Washington, D.C. – What I’m packing

I’m headed back to Washington, DC and have the opportunity to photograph on my own for about three days. A rather unusual situation – no one else to ask “what do you want to do next?”. What a treat and what pressure not to squander this opportunity.

My wife has a conference in the District and we get to stay at the Westin in Georgetown instead our usual Hampton Inn or Comfort Inn out by the airport or on the other side of the tracks or something.

Located on M Street, The Westin Georgetown, Washington D.C. sits in a prime location near upscale shopping, dining and the riverfront. Monuments and museums, as well as universities like Georgetown, George Washington and American are only minutes away.
Marriot

So I’m set up in a great spot for exploring, although I know I need to pace myself – I’m in good shape but the old bones, back, knees and hips do tend to complain a lot faster than they used to.

Having lived in the DC area for a few years in childhood, visited on an eighth-grade trip, a high school senior trip, to visit a friend and on business trips – I feel I know the general layout rather well and understand that a lot of walking will be done.

Also, I learned a lesson in San Diego recently when walking all day through the University of California San Diego campus and then spending the late afternoon in the hotel room trying to recover. I have to pack lighter.

So with this in mind, I’m bringing two camera bags. One a backpack with everything for the plane and another smaller sling type bag for walking around. If I limit myself to the slingback I’ll be less likely to overburden myself, that’s the theory.

Cameras for Washington, DC trip

I’m packing my new Canon RP which is a very compact full-frame mirrorless camera, my Insta360 One for 360 shots, my GoPro Hero Black 7 for time-lapse video and hyper-lapse video of the tourists around the monuments and a very, very compact tripod that fits in the camera bag.

I’m also going to toss in my wife’s Sony 100 full-frame compact camera. It takes 20 megapixels and zooms, all in a small package. If I need to shed some weight I can just fall back on this one. Besides, it might be better inside museums.

Lenses for Washington, DC trip

I’ve read a bunch of suggestions online about which one lens is crucial for a trip to Washington, DC. Almost unanimously the advice is bring the widest lens possible. The general advice seems to be that you will approach the giant government buildings and monuments and of course want to get the whole thing in one shot – the wider the better.

I thought about this for a while and looked at a lot of photos of D.C. Then I thought about my own photography style and thought some more. Then I thought about the one lens I have that is incredibly versatile and always brings back great sharp shots – my Canon f/2 35mm.

I know what you are saying, “but a 35mm on full-frame is not a super-wide lens” – yeah, but hear me out. A 35mm is the focal length favored by photo-journalists for decades. It’s wide enough to include environmental or story telling elements into the shots.

Besides, the National Mall is a big open space. Easy enough to get back away from larger buildings if you want to capture the whole thing.

Here are some other reasons I am taking this lens as my Washington, D.C. walk around lens:

It is lightweight and compact. This lens has a plastic body and it is a prime lens, that makes it lightweight. Something like a 24-70mm zoom is simply going to be a lot heavier.
The image quality is outstanding. It isn’t an “L” or red ring lens but the image quality is great. I’d bring my 40mm pancake 40mm lens if I really wanted to pare down weight and size but I don’t thing that lens design produces as good images.
It’s fast. It is one of the fastest lenses in my collection at f/2 which means it can be used in low light.
It has image stabilization – combining the full-frame sensor (high ISOs possible), a normal wide lens, wide f/2 aperture and image stabilization makes this a great lens for inside buildings or night photos.

Another reason is creativity. I know with this prime lens I will be relying on moving around and finding compositions rather than just zooming in. Prime lens allow you to think in one focal length and really start to see images before you even bring the camera to your eye.

Now that said, I am going against my own idea about packing light. I am going to bring my heavy Canon 300mm lens because, a few people have pointed out that to get some cool shots of the memorials reflected in water, you need a long lens.

So I’ll have this lens ready when needed but I won’t carry it all day long. It will sit in the room safe until I go out at night or it will come with me on day two after scouting out some compositions that need it.

Also, I might go to National Zoo in Rock Creek Park which is not too far from the hotel.

Washington, D.C. – What I’m packing

Cameras for Washington, DC trip

Lenses for Washington, DC trip

Here is what I’m packing