U.S. Capitol Building & Compass at Twilight

For this photo, I intended to recreate a previous wide angle shot I took in the late afternoon one day while waiting for the sunset at the U.S. Capitol Building. While I took the original photo to experiment during “down time”, it turned out to be as stimulating and enjoyable to create as was my pre-visualized sunset image. Maybe since I have struggled with a poor sense of direction my entire life, I was quite taken by the Compass for both its design as well as the practical purpose to help navigate the immediate area. While I am quite happy the original shot, I felt the traditional photograph didn’t allow for the intended impact I wanted to have when printing on a large scale.

Part of the VAST technique is to not only create an image where a viewer is brought into it via the ability to see the minute details, but to give justice to a beautiful scene by the feeling it evokes. The VAST technique is a labor of love. I could go on for days about the process of making this image, but with the efforts to keep your attention I will sum up the highlights. After sweeping the Compass for 15 minutes to remove every last pebble and debris, I began taking pictures. Soon after, the Capitol Police drove by to tell me I couldn't use a tripod. Nooooo!!!! After some pleading, they yielded, and noted that I had cleaned up the Compass, which was something positive. Who would have known my small dust pan and brush would have saved the day? In fact, this image wouldn't have been possible but for the gracious officers that allowed me to keep my setup for long after my promised finish time.

I originally intended to replicate my original wide angle shot in the late afternoon golden hour. I soon realized after having to take the extra time to expose 16-18 images in each position to achieve the full range of focus for what would turn out to be the foreground of the end image, that my “end image” would provoke a different mood altogether as the light changed so dramatically. The image you see is a blend of 45 input images (5 rows of 9 images) taken over the span of an hour and a half, from the golden hour through sunset and the blue hour. The input images were both exposure blends as well as focus-stacked results which yield a final image that maintains focus from the Compass to the U.S. Capitol Building.

For those like myself who appreciate compositional disruption by having two subjects; the often-overlooked Compass and the U.S. Capitol Building itself, this image will speak loudly. (Those with an established sense of direction who want the wide scope of the magnificent building can refer to the cropped panorama of the U.S. Capitol Building alone)