Museum of Failure: Washington, DC Launch Party

I attended the Museum of Failure's launch party in September, 2023, anticipating an exciting experience, however, The Museum of Failure, located in a failed gym within a failed shopping mall, left me disappointed.  The layout was haphazard, and the artifacts, while featuring memorable failures, often took shortcuts, with some using replicas instead of authentic items.  Some of the captions had errors, including misplaced apostrophes and unexplained references.

One of my suggestions for improvement is to look to the Museum of Sex in Manhattan as a model for a more immersive experience.  Despite the drawbacks of the hastily assembled traveling exhibit, it showcased interesting products, such as a controversial sex doll rental service and an array of failed toys and ill-timed electronics.  Sections devoted to Donald Trump and Elon Musk were also present.  The food section included familiar brands and products, but I questioned the inclusion of Starbucks' Oleato, which has since expanded to nationwide availability.

The controversial inclusion of the Colgate Lasagna, a viral meme product that never actually existed, raised doubts about the museum's seriousness.  The Museum of Failure, in my opinion in order to be taken more seriously, needs to reassess their focus on accuracy rather than entertaining at the expense of facts.  Overall, it was a small, quirky collection with room for improvement, and I suggest the permanent location being built in Malaga, Spain should be larger and more consistently factual.

Total Solar Eclipse: April 8th, 2024

You probably remember my Solar Eclipse photos from 2017.  If you don’t, this is a reminder of what Totality looked like in Niota, Tennessee.

This time around the weather wasn’t going to be as cooperative; a problem most of the US’ totality path suffered.  In the weeks and days leading up to the 2024 Solar Eclipse, I monitored the cloud forecast like so much of the country did, and it seemed that my original target of Erie, PA, along with most of the Northeast save for Maine and Vermont, would inevitably have some degree of cloud cover ranging from 50-90%.  The nearest guaranteed clear sky to me was going to be Indianapolis, which was simply too far away to be feasible on short(ish) notice, especially considering the outbound traffic (18hrs) will be around double the inbound travel time (9hrs).  Disappointed, I chose not to travel more than a day-trip distance from home for this eclipse due to the equally disappointing totality centerline weather.

Following this late, final decision to not travel far out of state for the eclipse, I had other interesting eclipse viewing options on my radar.  Top of my list was an event at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, which not only would feature telescopes to view the solar surface up close, but also to watch three sounding rocket launches into the moon’s shadow during different phases of the eclipse.  I’ve watched livestreams of Wallops launches for quite a long time, and have even seen and photographed a few visible from my backyard at night, but had never made it down to the launch facility.  I considered this, since the weather in the DC and Chesapeake regions seemed about the same, however ultimately decided agains it because I didn’t think the amount of driving time and inconvenience merited seeing three small and fast rockets launch in daylight with over a 5+% reduction in eclipse visibility - DC saw 89% eclipse, and up over 90% if you were in Leesburg, VA, while Wallops was down to 84% thanks to just an extra ~2hrs away from the totality line.

While making these very overthought choices, I saw an article from the 2017 eclipse with people viewing from the National Mall - the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum was hosting an eclipse watching event on the Mall agin this year, but that was beside the point for me - I decided that if I couldn’t see totality again this year, and knowing that anything less than totality is honestly disappointing, then the story should be more focused on the people watching the eclipse.

I made my way in to the District just as the eclipse was starting, and knew I was in good company when I saw people on every streetcorner with eclipse glasses or cameras.  Entering the street from one of my usual parking spots in Federal Triangle, workers from the offices in the Ronald Reagan Building were gathered in Woodrow Wilson Plaza watching the moon progress over the sun.  This included Customs and Border Protection Officers that work in the office and Global Entry Enrollment Center inside the Reagan Building.  Walking toward the National Mall, people were gathered on benches on the grounds of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

As I stepped onto the National Mall, it was clear a lot of other photographers had my same idea for setup location: the tip of the Washington Monument’s shadow, with the aim of capturing the eclipse and monument in the same image.

After I’d found my spot, set up my camera, and was dialing in my equipment, a couple other nearby photographers asked if I was with Reuters or AP or another wire or media agency, because they said another Reuters photographer had just shot a photo from this location with my exact same jury-rigged contraption of modifying eclipse glasses to fit over my lens (rather than using an expensive and long-sold-out dedicated solar filter - eclipse glasses are tiny solar filters, just not in the correct size for mounting to a lens assembly).  If I had been surely planning to visit totality again, I’d have purchased a dedicated solar filter weeks prior, but it wasn’t looking likely due to seasonal weather even then.  Instead I had built the simple contraption at home and left mounting for on-site.  If I was thinking like a wire photographer, I must be thinking the right way.

