When the sun goes down, the lights come on. Whether it be a dazzling color wash of a DC sunset, the spotlights and streetlights along the National Mall, or the glow of the moon, experimenting with light only gets more fun “after dark.” 

 
One of the best ways to see DC is through the viewfinder of tripod-mounted camera as the sky goes from bright to night. Join us as SCOUT explores the darkness and the light of some of the most iconic locations in DC during the Memorials by Moonlight Expedition. Learn the basic techniques of nighttime photography, such as white balance, exposure, and camera settings. 
 
We start shooting at the Lincoln Memorial – one of the world’s most spectacular monuments – full of floodlights and white surfaces. We then walk to the Korean War Veteran’s Memorial where we'll learn to portray the unique feeling of “being there” by playing with shadow and silhouette. Along the banks of the Potomac River where we’ll shoot the historic Arlington Memorial Bridge, where we'll practice creating the surreal effects of moving water by adjusting shutter speed and the capturing of the starburst effect of streetlights along the bridge by working in different apertures. From there we’ll go and record reflections on of the Tidal Basin, learning to paint with light, interpreting the somber tones of the Franklin D Roosevelt Memorial and get a lovely shot of the Jefferson Memorial framed by DC’s famous cherry trees. 
 
From taillights to camera flashes, from moonlight to floodlight, the excitement of hunting the light after dark makes nighttime photography an exciting creative challenge.
 
Be sure to bring a tripod so you can fully explore the possibilities of low-light photography.   
 
Points of Interest
Lincoln Memorial
Korean War Veteran’s Memorial
Arlington Memorial Bridge
Potomac River
Tidal Basin
Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial
Jefferson Memorial