Snowpocalypse 2009 in D.C.

Winter Wonderland in Foggy Bottom, originally uploaded by soleil1016.

The Washington, DC metro area received around 18" of snow in 24 hours this past weekend. For most of us, including myself, it was a good excuse to leave the car parked and stay home in our pajamas all day, wrapping Christmas gifts and catching up on things around the house. I did manage to bundle up and get outside for a few photos on Saturday afternoon, just as the snow was beginning to taper off. A few shots are featured here, and the full gallery is available on flickr.

Thank you to DCBlogs for including the above photo in DC Blogs Noted for December 21, 2009.

Foggy Bottom Rowhouses, originally uploaded by soleil1016.

Ski D.C., originally uploaded by soleil1016.

Bike's Day Off, originally uploaded by soleil1016.

Snow Jogger, originally uploaded by soleil1016.

Middleburg Hunt Christmas Parade 2009

Middleburg Hunt Christmas Parade 2009, originally uploaded by soleil1016.

It was a very snowy day for the Middleburg Hunt's Christmas parade this year in downtown Middleburg, Virginia. The snow made for some beautiful scenery but also difficult photography. My Canon 40D is not fully weather-sealed, so keeping it safely dry was a challenge. It was a great morning, though... everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves despite the wet weather, and I came home with several shots I was happy with.

A couple of my favorites follow below; the full set can be viewed here.

Middleburg Hunt Christmas Parade 2009, originally uploaded by soleil1016.

Middleburg Hunt Christmas Parade 2009, originally uploaded by soleil1016.

"Sand and Foam"

"Sand and Foam", originally uploaded by soleil1016.

It has been a busy fall here, and I apologize for the lack of photoblog posts. To start the holiday season off on a tranquil note, here is a shot from my recent weekend in Puerto Rico - a little stroll on the beach sounds pretty nice right now, to work off all that turkey I ate last week!

EXIF:
Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1600)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 17 mm
ISO Speed: 100

Late day sun at Pike Place Market

Late day sun at Pike Place Market, originally uploaded by soleil1016.

Finally finished editing most of my photos from my trip back to Washington last month. This photo of the streets around Seattle's Pike Place market has some crazy lens flare (intentional), but I like the effect. Shot with the XSi and EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lens.

EXIF:
Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Exposure: 0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture: f/11.0
Focal Length: 17 mm
ISO Speed: 200

Meet Lacey!

Lacey, originally uploaded by soleil1016.

Lacey is my family's new Australian Shepherd pup. Unfortunately, she is growing up clear across the country in Washington state, but I did get to spend a couple of weeks with her while she was still in the young puppy stage. What a cutie.

I took a number of portraits of her, but I love the way her eyes jump out at you in this shot. I used Adobe Lightroom for most of the post-processing, applying the "Aged Photo" effect for the sepia conversion.

EXIF:
Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Lens: EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 55 mm
ISO Speed: 400

"Old Waffle Shop" a Finalist in the Washingtonian contest!

Old Waffle Shop, originally uploaded by soleil1016.

My photo "Old Waffle Shop", which features the classic 1950s diner in Penn Quarter located across the street from Ford's Theater (site of Lincoln's assassination), is a finalist in the July "Best Photo" contest at Washingtonian magazine. If it wins, it will be published in the September issue!

Please place your vote by July 31, 2009 at http://www.washingtonian.com/blogarticles/people/capitalcomment/13093.html

Thanks!

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Thank you also to FamousDC for the shout-out on July 21!