A bird flies high above 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, I framed a canted angle and waited for the bird in the sky to fly into the right position. In the far right corner, you can just make out the silhouette of a tall plant stretching itself into the frame as if to remind you that the botanic still rules this roof.

The Capitol Rotunda framed by the the greenhouse walls of 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 greenhouse roof. The light landed on glass of the greenhouse walls and roof in a way that created the appearance of dark streaks in the sky, which helps provide a different visual perspective on an iconic building.

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.