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Welcome to the PhotoTourism DC
Quick Reference Guide (Version 1)
I recently published the 29th article on PhotoTourism DC and I’ve begun to realize that there is a lot
of material to sort through, even for the most diehard photo/trip planners. I created PhotoTourism
DC to make your planning easier, not give you reading assignments. So in an effort to make sense of
everything I’ve published so far I’ve created this quick reference guide. It gives you a summary of the
articles on the site (when to go and what to pack), as well as additional information about visitor
levels, weather, and sunrise/sunset times. My intention has always been to give you the information
you need to get the most out of your trip to Washington, DC, and I am excited to consolidate that
information in one easy to download, easy to print, place.
In the upcoming pages, you'll notice that I’ve also laid out my vision for the future of PhotoTourism
DC; the sights and events around DC that I will write about in upcoming posts. I wanted give you a
reason to come back. I will periodically update this document with links and information as I write
new articles. While the lists of locations and events are extensive, they are not meant to be
comprehensive. I would love feedback from you about places I should check out, events I should
participate in, and places where I can seek photographic inspiration. If you have any advice or
questions for me, please use the link to my contact form on the bottom of this page.
I hope you find this information helpful and I look forward to more interaction with you in the future.
Brandon Kopp
All feedback is appreciated. Enter your commments or questions into my Contact Form.
MAP
When To Go - Time of Year
When To Go - Time of Day
What To Bring
Visitors to Washington, DC By Month
Sunrise and Sunset Times
Typical Weather
Resources
Table of Contents
Arlington National Cemetery Smithsonian Air and Space Museum DC World War I Memorial National Gallery of Art
The Big 3 Supreme Court Dumbarton Oaks National Museum of the American Indian
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial U.S. Capitol (Exterior) Dupont Circle National Museum of American History
Jefferson Memorial U.S. Capitol (Interior) Georgetown National Portrait Gallery
Korean War Memorial Vietnam Memorial Great Falls Park Old Post Office
Library of Congress Washington Monument Iwo Jima Memorial Pentagon 9/11 Memorial
Lincoln Memorial Washington National Cathedral Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens Smithsonian Udvar-Hazy Center
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial The White House McKee Beshers Wildlife Management Area Theodore Roosevelt Island
National Zoo World War II Memorial National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception Union Station
Smithsonian Castle Air Force Memorial National Arboretum U.S. Botanical Gardens
Smithsonian Natural History Museum
N
When To Go - Time of Year
My opinions about the best times of year to visit/photograph these
locations are shaped by the weather, number of visitors, and important
events. They are not meant to suggest that there aren't great opportunities
the rest of the year.
If you are not interested in the cherry blossoms, I would highly recommend
coming in the Fall (October or November). January
Febru
ary
Marc
h
AprilM
ayJu
neJu
lyAugu
st
Septe
mber
October
Novem
ber
Decem
ber
Must See
Loca
tio
ns
Arlington National Cemetery X X X X X
The Big 3 X X X
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
Jefferson Memorial X X X X X X X
Korean War Memorial
Library of Congress
Lincoln Memorial X X X
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial
National Zoo
Smithsonian Castle
Smithsonian Natural History Museum
Smithsonian Air and Space Museum
Supreme Court
U.S. Capitol (Exterior) X X X X X X
U.S. Capitol (Interior) X X X X X X
Vietnam Memorial
Washington Monument
Washington National Cathedral
The White House
World War II Memorial
Air Force Memorial
DC World War I Memorial X X X X X
Dumbarton Oaks
Dupont Circle
Georgetown
Great Falls Park
Iwo Jima Memorial
Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens
McKee Beshers Wildlife Management Area
National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
National Arboretum
National Gallery of Art
National Museum of the American Indian
National Museum of American History
National Portrait Gallery
Old Post Office
Pentagon 9/11 Memorial
Smithsonian Udvar-Hazy Center
Theodore Roosevelt Island
Union Station
U.S. Botanical Gardens
Must See
Hidden Gems
Loca
tio
ns
When To Go - Time of Year
My opinions about the best times of year to visit/photograph these
locations are shaped by the weather, number of visitors, and important
events. They are not meant to suggest that there aren't great opportunities
the rest of the year.
