Beauty in Brutalism

Beauty in Brutalism. Washington, D.C., U.S.A. August 2017.

Washington, D.C., USA. August 2017.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is one of the more interesting brutalist buildings in D.C. Modernist Marcel Breuer designed the building and included two of his style signatures: the concrete curve and the deep-set rectilinear windows. The "curvilinear" shape of this 10-floor building was designed to ensure the maximum amount of light to shine into the offices while the seemingly endless grid of windows reminds you just how immense the concrete structure is. I am not typically drawn to brutalism, but HUD is striking to me because it integrates these two opposing design aspects. 

Sunrise, Sunset

Sunrise, Sunset. October 2014. Washington, D.C., U.S.A. 

Tomorrow I begin a new adventure in Milan, Italy. Since I will be leaving this fine city for seven months, I thought this image would be an appropriate one for the day. All D.C. residents have an epic skyline photo featuring the Washington Monument and this is mine. By the time I return here, it will be around the time this photo was taken. A few people have asked if this image is significantly edited, I assure you it is not. I boosted the saturation up slightly to reflect how the sunset looked in person; it was really that beautiful. I will miss seeing this view, but more importantly, I will miss my friends who have been amazing pillars of encouragement along the way. 

A Slight Deviation

Today I take a slight deviation from travel photos I have taken to highlight someone else's work! I was lucky enough to be profiled in the Late Spring 2015 issue of Capitol File Magazine. I really owe a big thank you to everyone who contributed in making this happen. Thank you John McCarthy, Nikki Schwab, Dominique Fierro, Mintwood Place, Natalie Jones, Ambassador Rufus Gifford, Amy Moeller, and Laura Mullen. Big thank you to the Cap File Mag family for having the foresight to create a "Women of Influence" issue. It's smart and progressive. The issue features many amazing women from around the district and you can read it here.

Photo by Dominique Fierro

Glass Tendrils

Spirals of Ice. Washington, DC, USA. February 2015.

Spring has finally come to D.C. I won't miss the temperature, wintry mix, slush, and sleet, however I will miss seeing a beautiful creation like this outside my doorstep. 

Thinking Optimistically

Cherry Blast. Washington, D.C.. April 2014. 

This is just around the corner, stay optimistic.