An abstract photograph of an old tree in Washington, DC

An abstract photograph of a rotted tree in Washington, DC

A rotted tree trunk in Glover-Archbold Park in Washington, DC

A tree trunk in Glover-Archbold Park in Washington, DC

Macro photograph of a flower in stained glass at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC

Macro photograph of a flower in stained glass at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC

Macro photograph of a flower in stained glass at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC

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 sill for me to set-up my tripod and get myself wedged into the window sill to take these photos.

Columns at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC

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.

A macro photograph of a large planter at the U.S. Botanic Gardens in Washington, D.C.

This is a color photograph of the planter previously posted in black and white.

A black and white abstract photograph of a large planter at the U.S. Botanic Gardens in Washington, D.C.

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 who turned out for that day’s special exhibit on orchids. (I had no idea orchids were so popular or that there were so many varieties.) As a result, I wasn’t able to use my tripod in the low light conditions and was constantly wary of knocking someone over or being knocked over myself. The appeal of the planter was its intricate texture and gothic feel, which almost made it seem out of place among the cleanly designed learning exhibits.

A star-shaped bolt holds up a retaining wall in Washington, DC.

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 examining it each time I walk my dog. Sometimes I do this at different times of the day to see the item under different conditions and light. Weeks may pass, but eventually I may venture out with my camera, and without my dog, to photograph the item.

This star is part of a large bolt that holds up a retaining wall next to a row house in my neighborhood. Apparently, it didn’t do a very good job of holding up the wall and Earth because the wall was demolished and replaced a few months after I took this photograph. Unfortunately, the new wall doesn’t have anything interesting on it to look at, but I’ll keep walking by with my dog anyway.

A close-up of a riverboat's paddle wheel in the Fells Point neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland

A riverboat is docked in the Fells Point neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland.

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 holds a riverboat to the dock in the Fells Point neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland.

Coiled rope holds a riverboat to the dock in the Fells Point neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland.

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 is a sure sign that it’s a place where real work is happening.

The rope in this photograph was used to moor a large river boat to the pier, and it caught my attention because of its shape as it sat in a pile on the edge of the pier and because of its texture, which I like to describe as “muscular.”