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The official photo blog of J. David Buerk Photography.

A Day at the Newseum

Well, more like two days at the Newseum if we’re being accurate.

If you’re tired of being cooped up at home, unable to go out and enjoy the museums, and you missed out on visiting the Newseum, the post I’m sharing with you today is especially for you.

On the last day of the decade, December 31st, 2019, the Newseum, a product of the Freedom Forum, permanently closed the doors of its Pennsylvania Avenue home. The Newseum, open for a total of 22 years, demonstrated through interactive and rotating exhibits the importance of press freedom and fairness in reporting. Exhibits spanning watershed moments of history to current events showed the importance of journalism ethics, the pitfalls of censorship, and the dangers journalists can face in performing their duties. The Newseum illustrated the United States’ First Amendment’s five core values in real-world applications and infringements.

Until this December, my only experience with the Newseum was to attend a screening of the 2011 film “Documented” and subsequent panel discussion with director and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas in 2014, and the Nikon Z7 release event with Nikon President and CEO Yasuyuki Okamoto in 2018; this is to say, I’d only visited the Newseum’s atrium and auditorium for private events - none of the exhibits, as the museum was closed.

When I heard the Newseum was closing its doors, selling the building to Johns Hopkins University due to financial constraints, I made sure not to miss it any longer. Touring the Newseum was something I’d wanted to do with friends or a date for years, but invariably it always got put off; “we’ll do it later this year.” No more - across two days in December I explored the Newseum from top to bottom, like the Guggenheim, the way it was originally built and intended to be toured (this being said, my photos of the exhibits below are not necessarily arranged in order from top to bottom since these photos span across two full days, and I revisited some exhibits the second day).

I truly enjoyed every minute of the Newseum, and wish I’d simply said “no more” and visited solo much sooner than I did. Even with two full days of visiting and taking in the thousands of displays, I still missed so much of the specimens and their captions on exhibit. It is my utmost hope that the Freedom Forum will find a new, sustainable, third and final location for the Newseum and all its exhibits; the Newseum is one of, if not the most, culturally significant museum I have ever visited, because of its perpetual relevance - news breaks every day. In the last months I’ve thought about the Newseum almost daily, wondering what to be made of the systemic targeting, attacks, and arrests of credentialed media by police across the US, including just a few blocks away in Lafayette Square. I can’t help but wonder how the US’ ranking of Press Freedom on the Newseum’s Press Freedom Map has changed even in the few months since the Newseum’s doors closed. And with the ongoing pervasiveness of “fake news” and anti-science conspiracy theories being perpetuated by presidential candidates in an election year, the Newseum feels more relevant than ever now that it’s gone.

“First they came for the journalists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a journalist — we have no idea what they did after that.”
-Arleen Myers Fields’ adaptation of Martin Niemöller’s “First They Came…”

Below are highlights of my visits to the Newseum’s many exhibits; I have not included captions for these photos, as there is too much relevant information about each to properly bestow in a timely fashion. I did, however, as I frequently do visiting any museum like this, capture images of many of the museum’s own description panels. If you would like to see the full gallery of my two days of touring the Newseum, including more exhibits and artifacts, along with the museum’s captions, you can view the full gallery here.

Bonus: Newseum Restroom Misprinted Headlines

Perhaps a nod to the tradition of placing flyers in restrooms and newspapers (especially sports sections) above urinals, the Newseum’s restrooms are speckled with tiles bearing misprinted headlines, poorly phrased captions, and awkward apologetic corrections.

SARS-CoV-2 - May

In keeping with my last post, I’m compiling all the unusual (or usual by now) sights I’ve spotted in my quarantine outings. Honestly, beyond the requisite safety precautions, “quarantine” seems like an American misnomer compared to the much earlier and more comprehensive prevention protocols in other countries; so much is still allowed and considered essential.

Retail

While March and April saw widespread shortages of staple commodities such as toilet paper and hand sanitizer, May is seeing these items make a gradual reappearance in stores. In fact one store I visited at the end of May, while following a tip on disinfecting wipes, had a cornucopia of TP taller than me, and larger than a pack of cars.

