582 - The Capitol
Today I explored our nation’s capitol- which felt more like a well-oiled machine than a place of politics.
First off, I want to start this off by saying that the word “capitol” and “capital” mean two entirely different things. The word “capitol” refers to a physical building, while the word “capital” refers to the spot on the map. Just in case you were as confused as I’ve been for the past 20 years.
I started my adventure off on a frosty December morning. DC is as bare as bones in the winter, and the trees rustled with anticipation as I made my way towards the gargantuan building.
The thing had a certain presence about it, that’s for sure. I’d been in DC for about a month now, and it had already been etched into my mind like a name in concrete. The entire city seemed to be designed around the building, in such a way that it was constantly being revealed to you on the distant horizon.
It was as if the building was constantly forcing itself into your mind. Proudly proclaiming, “I’m here. And I’m not going anywhere.” That’s the power this place protruded.
By the time I approached that giant brass door handle and let myself in, I’d long since accepted that I was merely a crumb in this well-oiled machine.
Control was the name of the game. From the moment you entered, every person was escorted through security, asked to present their reservation, and sorted into a designated tour group. The crazy thing was that this was all happening on a massive scale.
Hundreds of people awaited me in the lobby, buzzing about with their cameras, water bottles, and cheery DC vacation shirts. Obviously I knew this was a popular tourist attraction, but I didn’t realize this was an operation.
I quickly came to the conclusion that shooting anything with the floor in it was going to be impossible. There were simply too many people. Suddenly we were greeted by our tour guide, which was a bubbly, elderly woman that seemed straight out of the Magic Tree House.
She introduced herself to our group of twenty or so, asked us a few questions about where we were from, and reminded us to “stick close, so that we don’t get lost!”
I didn’t think that’d be possible seeing as there were security guards at every possible corner.
And then, just as quickly as she met us, facts about the building began pouring out of her mouth like a faucet. “The building weighs more than 173 million pounds…. It burned down in a fire in 1814… Washington was almost buried here in a crypt below the floor…” to which she ended every statement with the smiley phrase “Any questions?”
I slowly began to drown her out as I took in the impressive architecture. At the time of construction (the late 1700s) it was built by the best of the best. And it still looked like it was built by the best of the best.
Hand-crafted marble decorated the floors, paintings larger than life presented themselves from above, and bronze statues littered the floors like the collection of a mad billionaire.
Here’s some notable ceiling architecture that caught my eye initially:
“Golden Eye”
Taken with Sony a7rIV + Sony 12-24mm f/4 G
[ISO 3200 ~ 12mm ~ f/8 ~ 1/320s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
“Golden Eye II”
Taken with Sony a7rIV + Sony 12-24mm f/4 G
[ISO 3200 ~ 12mm ~ f/8 ~ 1/160s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
It was at this point I realized that our tour guide had no direct pathway she was taking us. Since dozens of other tour groups were simultaneously navigating the halls, she was improvising the whole thing on the spot. She’d walk us into a room, decide it was too busy, then redirect us to another one, only for us to return to the original one later. All the while taking us up and down magnificent staircases:
“Staircase to Heaven”
Taken with Sony a7rIV + Sony 12-24mm f/4 G
[ISO 3200 ~ 12mm ~ f/4 ~ 1/125s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
Even the most benign areas had a sense of awe worked into them. It was serene, to say the least.
But I quickly began to piece together that this tour might not be as cordial as I thought. If all of these groups were moving as scattered units, what was to stop me from straying around to different tour groups so I could maximize my efficiency with photography?
After all, I was here to take photos, not learn what I’d already learned ten years ago in high school history class.
The funny thing was that the tour felt remarkably similar to the “tour” I had the other day at the Library of Congress’ Reading Room. Smaller rooms felt like a cattle line, and you were quickly and methodically pushed in and out by security. Oftentimes, you barely had a second to stop and take a photo before being ushered along.
It was either a brilliant marketing strategy to give you a taste of such architectural beauty with such scarcity, or a byproduct of being one of the most secure buildings in the world. I’m guessing it was the latter.
But still, I couldn’t resist the urge to get another taste. I did a quick glance around, then cast myself into the back of another tour group, aiming to revisit a certain room for a better photo. I was promptly stopped at the entrance and asked to return to my group.
How did they remember me out of the dozens of people funneling through per second? I have no idea. But I wasn’t about to argue with the US Government, so I returned to my group, flogged by the power of the capitol.
Our tour guide droned on, and it was starting to feel like an exercise in street photography more than architecture photography. There was no time to line up shots. Take a snap and keep moving:
“Unidentified Ruler”
Taken with Sony a7rIV + Sony 12-24mm f/4 G
[ISO 3200 ~ 12mm ~ f/6.3 ~ 1/200s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
We ended the tour in the dome, which is perhaps the most stunning piece of architecture I’ve ever seen in person. Luckily our tour guide seemed to think the same, so I had plenty of time to line up a shot while she rambled on about how long it took Constantino Brumidi to paint the ceiling (11 months…)
Goddamn this place was impressive:
“Our Father’s Oblivion”
Taken with Sony a7rIV + Sony 12-24mm f/4 G
[ISO 3200 ~ 12mm ~ f/7.1 ~ 1/200s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
And that’s that, folks. The centerpiece of the United States, chewed up and spit out through my camera lens. Another cog in the tourism machine...
Now show me where the actual work is done.
I’m on a mission to explore as much as humanely possible.
Want to see my progress? Check out the Adventure Map.
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