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The official photo blog of J. David Buerk Photography.

Total Solar Eclipse: April 8th, 2024

This time around the weather wasn’t going to be as cooperative; a problem most of the US’ totality path suffered.  In the weeks and days leading up to the 2024 Solar Eclipse, I monitored the cloud forecast like so much of the country did, and it seemed that my original target of Erie, PA, along with most of the Northeast save for Maine and Vermont, would inevitably have some degree of cloud cover ranging from 50-90%.  The nearest guaranteed clear sky to me was going to be Indianapolis, which was simply too far away to be feasible on short(ish) notice, especially considering the outbound traffic (18hrs) will be around double the inbound travel time (9hrs).  Disappointed, I chose not to travel more than a day-trip distance from home for this eclipse due to the equally disappointing totality centerline weather.

Following this late, final decision to not travel far out of state for the eclipse, I had other interesting eclipse viewing options on my radar.  Top of my list was an event at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, which not only would feature telescopes to view the solar surface up close, but also to watch three sounding rocket launches into the moon’s shadow during different phases of the eclipse.  I’ve watched livestreams of Wallops launches for quite a long time, and have even seen and photographed a few visible from my backyard at night, but had never made it down to the launch facility.  I considered this, since the weather in the DC and Chesapeake regions seemed about the same, however ultimately decided agains it because I didn’t think the amount of driving time and inconvenience merited seeing three small and fast rockets launch in daylight with over a 5+% reduction in eclipse visibility - DC saw 89% eclipse, and up over 90% if you were in Leesburg, VA, while Wallops was down to 84% thanks to just an extra ~2hrs away from the totality line.

While making these very overthought choices, I saw an article from the 2017 eclipse with people viewing from the National Mall - the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum was hosting an eclipse watching event on the Mall agin this year, but that was beside the point for me - I decided that if I couldn’t see totality again this year, and knowing that anything less than totality is honestly disappointing, then the story should be more focused on the people watching the eclipse.

I made my way in to the District just as the eclipse was starting, and knew I was in good company when I saw people on every streetcorner with eclipse glasses or cameras.  Entering the street from one of my usual parking spots in Federal Triangle, workers from the offices in the Ronald Reagan Building were gathered in Woodrow Wilson Plaza watching the moon progress over the sun.  This included Customs and Border Protection Officers that work in the office and Global Entry Enrollment Center inside the Reagan Building.  Walking toward the National Mall, people were gathered on benches on the grounds of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

As I stepped onto the National Mall, it was clear a lot of other photographers had my same idea for setup location: the tip of the Washington Monument’s shadow, with the aim of capturing the eclipse and monument in the same image.

After I’d found my spot, set up my camera, and was dialing in my equipment, a couple other nearby photographers asked if I was with Reuters or AP or another wire or media agency, because they said another Reuters photographer had just shot a photo from this location with my exact same jury-rigged contraption of modifying eclipse glasses to fit over my lens (rather than using an expensive and long-sold-out dedicated solar filter - eclipse glasses are tiny solar filters, just not in the correct size for mounting to a lens assembly).  If I had been surely planning to visit totality again, I’d have purchased a dedicated solar filter weeks prior, but it wasn’t looking likely due to seasonal weather even then.  Instead I had built the simple contraption at home and left mounting for on-site.  If I was thinking like a wire photographer, I must be thinking the right way.

The time of maximum eclipse was fast approaching and finally here, and the sun was moving as quickly across the sky as the moon progressing before the sun - mid-way through the peak of the eclipse I had to move positions twice to keep the sun visible from hiding behind the Washington Monument.  Peak was immediately obvious to me, with the same uncanny and hair-raising dip in luminosity and vibrant change of color rendering leading up to totality in 2017.  It’s difficult to visualize in a picture, but it feels like you’re wearing sunglasses when you aren’t, and images during this short time appear as though they have been HDR-to-SDR overprocessed as was popular in the 2000s-2010s, with soft shadows.

I captured the moon coming and going, with and without the solar filter.  Although solar photography gets all the talk, I think my standard un-filtered photography of the 2024 Solar Eclipse, with DC’s partly cloudy skies above the Washington Monument, are the highlight.  To me these images feel ancient; reminiscent of sights societies have witnessed through the ages beside their great monuments.

Once the sun was fully visible again, I had clear view of something I’d been noticing while shooting the eclipse: I was capturing sun spots.

Once the eclipse had passed DC, and the crowds had left the Mall, I decided to enjoy the weather and enjoy the nearby sights - I can’t remember if I’ve ever actually stood under or touched the Washington Monument before, but I did today.  Like The Gateway Arch, it increasingly feels like a structure that shouldn’t be capable of freely standing so tall the closer you get to its base.