If you are not interested in the cherry blossoms, I would highly recommend
coming in the Fall (October or November). January
Febru
ary
Marc
h
AprilM
ayJu
neJu
lyAugu
st
Septe
mber
October
Novem
ber
Decem
ber
Must See
Loca
tio
ns
Must See
Loca
tio
ns
Capital Area Cobra Club Winter Ride
Cherry Blossoms X X
Fall Colors Around Washington, DC X X
Fireworks Over the National Mall
Full Moon Over DC
Library of Congress Reading Room Open House X X
Marine 1 X X X X X X X X X X X X
McMillan Resevoir Tours
National Cathedral Tower Tour
National Christmas Tree Lighting X
Rallies and Protests X X X X X X X X X X X X
Rolling Thunder
Tweed Ride
White House Correspondents' Dinner X
White House Easter Egg Roll
White House Garden Tours X X
Artomatic
Corcoran Art Museum
Events at National Geographic
Fotoweek DC
Newseum X X X X X X X X X X X X
TOTAL 5 6 7 8 6 3 4 3 8 13 11 7
Insp
irat
ion
Eve
nts
When To Go - Time of Day
Most of the memorials and monuments around DC are
open 24/7. If you want to avoid the crowds, go early.
Spend sunrises and sunsets outdoors and your days in
museums or locations with business hours, like Arlington
Cemetery.
Early M
ornin
g (12am
-5am
)
Morn
ing T
wili
ght (
5am-6
am)
Sunris
e (6am
-8am
)
During D
ay (8am
-4pm
)
Sunse
t (4:3
0pm-8
pm)
Evening T
wili
ght (
8pm-9
:30pm
)
After D
ark (9
:30pm
-12am
)
Hours of Operation
Loca
tio
ns
Must SeeArlington National Cemetery X Apr.-Sep. 8am-7pm; Oct.-Mar. 8am-5pm
The Big 3 X X X X X X N/A
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
Jefferson Memorial X X X X N/A
Korean War Memorial
Library of Congress
Lincoln Memorial X X X X X X N/A
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial X X X X N/A
National Zoo
Smithsonian Castle
Smithsonian Natural History Museum
Smithsonian Air and Space Museum
Supreme Court
U.S. Capitol (Exterior) X X X X X X X N/A
U.S. Capitol (Interior) X Mon.-Sat 8:30am-4:30pm
Vietnam Memorial
Washington Monument
Washington National Cathedral
The White House X X X N/A
World War II Memorial
Air Force Memorial
DC World War I Memorial X X X X X X X N/A
Dumbarton Oaks
Dupont Circle
Georgetown
Great Falls Park
Iwo Jima Memorial
Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens
McKee Beshers Wildlife Management Area
National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
National Arboretum
National Gallery of Art
National Museum of the American Indian
National Museum of American History
National Portrait Gallery
Old Post Office
Pentagon 9/11 Memorial
Smithsonian Udvar-Hazy Center
Theodore Roosevelt Island
Union Station
U.S. Botanical Gardens
Loca
tio
ns
Must See
Hidden Gems
When To Go - Time of Day
Most of the memorials and monuments around DC are
open 24/7. If you want to avoid the crowds, go early.
Spend sunrises and sunsets outdoors and your days in
museums or locations with business hours, like Arlington
Cemetery.
Early M
ornin
g (12am
-5am
)
Morn
ing T
wili
ght (
5am-6
am)
Sunris
e (6am
-8am
)
During D
ay (8am
-4pm
)
Sunse
t (4:3
0pm-8
pm)
Evening T
wili
ght (
8pm-9
:30pm
)
After D
ark (9
:30pm
-12am
)
Hours of Operation
Loca
tio
ns
Must See
Loca
tio
ns
Must SeeCapital Area Cobra Club Winter Ride
Cherry Blossoms X X N/A
Fall Colors Around Washington, DC X X X N/A
Fireworks Over the National Mall
Full Moon Over DC
Library of Congress Reading Room Open House X 10am-3pm
Marine 1 X N/A
McMillan Resevoir Tours
National Cathedral Tower Tour
National Christmas Tree Lighting X X 5pm-8pm
Rallies and Protests X X N/A
Rolling Thunder
Tweed Ride
White House Correspondents' Dinner X X 4:30pm-8:30pm
White House Easter Egg Roll
White House Garden Tours X Sat. 9am-4pm; Sun. 9am-3pm
Artomatic
Corcoran Art Museum
Events at National Geographic X X X Varies
Fotoweek DC
Newseum X 9am-5pm
TOTAL 4 6 9 12 13 9 4
Insp
irat
ion
Eve
nts
What to Bring
What to pack depends on your photographic interests
and the equipment you have available. Here is a peak
at my typical packing list when I head out to these
different locations.