All images shot and edited on iPhone.

Although I had a limited supply of disinfectant wipes, I’ve been trying to secure a few more containers so I don’t have to outright ration their use on my gear, etc. In the last two weeks alone I’ve found disinfectant wipes in stock at at various websites, but they’ve sold out by time I’ve made it to the shopping card 5x now. Then, I managed to get an order to process for one before it sold out, but when I received the shipment from Amazon proper, I was delivered an unopened shipping bag empty except for a piece of scrap cardboard; the stocker had obviously not placed my item in the bag - what happened after that; my guess is probably the same as yours. However, since then, between the help of some close friends and a little luck, I’ve secured what I need for now.

Restaurants

For takeout, I’ve mostly done curbside or drive-through, but those that I’ve gone inside… it’s still weird seeing once bustling places empty and quiet.

All images shot and edited on iPhone.

Burke Lake Park

Virginia’s county, state, and national parks have been closed for some time now (and as of this writing, they are still closed for anything but recreation - the facilities are still shuttered and offices are not open for business). With gyms closed, I’ve been endurance training harder than even the season following my knee surgery rehab, and Burke Lake Park offers a lot to me as a runner - at 4.5mi, one lap can be stretched to 5mi, two laps easily stretches to a 10 miler, and 3 laps is just over a half-marathon. So though I’m not hiking every other weekend with friends like a normal Summer, here’s a little nature for you.

All images shot on EOS R and edited on a color calibrated computer.

Playgrounds

Following that, although county, state, and national parks have been largely closed, not all people or organizations have understood the orders, or have flagrantly ignored them - locally, this has emerged as people disagreeing about the usage of playgrounds. For some HOAs, it took legal threats from the Department of Health to finally close recreational facilities restricted by Executive Orders. Here is what that looks like in some places.

All images shot on EOS R and edited on a color calibrated computer.

SARS-CoV-2 - March & April

As you are more than well aware, quite a lot has changed since the last time I posted.

Right around the time some family health issues that had taken most of my time were finally settling down a bit, the newly infamous novel coronavirus hit the US. You can learn more about my professional response to COVID-19 and subsequent service changes here.

This is a collection of photographs I have captured since SARS-CoV-2 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization to today’s mid-May posting. As I am a caregiver to someone at very high risk, my outings since before quarantine even began have been limited to grocery / food / fundamental shopping, healthcare and pharmacy visits, and my regular trail-running (hey, I stopped going to the gym due to the high risk before they even closed - I’ve never been up to half-marathon distance so early in the running season - I’ve already run two 13.1s and one 10 miler this year, on top of my standard training regimen).

Grocery

By now it’s not just common; it’s an expected sight - barren paper aisles, empty soap sections, cold medicine picked over and packages haphazardly ripped into, the contents stolen. It was only after weeks of this that stores even began limiting purchase quantities on high-demand items.

I’ve been lucky and have thus far been able to source everything needed to stay safe with the help of friends. Some hard-to-find items I’ve even had enough to safely share with friends or give to their high-risk or frontline-working families.

As an aside, the health and legal implications of COVID-19 have disrupted the paper industry even for printing - print production for most things like prints and albums have halted from almost all printing partners - it’s an odd industry impact I’ve been continually watching.

All images shot and edited on iPhone.

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Restaurants

Quarantine food has mostly been a case of creating meals with what’s available at the grocery store a given week, which is fun because it has forced some creativity, while sometimes also leading to frustration when you have every ingredient but one - at one point I was searching for garlic for over 3 weeks!

There have been occasions where grabbing food to-go while out has either made more sense, been more convenient, or has simply been par for the course (birthdays, holidays, etc). I’ve been doing contactless curbside pickup for all of this, except for the two instances below, which show what the interiors of some restaurants look like in response to not allowing dine-in customers. For reference, Panera Bread and Jason’s Deli are among the many restaurants offering grocery orders and delivery.

All images shot and edited on iPhone.

