Memorial Day

First, Thank You to our veterans on this Memorial Day weekend.  Here are some images from various Rolling Thunder motorcycle rallies in Washington, DC, over the years.  Please click on images to enlarge.

The gentleman in the foreground is photographing the riders going past him.  The patch on his vest is what caught my eye.  I slowed the shutter and held the camera steady to add motion blur to the motorcycle.

Marine Vietnam veteran.  The patches, military decorations and pins tell each rider's story.

 They'll never forget.

 President George W. Bush aboard Marine One in 2008 as Rolling Thunder passes the US Capitol.  The rider in the foreground with the huge Marine Corps flag attached to his motorcycle typifies most Marines: they display their branch of service proudly whenever and wherever possible.  Someone once said that if you counted the number of Marine Corps bumper stickers on vehicles you'd think we were the largest branch of service.

 Here I slowed the shutter and panned the camera with the motorcycle to blur the background.

Little girl reaching out to the riders to show her support.  I loved how she held her American flag so proudly.

Former WWII Marine Phil Davidson holding a picture of himself taken in 1937 on his first Harley-Davidson motorcycle.  As soon as I saw the 4th Marine Division pin on his vest, I knew he fought on Iwo Jima.

Todd A. Smith is a retired US Marine and a professional No. VA, VA, DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY architectural photographer with offices in Alexandria, VA and Spring Lake, NJ.  Please visit http://www.tasphoto.com/ to see examples of his architectural photography.

Quality in the Details: Tradition Homes

Had the pleasure of shooting for a new client this week, Tradition Homes of McLean, Virginia.  Tradition Homes builds custom homes in the time honored tradition of excellent design, quality material and impressive craftsmanship.  The two homes I photographed felt solidly built the minute we walked in. My assignment was to illustrate Traditon Homes' range of woodworking options on such details as door trim, crown molding, coffered ceilings, wainscoting and newel posts.  Please click on images to enlarge.

 Crown molding in coffered ceiling.

 Stairway newel post.

 Baseboard with plinth on door frames.

 Beadboard ceiling and crown molding.

 Crown molding.

 Interior passage door frame.

Wainscoting in stairway.

It was a pleasure to see the quality of the materials and workmanship in Tradition Homes properties.  And its great to see homebuyers recognize such quality and invest in a home that will last for generations.

Todd A. Smith is a No. VA, VA, DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY architectural photographer with offices in Alexandria, VA and Spring Lake, NJ. Please visit http://www.tasphoto.com/ to see examples of his residential, commercial, hotel, historic and scale model architectural photography.

Pentagon Attack Remembrance

As the world contemplates the demise of Osama Bin-Laden, I want to share an image I took on September 11th, 2006.  These are beams of light that went up from the Pentagon on the night of the fifth anniversary of September 11th, 2001. There is one beam of light for each of the 189 victims and here is how it looked.

Please click on image to enlarge.

Todd A. Smith is a No. VA, VA, DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY architectural photographer with offices in Alexandria, VA and Spring Lake, NJ.  Please visit http://www.tasphoto.com/ to see recent examples of his architectural photography.

View From London Hotel Room

With all the attention of the Royal wedding this past week, I am reminded of an image I created in London.  A few years ago, I had the pleasure of working in London for the Washington, DC law firm of Covington & Burling.  The firm put us up at the Savoy Hotel right on the Strand, just a few blocks from their London office.  When I saw this view from the window in my room, I just had to photograph it.

Please click on image to enlarge.

From left to right, one can see: the London Eye, Hungerford Bridge, Westminster Bridge, Westminster Palace (Houses of Parliament), Victoria Tower, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey.

Would love to return to London some day soon with my cameras as I did not have time to explore the city while on assignment.

Todd A. Smith is a Washington, DC, VA, MD, NJ, NY architectural photographer with offices in Alexandria, VA and Spring Lake, NJ. Please visit http://www.tasphoto.com/ to see examples of his architectural photography.