Yesterday, I went on a photo-safari to the Congressional Cemetery in Washington DC. This was a tour offered by Washington Photo Safari and conducted by Dave Luria, its proprietor (see the video presentation of the photographs below and this link for the gallery of the actual pictures.
Anyway, this cemetery opened in 1807. It eventually got its current name because it served as a burial ground for Congressmen and Senators who died in office. Back in the 19th Century and the early 20th, the lack of refrigeration and modern transportation meant that people could not always be sent back to their home states for burial there. In addition to the legislators, a number of other people ranging from the poor to the great are also interred there. These include J. Edgar Hoover, John Philip Sousa, and famed Civil War photographer Mathew Brady.
Anyway, I think the Congressional Cemetery is a pretty photogenic and photography-friendly place. Dave had arranged for a cemetery docent to take us around and point out the various notable graves and sights. This included a nice little chapel that opened back in 1908. I particularly liked the various graves with ornate carving on them and elaborate statuary. I'm not so sure about whether the large Indian totem pole memorial put up to honor the people killed at the Pentagon on 11 September 2001 fits in with the rest of the cemetery. Apparently, the Pentagon didn't want a tourist attraction on its grounds, and somehow the Congressional Cemetery wound up hosting it. Even so, it does make a nice frame for taking pictures of the place.
Another thing about this cemetery that I wonder about is the fact that it is also a de facto dog park. People have to register to be able to take their beloved pets in for a ramble, so it isn't out of control. But I can't help but wonder how I would feel if someone from my family was buried there and a dog came along and urinated (or worse) on my grave. But at the same time, it's interesting to note that some of the graves are set up as "tables" because in the past, people would sometimes visit the grave of a loved one and have a picnic on the gravestone. So if our ancestors didn't think that was strange in their day, perhaps I shouldn't see frolicking dogs in a graveyard as odd now.
As for the technical details, I took these pictures with my Canon Rebel XTI and a 24-105mm Canon L-series lens. I had a polarizing filter on the lens, which produced some very nice blue skies. My only regret was not taking my Tokina 12-24mm wide angle lens on this safari (I think it would have been neat to get a sweeping view of the graves).
Next Saturday, I'm going to the Washington Capitals-New York Rangers hockey game. This time I made sure to get a seat that was high up enough that I wouldn't have to shoot through the transparent protective barriers. I'm looking forward to it!
2 comments:
I had no idea this cemetery even existed. I'll definitely have to make a trek over there. Thank you for posting your pictures. They are always fun to look at and I eagerly check to see if you've posted again every day or so.
The Native American archway is interesting. I used to be a volunteer/paid contractor at Congressional Cemetery from 2001-2002 and last visited in 2005. I never saw that before. Was that added for one of their special programs or is it now a permanent display?
For those who have never visited, it is well worth taking a stroll through. I have about 200 ancestors buried there and access to the records is easier than most other cemeteries in DC.
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