The final countdown

It's Saturday afternoon and in exactly one week from now I'll be boarding a plane to fly home to Atlanta. What a summer this has been. All of my expectations have been exceeded. I've learned more than I thought I would, saw more than I thought I would, and have had an all-around fantastic experience. I was told by our bureau chief at the beginning of the summer that the internship will be what I make of it, and I feel I can say confidently that I took advantage of every opportunity that I had.

I finished up this past week with a visit to the White House. I photographed Marine One landing on the South Lawn as President Obama came back from a trip to Michigan. Alan came too and since we don't know if we'll come back to the White House next week, we took the opportunity to take all the touristy pictures we wanted just in case. Below are photos of Obama saluting the Marine as he comes down the steps of Marine One, me in the White House press briefing room and me in front of the West Wing.

This week will be an entire week of building the Hearst photo archive. With the president out of town several days and the House in recess there won't be too much going on, but you never know what will come up. For now, I'm anticipating spending a lot of time with my computer and combing through the 20,000+ images I took this summer and pulling out the best of the best for the archive of people which Hearst will use photos of again. As a fun side project I will be building a blooper reel of the people in Washington I've photographed this summer. Let's face it, not every picture I take is going to be flattering and I've had some that are just downright hilarious so look for that towards the end of next week.

Still on my list of things to do and see: inside of the Library of Congress, go to Georgetown Cupcake, and walk Embassy Row.

Midday update

One of my photos from the Arlington funeral ran on the front page of Albany Times-Union today. This is my second front page photo of the summer, but this one is above the fold and for a bigger paper. Had to share it with everyone since I was so excited! You can see the front page here: http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/hr.asp?fpVname=NY_TU&ref_pge=lst

Tying up loose ends

I have approximately nine days left in DC and way too much stuff to fit into that time frame. I have heard adults complain about how much there is to do before "leaving a job" and moving onto the next thing in their life, but I never really understood how complicated that can be until now. All of the long term projects have to be wrapped, I have to turn in my paper on my internship experience shortly, I have to see the sights I've missed so far and on top of that I have to pack to move home. All of this is starting to set in and I've found myself with little free time left, if any, and the next nine days with be filled to the brim with work and play and extremely tiring. But I'm ready for it.

I had a fantastic time this weekend with Lucy and Erica in town visiting from Berry. I won't bore you with the details of everything we did, just know we saw everything there is to see and is humanly possible to see in a single weekend. If you're really curious, go reread my Fourth of July post from when my family was in town. We basically did all of the same things plus a few extras.

The week has been off to a busy start. I'm still working on rounding up photos of Texas representatives. The verdict is out on whether I will give photos of all of them, but I'm not optimistic. There are too many last minute schedule changes in this town to get photos of everyone you need. I photographed the education secretary, Arne Duncan, on Tuesday when he announced the phase two finalists of Race to the Top funding. Fun fact: I learned at this event he played professional basketball for a couple years after college. His strangely tall stature then made more sense.

Today, I had the privilege of photographing a funeral at Arlington. And while I was by no means excited to be there, I felt honored to be able to photograph the event. The fallen soldier was Pfc. David Taylor Miller, a 19 year old from Saratoga Springs. The photographers were held in a 10 by 10 foot area away from the gravesite so as not to distract the family and friends that gathered at the gravesite. I was thankful to have the distance because it kept me focused on the job I came to do and helped me keep emotions in check during a very heart-wrenching ceremony. Nineteen is two years younger than I am. No one that young should have to die, but I'm thankful for Pfc. Miller's service to our country and very sorry for the loss of the Miller family. Below are a few images that included the military honor guard and the presentation of the American flags to Pfc. Miller's mother and father.