This 2017 Solar Eclipse was sadly nowhere near as memorable as my 2017 experience of Totality, but after seeing the results from many spots across the US, including Cleveland and Erie, the two areas I had eyeballed for travel, it seems I made the right call in staying local, and would have ended up even more disappointed had I committed to the travel.  At least this way I can say I’ve experienced a solar eclipse both in and outside of totality now.

Looking forward to 2044!  Truly fortunate would be Iceland in 2026!

Best of 2019

2019 was quite an odd year. Its unusual helter-skelter pace sometimes made me doubt my photographic skills, but the year continually provided new opportunities to refresh my creative energies, whether that meant braving sub-zero wind chills in unfamiliar cities, or trying new lighting and editing techniques while on commercial assignments. This annual year-in-review wrap-up helps to fuel my creative energies for 2020, and a new decade of capturing the world around me. I’m all set for the new year - let’s capture 2020 together.

As the Earth transits its Moon, a crescent shape is left illuminated prior to the total lunar eclipse during a “supermoon,” January 20th, 2019.

The newly released mirrorless full-frame Canon EOS R in the snow, with a Lubitel 2 75mm f/4.5 lens modified to EF mount.

2019’s first snowfall; a light dusting in the DC region.

Milwaukee River one week after a “polar vortex” brought record low temperatures of -21ºF with a windchill of -40º. The temperature at time of this picture was 13ºF with a wind chill of -7º. The extreme cold snap claimed 22 lives.

In downtown Milwaukee, a cheese mart offers rotating samples of hundreds of local cheeses.

The bottling and packaging equipment line at Lakefront Brewery, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Mew, the mythical 151st Pokémon, straps in for a flight in Economy Plus.

Above Chicago, icebergs on Lake Michigan are visible for miles one week after a “polar vortex” brought record low temperatures of -23ºF with a windchill of -52º to the city. A maximum temperature of -10ºF set a record for lowest daily high temperature. The extreme cold snap claimed 22 lives.

A nuclear power station vents steam and creates a shadow onto the eastern waters of Lake Michigan.

In stark contrast to the mid-west’s severe Winter, the DC region experiences unusually warm February weather. A woman walks by a Fredericksburg brewery’s mural in the premature Spring temperatures.

Details of a two-year-old orchid at the end of peak bloom.

Aerial view of Soldier Field at sunset.

Aerial view of Soldier Field at sunset.

“The Sky's The Limit“ by Michael Hayden, 1987; neon lights and colored panels choreographed to music by composer William Kraft adorn the pedestrian talkback tunnel connecting United Terminals B and C at Chicago’s O'Hare International Airport.

Between Terminals at O'Hare International Airport, globes illuminate the way for passengers at night.

International arrivals queue through the line in O'Hare International Airport’s Terminal 5 before clearing customs. Disembarking passengers pass by ad space displaying a campaign for a Japanese courier logistics service. J. David Buerk - Photography documents marketing campaign activations in major markets across the United States.

In downtown Chicago, an Uber driver cuts through the city to avoid traffic on I-90.

Visitors to Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry view “The Great Train Story,” a 3,500 sq.ft. model train installation displaying 20 trains on 1,400 feet of track representing 2,200 miles of railway between Chicago and Seattle.

Aboard the German Submarine U-505, red alarm lights shine dimly while being depth charged. The submarine was captured by the US Navy in 1944 in efforts to capture an Enigma code machine used by Nazi forces during WWII. The U-505 is the only U-boat in North America.

A recently hatched baby chick photobombs its siblings in the Museum of Science and Industry’s Fast Forward & Genetics exhibit.

In Chicago’s Hyde Park, English Ivy is allowed to overgrow on a row house, blooming green in warm months, and exposing delightfully spooky vines on the brick facade in Winter.

Bandmembers of Tommy McCracken playing electric guitar at Buddy Guy’s Legends blues nightclub.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame blues legend Buddy Guy takes the stage at his Chicago nightclub to sing relationship advice to audience members.

Nellie Travis sings a soulful rendition of “Sweet Home Chicago” with audience participation at Buddy Guy’s Legends blues nightclub.

Promotional photo of Wolfgang’s Meatloaf at The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck.

Promotional photo of Lamb Lollipops with Hummus and Flatbread at Bracket Room.

Margaret and Bayard kiss with champagne on the lawn of Belle Haven Country Club after their wedding ceremony.

Margaret and Bayard’s wedding rings on a bouquet of flowers.

Planespotters click away from Washington Dulles International Airport’s (IAD) T/L K as Alitalia touches down to begin non-stop service between Washington, DC and Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport (FCO).