SLR C
amera
Body
Mid
-Range Z
oom Le
ns (18-1
35mm
)
Wid
e-Angl
e Lens (
< 18m
m)
Telephoto
Lens (
> 135m
m)
Macr
o Lens
Table-T
op Trip
od/Goril
lapod
Monopod
Full-
Size
Trip
od
Circula
r Pola
rizin
g Filt
er
Neutral D
ensity F
ilter
Flash
Camera
Stra
p
Extra
Batte
ry(ie
s)
Lens C
leanin
g Supplie
s
Remote
Shutte
r Rele
ase
Small
Bag
Mediu
m B
ag
Larg
e Bag/
Backpack
Tripod Filter Accessories BagLens
Arlington National Cemetery X X X X X X X X X
The Big 3 X X X X X X X
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
Jefferson Memorial X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Korean War Memorial
Library of Congress
Lincoln Memorial X X X X X X X X X X
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial X X X X X X X X
National Zoo
Smithsonian Castle
Smithsonian Natural History Museum
Smithsonian Air and Space Museum
Supreme Court
U.S. Capitol (Exterior) X X X X X X X X
U.S. Capitol (Interior) X X X X X X X
Vietnam Memorial
Washington Monument
Washington National Cathedral
The White House X X X X X X X X
World War II Memorial
Air Force Memorial
DC World War I Memorial X X X X X X X X X X X
Dumbarton Oaks
Dupont Circle
Georgetown
Great Falls Park
Iwo Jima Memorial
Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens
McKee Beshers Wildlife Mangement Area
National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
National Arboretum
National Gallery of Art
National Museum of the American Indian
National Museum of American History
National Portrait Gallery
Old Post Office
Pentagon 9/11 Memorial
Smithsonian Udvar-Hazy Center
Theodore Roosevelt Island
Union Station
U.S. Botanical Gardens
Loca
tio
ns
Tripod Filter Accessories BagLens
Hidden Gems
Must See
What to Bring
What to pack depends on your photographic interests
and the equipment you have available. Here is a peak
at my typical packing list when I head out to these
different locations.
SLR C
amera
Body
Mid
-Range Z
oom Le
ns (18-1
35mm
)
Wid
e-Angl
e Lens (
< 18m
m)
Telephoto
Lens (
> 135m
m)
Macr
o Lens
Table-T
op Trip
od/Goril
lapod
Monopod
Full-
Size
Trip
od
Circula
r Pola
rizin
g Filt
er
Neutral D
ensity F
ilter
Flash
Camera
Stra
p
Extra
Batte
ry(ie
s)
Lens C
leanin
g Supplie
s
Remote
Shutte
r Rele
ase
Small
Bag
Mediu
m B
ag
Larg
e Bag/
Backpack
Tripod Filter Accessories BagLens
Loca
tio
ns
Tripod Filter Accessories BagLens
Must SeeCapital Area Cobra Club Winter Ride
Cherry Blossoms X X X X X X X X X X X X
Fall Colors Around Washington, DC X X X X X X X X X X X X
Fireworks Over the National Mall
Full Moon Over DC
Library of Congress Reading Room Open House X X X X X X X
Marine 1 X X X X X X
McMillan Resevoir Tours
National Cathedral Tower Tour
National Christmas Tree Lighting X X X X X X X X
Rallies and Protests X X X X X X X
Rolling Thunder
Tweed Ride
White House Correspondents' Dinner X X X X X X X X
White House Easter Egg Roll
White House Garden Tours X X X X X X X
Artomatic
Corcoran Art Museum
Events at National Geographic -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Fotoweek DC
Newseum X X X X X X X
TOTAL 18 17 8 8 2 3 0 7 7 1 6 17 17 18 6 0 14 6
Insp
irat
ion
Even
ts
January February March April May June July August September October November December Total
Washington, DC 1,175,533 1,511,400 1,343,467 1,847,267 1,511,400 1,511,400 2,015,200 1,511,400 1,343,467 1,343,467 1,007,600 671,733 16,793,333
January February March April May June July August September October November December Total
Lincoln 286,704 173,344 481,523 646,744 631,643 567,702 663,027 573,862 404,379 483,517 348,544 226,005 5,486,992
Jefferson 65,715 71,798 242,029 391,904 286,462 253,037 241,390 215,832 130,624 173,619 108,003 57,760 2,238,171
Washington 42,318 33,629 51,763 50,667 56,089 71,459 73,306 75,576 55,885 51,375 50,334 37,949 650,348
Franklin Delano Roosevelt 59,019 63,600 287,845 440,076 331,718 289,928 224,997 163,459 168,619 213,880 138,067 59,246 2,440,452
Visitors By Month
Washington, DC1
Presidential Memorials2
0
500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,500,000
January February March April May June July August September October November December
0
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000
700,000
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Lincoln Jefferson Washington Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Visitors By Month
Washington, DC1
January February March April May June July August September October November December Total
