Metro Station in Washington, DC

Trains wait as passengers board at a Metro station in Washington, DC.

During our 2023 Virginia trip, we spent a couple of days in our nation’s capital, which of course is Washington, DC. On one of those days, we parked at a Metro station at the end of the line in Virginia and rode the Metro train into town. It was a fun experience for those of us who like mass transit (me), and it was much less stressful than driving into DC and looking for a place to park.

As it turns out, the underground Metro stations in the city are also rather photogenic, at least in my opinion. The curved ceilings/walls with their interesting shapes catching the lighting from below was very interesting to me, and it looks even better in monochrome.

In case you are wondering, the ceiling is darker in streaks because the trains are blocking the light. The light fixtures are in the center of the tunnel in between the trains, so that when trains are in the station, they block some of the light. Interesting!

Another View

Here is another view of a train in the station. In case you are wondering, for the first photo I was standing on the walkway that you can see in the distance in this second photo. And by this time, one of the two trains had left, so that there is more light on the ceiling than in the first photo.

So yes, I am one of those people who will take photos anywhere, including in a Metro station. Looking back, I am glad that I did.

You Are a Blessing

Throughout the year, I am focusing on Blessings. And I just wanted to take a few moments to say that you are a blessing. Yes, you.

You are a blessing to me if you are reading this. If no one were reading this, I would just be talking to myself. It would not be the first time, but it is much more meaningful to me if I am sharing with others. I keep up with website visitor numbers. I try not to obsess over them, although that is difficult sometimes. But I do always appreciate it when someone takes the time to read what I have written. So, thank you for being a blessing to me.

But you are also a blessing to others. I do not know the specifics for you individually,but I know that you are a blessing to someone, whether it is family, friends, coworkers, people down the street, church family, or maybe someone else. People appreciate you, even if you do not always know it, and even if they do not always tell you.

Keep on being a blessing to whoever is around you.

I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. - Philippians 1:3-5 CSV

About the Photos

These photos were not planned out in extensive detail. As we were walking, I saw what I thought would be good views, so I grabbed my camera and made some quick captures. It is always good to have your camera somewhat ready for whatever might come up.

Pretty early on, I knew that these photos would be good black and white photos, so I played around a little with the monochrome conversion, also turning up the contrast a good bit for strong black tones. Definitely eye-catching.

Photo: Each photo is a single Raw exposure, processed in Raw Therapee and GIMP.
Camera: Sony Alpha A7 II
Lens: Sony FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS lens
Date: July 27, 2023
Location: Washington, DC
Refer to the photo captions for specific settings for each photo