July 4th Fireworks Photos in Washington DC
These photos were taken July 4th, in Washington DC, sitting on the lawn underneath the Washington Monument (which is, in my opinion, the best place to watch the fireworks). If you decide to go, arrive at least an hour early to get a good spot on the lawn. Another popular place to sit is on the steps on the Lincoln Memorial, but there’s less space there, and there it’s much more crowded. After the fireworks, many nearby metro stations will be closed, and police out in full force, looking to smash heads. So walk quietly to a farther station, wait in line, and hope to get home!
These photos were taken by me with a Nikon D90 using the kit 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR ED lens at ISO 400, slow ~1/2s shutter, and f/6.3 at 22mm. My first time taking night fireworks pictures, hope they are OK!
For information about next year’s fireworks, About’s 4th of July page is worth a look!
Yellow Butterfly Photo
What type of butterfly is this? It was quite large (as big as my hand), and yellow / black! I’d love to know, so leave me some comments.
Hope Diamond Photos (Exclusive Unset!)
Did you know that the Hope Diamond, for the first time since it joined the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in 1958, is displayed unset? That’s right, the world-famous gigantic, 46 carat deep-blue grey diamond, is finally on display in its natural beauty. Sitting on a rotating pedestal inside a cylinder of 3-inch bulletproof glass, you can find it next to the main exhibit in the National Gem Collection.
Close up of the Hope Diamond
The rotating pedestal
Another angle of the gem, different facets
From the other side, again!
The platinum setting, composed of 16 white pear-shaped and cushion-cut diamonds, and a chain of forty-five diamonds. The Hope will return to its traditional setting in late 2010.
For more information about the long history of the Hope Diamond, check out the wikipedia article. Its origins, shrouded in theft and mystery, are a fascinating read! If you liked this post, leave a comment, and perhaps I’ll post photos of the Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond, also on display in the Smithsonian.