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Airports

Washington Dulles International Airport

Finally, while my business is currently limited in what it can do (click here to read how my business is impacted and responding to COVID-19), basic operations still must go on. One of the most fundamental of business operations is maintaining currency of security training and credentials. I visited both Dulles and Reagan in order to renew my security training and badges, and documented all changes I saw while on-site. I only stayed pre-security since I did not have need to enter the SIDA for my renewals, and am not taking unnecessary excursionary risks.

Noticable changes are Dulles are the nearly empty parking lots, completely empty Terminal loops (which are usually bustling), consolidation of security checkpoints, closed ticket counters of airlines that have suspended operations, and to me most notably is how clean the floors look - I don’t think I’ve ever seen the terrazzo so brightly polished and shiny. The departures level has been cleared of most stanchions, and background music has been turned off, leaving only the ambient rumble of HVAC noise - walking the Terminal, with nobody around but a few other employees, reminded me of my days in Dulles’ engineering department, doing facility walkthroughs in the back-of-house corridors surrounded by nothing but the buildings’ natural sound and your own echo.

All images shot on EOS R and edited on a color calibrated computer.

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Ronald Reagan National Airport

Reagan was the same story - I did my renewals as required by FAA / DHS, and explored the impacts pre-security. Because there was no traffic, it was easy for me to capture photos of the Ronald Reagan statue I’ve never gotten before.

Impacts that were most apparent were immediately being greeted by a nearly empty parking garage, the people in National Hall were almost entirely employees - incredibly the handful of passengers arriving off a flight were all maskless.

The saddest part of this, for me, was seeing all the shuttered concessionaires. At both airports only a handful of concessions are operating at time of writing - this is sad for me because I’ve photographed each and every single one of these. What is most striking about the closed retailers is how abruptly they closed - many are still decorated for the Cherry Blossom Festival, the height of which is when most quarantine orders took effect, or have Now Open signage on their closed storefront hastily left in the rapid closures. It saddens me to see so many beloved stores and restaurants closed for the time being.

DCA, like Dulles, has prominent signage encouraging proper mask usage and hand washing. One difference, however, is, although both airports have the same hand sanitizer dispensers, DCA’s are COVID-19 branded.

All images shot on EOS R and edited on a color calibrated computer.

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Spottings

Although I’ve had opportunity to see friends and even use private gyms if desired, I haven’t taken any of these opportunities because I know how lackadaisical (read: virtually non-existent) the social distancing was. That being said, I’ve had a few chance run-ins while out and about, which, although brief, has been a nice break in the monotony.

You may recognize David and Tiffany from their engagement session and wedding I shot last year. By the way, that picture of the Dulles Main Terminal over my shoulder is a photo I shot in 2012.

All images shot and edited on iPhone.

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2020 Washington Auto Show

2020 has started off quite stressful for me, due to some health issues being faced by members of my family, so I am behind in posting, but here we are! With everything going on, I was fortunate to be able to make it out to the Washington Auto Show this year, which I look forward to and make it a point to attend every year. Since I wanted to relax by going to the show, this year I brought along my 85mm f/1.2; my favorite lens - great for details (and portraits), but a specialized lens not for wide scene captures.

First things first; the new “Mustang.” I can’t say I agree with Ford’s decision to place the Mustang marque on an all-electric crossover-type vehicle, and I found the car itself uglier than the press photos released when the new direction Mustang is going was released. I, however, am in the minority, as the general public seems to love it based on overhearing others viewing it at the auto show - apparently Ford’s market research was accurate. Apparently the C8 Corvette was also on display at this show, and I walked right past it without noticing - that’s interesting.

As an Infiniti driver, I am of course an Infiniti fan. The Q60 has grown on me since the CV37 released in 2017, and despite some exciting engine options up to 400hp, it is still being done the disservice of being sold without any manual transmission option whatsoever.

Anyone who knows me knows I love Porsche. They unfortunately did not have a display at this year’s show, but that didn’t stop me from photographing every Porsche I spotted at the show.

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.

An airport employee demonstrates the proper method to clean up blood and bodily fluid spills in a safety and security fair for airport employees at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois.

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 temperatu… — 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.