park is an antique street trolley car that sits on a set of rails. No one is allowed to sit in the car, of course, but there’s nothing to stop you from getting as close as possible or even touch the car. The texture of [...]
Crystal Pool (2 photos)
Although it doesn’t serve any practical purpose at Glen Echo Park since it can more accurately be described as a wall, the Crystal Pool building is a prominent feature in the park that is often a willing subject for artists painting en plein air; and if I had to guess, it’s probably frequently photographed as [...]
Locks & Paint (3 photos)
There’s a yellow and blue door on the front of the Crystal Pool building in Glen Echo Park, Maryland to keep people from getting to the other side of the wall. Like the building itself, the two doors are dilapidated with paint cracking and peeling from top to bottom. What’s left of the paint doesn’t [...]
Ivy on Wall (4 photos)
I don’t know the name of this ivy, but it seems to be growing everywhere across the Washington, DC area. This was especially true for the Crystal Pool building in Glen Echo Park, Maryland where the ivy covered much of the right side of the building. It’s probably not accurate to even call the Crystal [...]
Catch
After Memorial Day each year, the Memphis Italian Festival is held to celebrate the “values of family, faith and fellowship in the Italian-American tradition.” The proceeds from the festival benefit the Holy Rosary Parish School, and it’s a fun event to people watch and try a variety of Italian food. When I came across these [...]
Memphis (4 photos)
My first SLR was a Pentax K1000 that I purchased from a used camera store in Memphis, Tennessee. I eventually replaced that Pentax, but sometimes I wish I had it just to see the exposure needle move up and down in the viewfinder again. The two sunset photos were taken from Tom Lee Park on [...]
Blue Car (2 photos)
Since I’d made plans to meet some friends at the Folger Shakespeare Library one Saturday morning, I decided to get to Capitol Hill early to take a few photographs to finish off a roll of slide film. After walking around for thirty minutes, I came across this antique car parked on the street. I’m sure [...]
Star
I often come across items that I want to photograph when I’m walking my dog; and when I see something interesting, I stop and look at it for a few minutes to visualize ways that it could be photographed. I don’t necessarily photograph the item right away or even at all, but I usually keep [...]
Paddle Wheel (2 photos)
One of the most prominent features of Fells Point is the riverboat that sits in the dock. Shortly after photographing the rope that moored the riverboat to the dock, I was drawn to the paddle wheel and decided to make its vivid colors, angles, shapes, and lines the focal point of these photographs.
Rope (2 photos)
I don’t travel to Baltimore much; but when I do, I often find myself in the Fells Point neighborhood, which is more authentic than the Inner Harbor tourist haven. In Fells Point, you can watch tugboats and barges (I hope that’s the correct name for these boats) pulling in and out of the harbor, which [...]
Broadway & Thames
This photograph was taken at the end of an afternoon in the Fells Point neighborhood in Baltimore. In fact, it was taken a few hours after I took the Rope photograph, and I was actually lucky to have gotten it because the batteries in my camera died immediately after I pressed the shutter. Because I [...]