At the Natural History Museum

Part of the Smithsonian, the Natural History Museum on the National Mall is a must-see. There is no admission charge to any of the Smithsonian museums, so get yourself to Washington DC and you are good to go. Word of advice: Allow yourself lots of time to explore!

The greeter.

There is so much going on in this simple photograph!

The view from the front.

Take Three

I’m finally going through my photos I took in Washington, DC last spring. Nik Color Efex Pro has some pre-loaded recipes and I’ve also created some of my own, so I took this shot I took of the Smithsonian Castle and gave it a couple of different treatments. (Click on images for larger version)

“Soft Landscape”

Vintage (my recipe) and Detail Extractor:

This last one uses the Warm Sunset recipe and Extreme Detail Extractor filter. I really like this one. It looks more like painting than a photograph.

Playground Stools

From my trip to the park today.

Day 342 – At the playground

I was scoping out a local park where I have plans to do a photo shoot on Sunday. The curves and shapes of the playground caught my eye.

Day 339 – Macaroni Grill

Waiting for our dinner companions to arrive this evening, I grabbed a few shots with my iPhone.

The wine bottle memory wall.

Looking down the tables toward the kitchen.

Day 335 – Two Airports and Rain

RNO

Flying.

LAX

Highway 95A

The road between Fernley and Silver Springs, Nevada. It doesn’t get much more rural than this.

Realty World, Silver Springs, NV.

A victim of the recession. A never-built housing development just north of Yerington, NV.

Sage Crest Drive-In, Yerington, Nevada.

Day 189 – Playing in the fountain

I realize that I am a day behind. Late night Friday, full day yesterday. You all understand, I’m sure. Anyway, here is “yesterday’s” post.

Sparks, Nevada has a fun little downtown area called Victorian Square. Many street fairs are held there, including the Best in the West Rib Cook-Off and a weekly Farmer’s Market in the summer. One of the best parts of Victorian Square is an interactive fountain in front of the movie theater. Yesterday I stopped by to snap some of the kids trying to stay cool on a hot Nevada summer day.

It was hotter than the dickens and I could only bear about fifteen minutes in the sun, given that I didn’t have a hat or the freedom to jump in the fountain with the rest of them. Still, I got a lot of shots in (and handed my card out to the moms there), so if you’d like to see them all, just head on over to my SmugMug gallery.

The kids were having a blast and it was hard to narrow it down, but here are just a few of my favorite shots. (Moms – if you want a copy of any of my photos, please contact me via my Facebook page or contact me via email at carissanv at gmail dot com).