World War II 115,851 105,278 383,413 536,176 535,582 435,725 426,907 406,814 315,635 375,149 261,883 98,790 3,997,200
Vietnam 134,749 134,883 410,451 582,534 621,720 494,734 486,267 393,077 311,040 338,739 277,157 128,861 4,314,211
Korean 90,995 97,392 312,643 438,320 430,333 380,888 356,163 318,280 226,312 269,190 206,518 102,509 3,229,542
January February March April May June July August September October November December Total
Smithsonian Institution Building 84,037 52,395 137,904 239,263 136,998 184,058 239,073 185,245 117,694 132,809 97,198 88,756 1,695,428
Air and Space 304,047 245,343 622,128 948,096 827,119 820,561 1,065,773 824,462 418,317 527,656 426,041 337,921 7,367,463
American Indian 81,927 63,416 111,329 174,245 138,565 143,896 177,229 137,480 95,978 110,432 101,932 85,145 1,421,575
Natural History 326,508 275,899 609,215 931,584 782,267 847,388 1,008,694 705,132 366,637 460,908 420,845 386,362 7,121,438
American History 196,768 171,067 371,449 617,345 525,386 579,026 637,143 437,449 227,510 290,408 237,460 187,164 4,478,173
National Zoo 44,944 55,129 151,590 364,934 304,296 268,381 241,120 214,570 157,497 141,383 107,099 73,703 2,124,645
Washington, DC Visitor's Office
National Park Service Statistics Office
Smithsonian Institute Communications Office
2 Monthly statistics are averages of 2008-2011 data available at the
3 Monthly statistics are averages of 2008-2011 data available at the
1 Monthly statistics are averages of 2008-2010 data available at the
War Memorials2
Smithsonian Museums3
0
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000
700,000
January February March April May June July August September October November December
World War II Vietnam Korean
0
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
1,200,000
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Smithsonian Institution Building Air and Space American Indian Natural History American History National Zoo
TimeandDate.com
Sunrise and Sunset1
1 Sunrise/Sunset times for Washington, DC are available at
12:00 AM
1:00 AM
2:00 AM
3:00 AM
4:00 AM
5:00 AM
6:00 AM
7:00 AM
8:00 AM
9:00 AM
10:00 AM
11:00 AM
12:00 PM
1:00 PM
2:00 PM
3:00 PM
4:00 PM
5:00 PM
6:00 PM
7:00 PM
8:00 PM
9:00 PM
10:00 PM
11:00 PM
12:00 AM
January 1 February 1 March 1 April 1 May 1 June 1 July 1 August 1 September 1 October 1 November 1 December 1
Sunrise Sunset
January February March April May June July August September October November December
High 43 47 56 67 75 84 89 87 80 68 58 47
Low 29 31 38 47 56 66 71 70 63 51 41 33
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Precipitation (in.) 2.81 2.71 3.48 3.06 3.99 3.78 3.73 2.93 3.72 3.40 3.17 3.05
Rainy Days 7.8 7.3 8 7.6 8.9 7.5 7.8 7.4 5.9 5.7 6.7 7.1
Weather
Average Temperature (° F)1
Precipitation and Rainy Days1
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
January February March April May June July August September October November December
De
gre
es F
aren
he
it
High Low
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Pre
cip
itat
ion
(in
.)
Precipitation (in.) Rainy Days
Weather
Average Temperature (° F)1
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Cloudy 16 15 15 14 14 11 12 12 12 12 14 16
Partly Cloudy 7 7 8 9 10 11 12 10 8 8 8 7
Clear 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 9 10 11 8 8
Weather.com
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association
1 Monthly data for temperature and precipitation available at
2 Monthly data on cloud cover available from the
Cloudy Days2
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Nu
mb
er
of
Day
s
Cloudy Partly Cloudy Clear
Construction Update
Event Calendar
Map
Contact Form
No Photography Allowed
How I Plan Trips
Monumental Thoughts
DC Like a Local
PhotoGuide DC
Angela B Pan
(AKA AB Pan Photo)Pablo Benavente
(AKA pablo.raw)
Brian Mosley
(AKA Mosley.Brian)Eric Spiegel
Kevin
(AKA keviikev)
Phil
(AKA philliefan99)
Darren Barnes
(AKA Dwood Photography)
Craig
(AKA Aperturef64)Michael T. Ruhl Paul Frederiksen theqspeaks Victoria Pickering
Erin
(AKA ekelly80)Kimberly Faye Mr. T in DC LaTur Navin Sarma
Bill
(AKA Biketripper)
High Dynamic Range Photography
Tilt-Shift Effect in Photoshop
Lens Correction in Photoshop
Panoramic Stitching
Flickr
Google+
YouTube
Google Earth
The Photographer's Ephemeris
A few months after starting my blog, I found that someone else had the same idea (not sure which came first). His site is
similar, but different in some positive ways. I recommend checking it out.