Toughening Up

The week peaked with the coolest event on Tuesday. However, I've stayed busy since then and have photographed the press conference announcing the Tea Party as an official caucus, a press conference with Senators Reid and Kerry, and a hearing where Ken Feinberg was testifying. He matters because he's managing the $20 billion fund being distributed to those who were affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Throughout the internship, I have seen my photographs morph. As another intern pointed out, he feels they have gone from snapshots to photos with artistic interest. Not only have I learned from myself, but I've also learned from the impressive crowd of photographers I'm shooting with. I take note of what the AP photographers are doing and how they approach a subject. I also try to do things differently than them because ultimately they're who I'm competing against in trying to get my photos published. And even though all of the guys shooting for AP, Getty, and Reuters have far more experience than I do I'm occassionally successful in beating them out to get published. On Wednesday, I had one of my photos published of the press conference with Prime Minister Cameron and President Obama in the San Antonio Express-News. Before I go to Capitol Hill or the White House to shoot an event one of our editors often asks me if I've sharpened my elbows today. He knows the competitive nature of DC photographers and has told me he's been impressed with how I've kept up with them, despite coming away with bruises after many events.

At this point, I've got two weeks left in this town and I plan to make the most of it. I know I'm giong to have a great weekend because two great friends from Berry are coming to visit me! It will be a marathon weekend of site seeing and with a heat index of 110 degress on Saturday I'm just praying we survive. Look for pictures of the weekend on Monday, but for now I'll include the photos from the events I mentioned earlier. From top to bottom, Rep. Michele Bachmann at the Tea Party press conference, Ken Feinberg at a subcommittee hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and Senators Reid and Kerry at a press conference outside the Senate Chamber.

A Powerful Day

Today I had the privilege of photographing the U.S. Attorney General, Britain's new prime minister, the vice president and the president all in one day. I think this was the most nervous I have been yet in Washington. When Prime Minister Cameron and President Obama entering the East Room at the White House I was more aware than usual of the power and influence these two men hold in this world and the strength of the relationship between the U.S. and Great Britain. Both commented on this relationship in their remarks and expressed their gratitude to one another. It was definitely a day and an event I'll remember forever. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. I believe you'll recognize those who are in them.

The six week mark

Today is the two thirds mark of my internship and I have three weeks left in this town. I'm sad to leave, but I hope to be able to come back here to work someday.

Today was a quiet day, as most Fridays are. I made it to 13 of the 14 hearings I was scheduled to be at this week. Unfortunately, the congressmen didn't have as good of an attendance record so I will be coordinating with all of their press secretaries to ensure I get photos of them this upcoming week. I was able to get photos of five or six representatives, so it wasn't a total waste of time.

I didn't get this post finished on Friday so I'll pick up with the events of the weekend and Monday. This weekend was probably the hottest I've experienced in DC yet. I don't believe the weather channel for a second, the humidity level had to have been higher than 40% because it was just unbearable. I stayed inside as much as possible, but I did venture out to see Madeline Albright's collection of pins at Smithsonian Castle. It was so interesting and would encourage anyone to go that is in town. Albright used brooches and pins that she wore on her jacket to express her mood for that day. Feel free to approach her is she is wearing a flower or butterfly, but if she's wearing a snake you may want to think twice. Every pin is so unique and different and her collection comes from all around the world. I spent the rest of the weekend resting in preparation for two friends from Berry to come visit. I have a marathon planned for them over a long weekend so it should be a lot of fun to show them around town.

Today was pretty calm. I started my day at the White House with a statement by the president in the Rose Garden. I hadn't been to one yet this summer so it was a good experience to have and offered a different setting to photograph the president.

Coming up this week is my continued efforts to photograph the members of the Texas delegation, an event with Vice President Biden (haven't seen him yet this summer), and a joint press conference with President Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron on his first visit to the U.S. as prime minister. Should be a good week.

