By Susanne Strickland
Several weeks ago, Linda Cook, Lorraine Lasko, and I attended the Meadowlark Nature Photography Expo, held at the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, in Vienna Virginia. It was a really good event and the price was reasonable. Many of the speakers were members of Northern Virginia camera clubs and the quality of the presentations was all first rate. Not only were the images beautiful but the presentations were informative and entertaining. (The only drawback was that the presentations were held in a tent and the weather was very windy.)
The thing that impressed me the most about the expo was the number of beautiful photographs that were taken within fifty miles of Washington. We were shown photos taken at Dolly Sods and Blackwater Falls State Park, West Virginia; Great Falls, Old Rag, and White Oak Canyon, Virginia; Safe Harbor Dam and Shanks Ferry, Pennsylvania; Blackwater Wildlife Refuge, Calvert Cliffs, and Chincoteague, Maryland. Although not all of these places are close enough for a day trip, most are close enough for a weekend. These places offer wonderful opportunities to perfect skills in nature photography and experiment with lighting and composition while creating photographs that are as beautiful as many we bring home when we travel farther and pay more to get there.
With spring just around the corner, there are some other places even closer to home where we can take advantage of the world awakening from its winter slumber. For example, the Virginia side of the Potomac River and the parks along the Tidal Basin have some beautiful tulip beds. The National Arboretum, Brookside Gardens, the Franciscan Monastery, and Meadowlark Botanical Gardens are also great places to photograph spring flowers. The cherry blossoms are a perennial favorite as is the Smithsonian Institution’s annual kite festival, which is coming up in March (check their website for the date). And the Vernal Equinox is coming up soon (March 20th), providing one of two chances each year for sunrise shots with the sun in perfect alignment with the Capitol and monuments along the National Mall. So grab your camera and tripod and plan a few local trips for some great shooting. I look forward to seeing the results at future competitions.
Editor’s Note: Dick and I attended the keynote lecture for this expo. Frans Lanting spoke on Friday evening and was extremely good as he described his effort to depict evolution through his photographs. His photos are spectacular.