Many, nearly all if I'm honest, of the photos on PhotoTourism DC use a technique called High Dynamic Range, or HDR. In this
article I spell out what it is and why in some circles it is considered controversial.
Early on in my DC photography career, I sought out photographers on Flickr and elsewhere for inspiration. Below (in no particular order) are some of the best DC
area photographers that I've found.
The tilt-shift effect makes items appear miniature by selectively blurring the foreground and background of an image. In this
article, I explain how to do this in Photoshop.
I found that a lot of the photos I took of buildings in DC, made the building appear to lean backward. This is due to lens
distortion. In this article, I explain how you can fix this by improving your technique, buying a new lens, or with a filter in
Photoshop.
Google Earth (the desktop version, not what you can find on Google Maps) is a powerful tour for exploring photo locations
before you get there. There are 3-D renderings of almost every building in DC so you can do a fly-by, check out where the
shadows will be at any time on any day, and much more.
Resources
PhotoTourism DC
Brandonkopp.com
My Social Media Sites
Other DC Travel/Photography Sites
Occasionally, all of your best made plans can be foiled when you show up to photograph an epic location and find it buried in
scaffolding. I try to take some of the guess work out of that by profiling locations in Washington that are under construction.
There is always something interesting going on around DC; protests, art shows, special events. I enter fun, photogenic events
into this calendar as I find them.
Much like the map at the beginning of this guide, except it is dynamic and updated more frequently.
I'm sure I forgot to include something important. If you have any questions about photographing Washington, DC or about
photography in general, drop me a line using this form.
PhotoTourism DC is all about when, where, and how to photograph around DC. I found that I wasn't mentioning those few
locations where you may want to photograph but can't. This article gives you the rundown.
I am a planner when I go on trips. This article covers some of the tools I like to use and how I apply them when I write articles
for PhotoTourism DC.
I've met a lot of great people through my blog, and Rick, a licensed DC tour guide, is one of them. He writes a blog, publishing
a new article just about every day, that looks at the history behind some of the intricate details carved into DC (the statues, the
engravings, the headstones).
Amazing DC Photographers
I used this site a lot when I first moved to DC. It is written by a tour guide and gives great historical background on the must-see
attractions around DC and advice about how best to visit them.
This is the ultimate tool for sunrise/sunset and moonrise/moonset photographers. It will tell you when and where the sun and
moon will be in the sky at any given time. It allows you to plot this on a map so you can determine where is the best place to
go to stand to get a great foreground for your image.
I've recently become infatuated with stitching photos together into panoramas and vertoramas. In this article, I explain why
one might want to do this and then walk you through how it's done.
If you want to see all of my photography in one place, Flickr is the best place to do it. I have it organized by type of
photography, location (including individual sights in DC), and by special collections (e.g., tilt-shift photos).
I've met so many cool people through Google+. It has one of the best photography communities in social media, and there is a
strong DC presence on there.
This is my microblog for PhotoTourism DC. Not everything is going to get its own post. This is where you can get quick
information, new photos, and hear about updates to PhotoTourism DC and my other web products.
I dabble in timelapse photography. You can find these videos on my YouTube channel. I also haven't ruled out the idea of
making more PhotoTourism DC videos. Who likes to read anyways?
Tools
This is the newest in my collection of social media accounts. On Pinterest, I collect "ideas" from other photographers about
promising photo locations at different places I plan to travel. Most of my boards on Pinterest are covered with other people's
work, but there is some of mine as well.
![DUMBARTON OAKS HAGIOGRAPHY DATABASE - doaks.org · [ 2 ] ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The staff and directors of the Hagiography Database Project would like to express their appreciation to Dumbarton](https://img.dokumen.tips/doc/110x75/5cdc2ad088c9933a288c2ea9/dumbarton-oaks-hagiography-database-doaksorg-2-acknowledgments-the-staff.jpg)