Another day, another president...and a bomb threat

Don't worry...the presidential event and bomb threat were on two different days, in two different places, but it definitely made for an interesting 24 hours. Last night I saw Clinton speak at an event celebrating 15 years of U.S.-Vietnam diplomatic relations. This was my third president I've covered and it was a lot of fun. Clinton spoke along with Senators Kerry and McCain. The event was a mix and mingle type setting with just a few VIP tables so I was able to get on the far side of the table with Clinton, Kerry, and McCain and got some good shots of them. Today, when I was coming back from lunch I ran into police about a block from my office who were frantically pushing people out of the area and setting up caution tape. In DC, this usually just means someone's motorcade is coming by, but this time the police seemed a bit more worried. I went up to the office and a few minutes later found out (thanks to Twitter) there was a suspicious package about two blocks from the office. So I grabbed my camera and went back downstairs to wait and see what was going to happen. An hour went by before the bomb unit showed up, but then a man appeared in a green space like suit to inspect the package. The officer was pretty small even with my zoom lens. They obviously wanted to keep everyone at a safe distance in case it was something. Eventually the suspicious package was disassembled and it turned out to be nothing, but it kept everyone on their toes for awhile. After, I was able to get right up to the "bomb" and get photos of it while several officers waited for a crime scene investigator to come take photos. In the meantime, the Washington Post had been putting out traffic updates in their website since a huge area was shut down for this event. Alan had the idea to send my photos to them and see if they would publish them since he had an editor that he knew at the Post. I hadn't seen any other photographers around so I thought I might have a shot, and sure enough they published one of my photos of the "suspicious package" so the people could see what had caused a three hour interruption to their day. Tomorrow should be extremely calm by comparison and I'm looking forward to it. Photos and Washington Post link are below.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/drgridlock/2010/07/suspicious_package_at_metro_ce.html#comments

One of "those" days

Today was one of those days were nothing went as it was planned to. I went to the Senate Judiciary committee to photograph them voting on Kagan and Republicans delayed the vote. I went to two hearings to get photos of four members of the Texas delegation and none of them showed. So this has probably been the least productive day I've had in Washington, but since all the other days have been so great it's okay. Our national editor, Dan, was encouraging and said that sometimes happen and there's lots of schedule changes and that there was no rush on the archive. I have seven hearings to go to tomorrow so hopefully the Texans will have better attendance and I'll be able to get some good photos of them in action. Unfortunately, there is no photo of the day today so I'll pull a few others from my Sunday night walk. We started the walk near the Washington Monument and also walked by the Capitol and normally photos wouldn't be that great since it was so dark out, but the gleaming white dome of the Capitol actually showed up and I think they turned out alright.

Gorgeous sites of Washington

Since Sunday night turned out to be semi-cool and clear Arleta, Alan, and I decided it would be a perfect night to make the hike out to the Jefferson Memorial. It is definitely a far walk, but it's worth it because it's right on the water and is very serene. We arrived just before sunset and it couldn't have been any prettier. The pictures don't do it justice, but they're better than words.

This week will be quite busy. In my efforts to continue building the photo archive I'll be on Capitol Hill taking photos of as many members of the Texas delegation as I can. There are 33 members of the Texas delegation so over the next three days I'll be going to 14 hearings that various members are serving on. Many hearings are at the same times, often in different buildings, so it will definitely be a marathon. I'm hoping for a perfect attendance record for the Texans, which is really unheard of in Washington, but if I don't get all the photos taken care of this week I will have a little more time before I head home in early August. Well wishes are appreciated for this borderline insane task I'm trying to complete this week.

The calm before the storm

I wrapped up the week with a very quiet Friday at the office. The bosses took the Hearst interns to the National Press Club for taco night. It was a very nice place that's rich with history and when you throw in a free dinner that makes for a great night. After, Alan and I went to see Toy Story 3. I loved it and thought it was just perfect in every way. I'll leave it at that so I won't spoil the movie for anyone, but if you haven't seen the movie yet it's definitely worth it. On Saturday, Alan and I visited the Postal Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. I made a list of things I wanted to do in DC before I came so I'm slowly chipping away at it and trying to get everything done before I leave. I really enjoyed looking at all the stamps from around the world from different parts of history. There were stamps with Hitler on them, from East and West Berlin, and Amelia Earhart's stamp collection. The National Portrait Gallery was huge and we didn't have enough time to see everything, but we saw the highlights. The first portrait I saw was of LL Cool J which I thought was really weird, but since it is a new arrival it was near the entrance. I really enjoyed the presidential portraits and sports champions. We saw the 20th century portraits as well such as Ellen Degeneres, Michael Jackson, and Marilyn Monroe. They also had four of Katherine Hepburn's Oscar awards.

