elysephelps | elyse phelps

Cherry Blossom Sunset

The cherry blossoms weren’t out for long, but I was lucky enough to make it to the Tidal Basin once during sunset.

Cherry Blossom Season Has Begun

My favorite photo friend and I decided to hit the Tidal Basin for a sunrise session on Sunday. However, it had been so cold that there were no blossoms at all. We walked a short way to my favorite early spring photo spot: the Enid A Haupt and Moongate Gardens by the Smithsonian Castle. The …

Neon Lights

Neon Boneyard Museum—Las Vegas

Red Rock

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Nevada We took a day to explore the desert during our trip to Las Vegas. As a Midwesterner, the Nevada landscape is so unfamiliar and fascinating. The textures and patterns are a photographer’s dream.

Icelandic Horse

Icelanders love their horses, and I think the horses must love living in Iceland. There are horses all over the country and they just roam free on the vast open landscape. I spotted a few near the road at the base of Eyjafjallajökull and pulled over to admire them.

Jökulsarlon in the Rain

Jökulsárlón was the main attraction on our “must see” list, and the reason for driving 250 miles away from Reykjavik. After being on the road all day we were anxious to finally get to our destination. It was raining pretty hard and we hadn’t seen anything but desolate landscape for about an hour. As we …

Skógafoss

Skógafoss is one of Iceland’s largest waterfalls and we made sure to stop during our trip along the southern coast. One of the things we loved about Iceland was the freedom to walk up and experience the natural wonders without any of the usual “tourist attraction” stuff—no gates, no park rangers, none of that herded-through-like-cattle …

A View from the Top

On a recent trip to New York I made sure to get to Top of the Rock for a view of the concrete jungle.

EEOB

The door to Dr. Jill Biden’s office in the EEOB — taken during the White House Google+ Photowalk

EEOB Rotunda

I had the amazing opportunity to join the White House Google+ Photowalk Garden Tour in April 2012. A group of about 25 amateur and professional photographers got a private tour of the White House Kitchen Garden, South Lawn, and Eisenhower Executive Office Building. On the tour of the EEOB, we were encouraged to photograph the amazing …

Butterfly

“Butterflies + Plants: Partners in Evolution” exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Presidential Pup

I had the amazing opportunity to join the White House’s Google+ Photowalk on April 21. A group of about 25 photographers were invited for a private tour of the South Lawn, Kitchen Garden, and Eisenhower Executive Office Building. We had several surprise meet-and-greets, including Official White House Photographers Sonya Hebert and Pete Souza, as well …

Spring Cleaning

Excuse the messy blog while I work on updating the look this spring.

Rain Boots and Leaves

It’s been a rainy fall here in the D.C. area.

October Snow

It snowed in the D.C. region today—a very rare occurrence for October. I snapped a few pictures around our neighborhood, but the snow didn’t want to stick — Alexandria, VA

Fall in VA

Fall trees along Skyline Drive — Shenandoah National Park, VA

African Painting

Artisan in the Peace Corps exhibits, 2011 Smithsonian Folklife Festival — Washington, D.C.

Las Guitarras

Display at the Columbian tents, 2011 Smithsonian Folklife Festival — Washington, D.C.

Dragonfly

Dragonfly among the giant lotus blooms at Kennilworth Aquatic Garden — Washington, D.C.

Rainbow Weave

Artisan at the Peace Corps exhibits, 2011 Smithsonian Folklife Festival — Washington, D.C.

Buzz

Kennilworth Aquatic Gardens—Washington, D.C.

Tibetan Market

Market at the Kalachakra, held in conjunction with the visit from the Dalai Lama – Washington, D.C.

Happy Wedding

This is my favorite image from the wedding I attended this weekend. The bride’s mother performed the ceremony, and you could tell she was so excited the whole time. It was really sweet. Cobblestone Farm — Ann Arbor, MI

Strawberry Picking

The city makes me crave a little farmland and open space every once in a while. We made our second annual trip to Butler’s Orchard for pick-your-own strawberries. It was a little early in the season, but still a fun way to kick off the summer — Germantown, MD

On Ice

Pike Place Market — Seattle

Red and Blue

One of my favorite images from Seattle – a view of Puget Sound from the top of the Space Needle.

Early Morning Market Set-Up

My body stayed on East Coast time while in Seattle, which meant that I could stop by the market in the early morning before all the other tourists arrived. Even at 5:30 a.m., the market was busy with deliveries and vendors setting up for the day — Pike Place Market, Seattle

Pike Place Market

Pike Street entrance to the Pike Place Public Market — Seattle

Memorial Totem Pole

While taking a brief tourist break during a business trip to Seattle, my coworkers and I stumbled upon the John T. Williams Memorial Totem Pole Project tent. Williams was a carver who was killed in an altercation with Seattle police. To honor his memory, his family and friends are carving a totem pole to be …

They Grow Up So Fast

Employees at National Geographic have roped off parts of the courtyard for a mother duck and her ducklings. The ducklings were found in a busy alley and a few fell victim to passing cars before being rescued by NatGeo staff. My office is across the street, and we’ve adopted the little family as well. Today, however, it seems that they’ve grown up …

Almost Spring Time

I’ve been hibernating this winter, so the photos are lacking. And spring hasn’t exactly come to the nation’s capital yet. Though it is cherry blossom season – the unofficial start to spring in Washington – the weather has been miserable and even brought snow last week. A dusting of snow on spring blossoms — Alexandria, …

Entries by elysephelps