After remarks at the gate, Fabio Lazzerini, Alitalia CBO, and Armando Varricchio, Italy’s ambassador to the United States cut cake to celebrate Alitalia’s non-stop service between Washington, DC and Rome.

Models showcase every uniform worn by Alitalia cabin crew since the airline’s inception in 1946 during a cocktail recaption at the Embassy of Italy in Washington, DC.

During Alitalia’s cocktail recaption at the Embassy of Italy in Washington, DC, the Cognac Jazz Band’s singer solos on the trumpet during a cover of the main title theme from “Game of Thrones.”

New 7000 Series trains cross the Washington Metro’s bridge between Arlington and Washington, DC, in front of the Jefferson Memorial and Washington Monument.

Bridesmaids button up the lacy back of Tiffany’s wedding dress in her Arlington hotel room.

David and Tiffany hold hands in front of a fountain in Arlington as the wind blows during a first-look.

David and Tiffany’s wedding rings in a pink rose at their wedding reception.

Lexus LC 500s await drivers to hot-lap them Lexus Experience Amazing Drive Event.

Crowds fill the streets and tour the shops in Old Town during the Taste Leesburg wine and food festival.

Storm clouds move in over St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia.

A moth lands on a hiker’s arm to feed on salt in the hiker’s sweat.

Atop the Maryland Heights Trail in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, Patrick poses for a contemplative portrait.

An image from August 24th, 2019, showing the section of the rail bridge that gave way following the derailment of empty CSX grain cars into the Potomac River at 4AM, December 21st, 2019. The Goodloe Byron Memorial Footbridge alongside the bridge's train line provided pedestrian access from Harper's Ferry to the locally-famous Maryland Heights Trail, and is part of the Appalachian Trail. Information about the incident, including indefinite closure of footbridge access, can be found on the NPS website.

Hina places “HOME” decorative blocks on the mantle immediately after closing on Imran and Hina’s first home.

Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, DC is closed and filled with attendees of the Snallygaster beer festival.

Lisa Marie’s 2017 “LOVE” mural in Blagden Alley’s DC Alley Museum.

Farewell text on the exit way doors inside Tiger Fork, a Michelin Guide ranked Chinese restaurant in Northwest, Washington, DC.

Exterior facade of Tiger Fork, a Michelin Guide ranked Chinese restaurant in Northwest, Washington, DC.

A mother and child view “Migrants’ Perilous Journey,” by Reuters Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Adrees Latif on the Newseum’s final weekend open to the public.

Crowds fill every floor of the Newseum on its final weekend open to the public before permanently closing December 31st, 2019. Outside, people wrapped around two corners of the building in the rain waiting to gain entry.

The end of an era. Opened on April 18th, 1997, the Newseum permanently closed on December 31st, 2019. The media and journalism museum was originally located in Rosslyn, Arlington, Virginia, and moved to its ultimate location on Pennsylvania Avenue NW on April 11th, 2008. In January, 2019, The Freedom Forum announced sale of the purpose-built Newseum building to The Johns Hopkins University for $372.5M, where it will house graduate programs. As of this writing, the Newseum is currently searching for a new location to house its exhibits.

DCA Planespotting - May 4th, 2018

Despite all the aviation photography I capture, I've only been to Gravelly Point a handful of times; twice on dates, and a few other times just to stop in the parking lot and check my phone before hitting the road after leaving a photoshoot at DCA proper.  This may be shocking to you, but I've never photographed at Gravelly Point before.  Never.  I've just never taken the time to, since I normally am photographing on assignment on an active airfield for my aviation work.

Friday, Star Wars Day, was no different; I had left DCA after a full day of photographing and decided to stop and respond to a few texts before hitting the GW Parkway, except this time I actually had my telephoto with me and was in no rush, so I decided to hop out and see what I could capture for a few minutes.  Plus, it was odd lighting; the sun was setting, but a storm was moving in at the same time.

Before I left DCA I did spot one of these HC-144 Ocean Sentries; I heard there was a whole group that had flown in while I was there, but I only saw this one taxiing.  That was before I left DCA though.

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Now enjoy these photos I captured in a span of only 20min at Gravelly Point.  Gravelly Point geographically lies just over 1,000ft from end of R/W 19, squarely below the runway's glide slope on the Potomac River, giving an impressive perspective of aircraft turning to final only a few hundred feet overhead.

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The park also offers some great views of the DC skyline, though I didn't venture very far off the runway centerline; I have still never been to the waterfront at Gravelly Point, so I don't know what other views it may offer.

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I also decided to try catching video of one of the arrivals; with the storm moving in, all aircraft were performing crosswind landings, which, while routine flying for experienced pilots, is still impressive to see, especially to the uninitiated like some of the other onlookers enjoying the finally-warm weather in the park.