Today is going to be a calm day. I just plan to rest before "the storm" of Congress comes back tomorrow and Capitol Hill becomes much busier again. I'm looking forward to watching the World Cup final in just a little bit. Viva Espana! Hopefully it will be a good game!

A change of pace

With Congress in recess, the week has been pretty slow despite having Monday off. I spent Tuesday and Wednesday here at the office developing a photo archive to leave with Hearst after I leave. My plan is for it to be a bit more organized than it was when I got here and have up to date photos of everyone I photographed in Washington this summer. Our bureau chief had expressed interest in having as many photos taken by staff as possible instead of relying on AP or Getty Images so I have been hustling, and will continue to do so, to get as many faces as I can. Since Hearst owns several papers in Texas, I'll be focusing on the Texas delegation once Congress is back in session. In the mean time, I'm combing through my 12,000+ photos I've already taken this summer and I'm pulling out the best of Obama, the Senate leadership, and many Cabinet secretaries etc. Today, I got a break from the monotony of the office and took another trip to the White House to see Obama depart on the South Lawn for his trip to Kansas City and Vegas. Alan came along to take some pictures of me shooting which will be nice to have to remember my trip to the White House. Between Kagan's confirmation hearings, 4th of July, and work this week with a major heat wave I feel like I haven't stopped in a few weeks. I'm very much looking forward to a restful weekend with maybe a museum or two thrown in along the way. First, I am photographing Obama as he crosses the South Lawn to board Marine One. Second is the photo I took of Obama crossing the South Lawn to board Marine One. And for those that care, that nicely kept patch of grass you see behind Obama is the presidential putting green.

Fourth of July in Washington

I had a fantastic weekend with family and friends here in DC! I loved showing them around to all of the sites and the fireworks on the Mall were nothing but amazing! I'm at about the halfway point for my internship and I'm still loving everything about it. This week is quieter than most since Congress is in recess until next week, but that just means we're doing lots of planning to get ahead of things for the rest of the summer. The interns are collaborating on a piece on the unseen places of Washington: best breakfast place, best nightlife, best non-Smithsonian museum etc. I'll also be strategizing on how I can get photos of the rest of the Texas delegation in action to finish my photo packages before the end of summer. Even when Congress gets a break, there's still plenty to do around here.

I took a rest from photos this weekend and let my parents take over that responsibility. Below are the photos from our incredibly fun weekend. First, my family outside Blue Duck Tavern. My dad picked a great restaurant and we later found out that's where the Obamas' celebrated their anniversary last year. Next, is our group outside the First Ladies' gowns exhibits at American History. From left to right: my sister Liz, Mom, Madison (friend from high school), Alan, me, and Arleta (friend from high school and roommate for the summer). Third, outside the American History museum is Alan, me, Liz, and Dad. Fourth, us in front of the Lincoln Memorial, after we claimed our very small patch of grass, waiting for the fireworks to start. The fifth photo speaks for itself: nothing like fireworks above the Washington Monument on the 4th of July.

Up close with the president

Yesterday started out with a very somber mood. Senator Byrd's flag drapped casket laid in the Senate Chamber from 10 am to 4 pm for many to come and view. No photos are allowed in the Chamber, but I covered the arrival at the Senate. It was very dramatic so say the least.

That evening I made my first trip inside the White House (before I had only been on the lawn) to see President Obama sign a bill on Iran sanctions in the East Room. He was joined by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Christopher Dodd, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. I hadn't anticipated I would be as close as I was to the president. When he signed the bill, he was about three feet from me. If I leaned forward a bit I probably could've reached out and touched him, but there was a large Secret Service man standing just to my left preventing me from doing so.

Today has been a quiet day at the office so far. Just about every member of the Senate and many White House officials are at Sen. Byrd's memorial service in West Virginia today. The interns will be having a planning meeting this afternoon with our boss to determine how to best use our time in the remaining weeks. And I'm especially looking forward to my family getting into town later this afternoon and a good friend from high school, Madison Asef tomorrow. We should all have a great Fourth of July weekend in DC!