The time of maximum eclipse was fast approaching and finally here, and the sun was moving as quickly across the sky as the moon progressing before the sun - mid-way through the peak of the eclipse I had to move positions twice to keep the sun visible from hiding behind the Washington Monument.  Peak was immediately obvious to me, with the same uncanny and hair-raising dip in luminosity and vibrant change of color rendering leading up to totality in 2017.  It’s difficult to visualize in a picture, but it feels like you’re wearing sunglasses when you aren’t, and images during this short time appear as though they have been HDR-to-SDR overprocessed as was popular in the 2000s-2010s, with soft shadows.

I captured the moon coming and going, with and without the solar filter.  Although solar photography gets all the talk, I think my standard un-filtered photography of the 2024 Solar Eclipse, with DC’s partly cloudy skies above the Washington Monument, are the highlight.  To me these images feel ancient; reminiscent of sights societies have witnessed through the ages beside their great monuments.

Once the sun was fully visible again, I had clear view of something I’d been noticing while shooting the eclipse: I was capturing sun spots.

Once the eclipse had passed DC, and the crowds had left the Mall, I decided to enjoy the weather and enjoy the nearby sights - I can’t remember if I’ve ever actually stood under or touched the Washington Monument before, but I did today.  Like The Gateway Arch, it increasingly feels like a structure that shouldn’t be capable of freely standing so tall the closer you get to its base.

This 2017 Solar Eclipse was sadly nowhere near as memorable as my 2017 experience of Totality, but after seeing the results from many spots across the US, including Cleveland and Erie, the two areas I had eyeballed for travel, it seems I made the right call in staying local, and would have ended up even more disappointed had I committed to the travel.  At least this way I can say I’ve experienced a solar eclipse both in and outside of totality now.

Looking forward to 2044!  Truly fortunate would be Iceland in 2026!

Latoya & Shawn: Married November 11th, 2023

On Latoya and Shawn’s wedding day, time danced in harmony with their love – a surreal blend of moments that lingered and flew by in a heartbeat. It feels like just a whisper of seasons since Shawn surprised Latoya during a family photo session, yet in reality, a whole year has woven its tale. On a serene Fall day at a country club, nestled not far from the heart of Fairfax, friends and family of Latoya and Shawn converged to witness the couple's union and commemorate the commencement of a new chapter in their lives.

Engaged in shared glances, a symphony of happy smirks adorns both Latoya and Shawn when their minds drift to one another. I sensed their magnetic connection the day Latoya unknowingly spoke of Shawn, just materialized before he materialized for their proposal. That same smirk, perhaps embellished with a dash more sass, graced Shawn's face when Latoya sent over a box of breath mints while Shawn was suiting up for saying “I Do.”

Shawn, a fellow photographer, got to experience being on the other side of the lens; you can catch glimpses of his photography on Instagram @828Visuals.

Amidst the breathtaking canvas of Autumn's final flourish, Latoya and Shawn exchanged vows just before the sun dipped below the horizon. The celebration continued with the dance floor alive with lights and favorite songs. As the night embraced its final moments, the Latoya and Shawn stole away for an intimate last dance, savoring the essence of the day. Loved ones bid them farewell in style, showering them with confetti and streamers, creating a dazzling spectacle as they kissed beneath the moonlight before embarking on their honeymoon.

What a magnificent conclusion to 2023! Wishing you all a Happy New Year – dive into Latoya & Shawn’s wedding pictures to usher in the magic of 2024!

Kaiser Permanente’s Caton Hill Medical Center: September, 2022

On September 19th, 2022, the Kaiser Permanente Caton Hill Medical Center opened, replacing the Woodbridge Medical Center with a new 245,000-square foot medical center in Prince William County.  Four days before the first day of service, Kaiser Permanente held a ribbon cutting ceremony with addresses from Kaiser Permanente directors and Prince William County leadership.

The new Kaiser Permanente hub includes 24/7 advanced urgent care, an outpatient surgical facility, a full featured radioimagery center, and 30 specialties including family medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics & gynecology, neurology, oncology, behavioral health, cardiology, pain management, ophthalmology, and optometry.  The complex is LEED Silver certified, and is expected to serve ~40,000 patients and ~320,000 visits each year.

I’m sharing some highlights from covering the event and new facility here.

After the ribbon cutting events, groups of guests were taken on guided tours and allowed the opportunity to explore the new medical campus.