Every photographer in Trope Washington, DC had their own reason for picking up the camera and photographing a corner of the city that called to them. In Part 2 of our Behind the Shot series for Trope Washington, DC, we're hearing from five more photographers who brought the nation's capital to life in this new City Edition.
Natasha Bearden
Inside the National Portrait Gallery. Photo taken by Natasha Bearden.
I took a visit to the National Building Museum in early 2022 for the first time since 2007. When I first visited the museum back in 2007, I was a kid visiting for a field trip. The beauty of growing up in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) is having quick access to free museums and having amazing field trips as a child.
Since DC museums get very crowded, I decided to visit the day after New Year’s, and I was able to get the perfect symmetry shot with no people in it. In this shot, I obviously wanted the Corinthian Columns to be the main focus. As a kid, I was enamored by the height of these columns in the Great Hall and was even more mesmerized coming back as an adult. A cool fact about these columns is that they have a height of 75ft and a diameter of 8ft, and are among some of the largest columns in the world.
After I was done taking pictures, I went to the gift shop and purchased a calendar book with quotes from different architects. One quote that stood out to me was by Frank Lloyd Wright, stating, “Architecture is the scientific art of making structure express ideas.” As a person who majored in civil engineering and photographs architecture and cityscape, that quote couldn’t be any truer.
Everett Chu
View of the Washington Monument across the Tidal Basin. Photo taken by Everett Chu.
Cherry blossom season is undoubtedly one of my favorite seasons to photograph in DC. On this particular afternoon, the sky was very gloomy with low, thick clouds, and it had just rained. A friend invited me to join him to take some photos of the afternoon tide flooding the banks of the Tidal Basin. For many years at this point, the southeastern sea wall of the Tidal Basin had been slowly sinking. The entire sidewalk would be completely submerged twice a day at high tide. I didn’t particularly feel like putting on rain boots and sloshing through ankle-deep water… but I did anyway.
The water had flooded all the way up to the trunks of the cherry trees. One particular large cherry tree had a branch that arched over the sidewalk and dipped into the Tidal Basin water. However, with the sidewalk submerged, the blossoms seemed to float over a mirror. The heavy fog, partially obscuring the Washington Monument, made a stark backdrop for the pink flowers.
Little did I know, this would be the last time I would photograph this particular tree. When cherry blossom season ended that year, the National Park Service closed off the southeast side of the Tidal Basin and began a two-year project to repair the sea wall. Sadly, this restoration work meant that all the cherry trees along that side of the Tidal Basin had to be cut down. This included many old trees with massive and gnarled branches that were particular favorites of mine to photograph. The tree in this photograph, with its giant arching branches, was unfortunately one of those cut down that year.
At the time I am writing this, the restoration work has been completed. Hundreds of new cherry tree saplings have been planted, although I won’t be around to see them grow to the size of the original trees. This photograph has become a particular favorite of mine because it reminds me how nature is ever fleeting and changing. It reminds me to enjoy being in the moment and then preserving it forever in a photograph.
Laurie Collins
Intersection of 35th Street NW and O Street NW. Photo taken by Laurie Collins.
For this series, I was drawn to the softer, more colorful side of Washington, DC—moments that feel almost tucked away from the fast pace of the city. The first image, featuring the pink townhouse, immediately stood out to me because of its bold yet delicate color palette. Walking through the neighborhood, everything around it felt relatively muted, which made the building pop even more. I chose a slightly angled composition to emphasize the height and character of the structure, while also capturing the small details like the flower boxes and trim that give it personality. Timing was important here. I waited for a quiet moment without too many distractions so the building could feel calm and almost storybook-like.
View of restaurant on 14th Street NW. Photo taken by Laurie Collins.
The second image, taken at a small outdoor café, captures a different kind of charm—one that feels lived-in and social. What drew me in was the warmth of the orange tones paired with the greenery and soft natural light filtering through the trees. I positioned myself at a distance to keep the scene candid, allowing the people to feel like part of the environment rather than the focus. One of the challenges was balancing light and shadow, since the tree cover created shifting patches of brightness, but it ultimately added depth and texture to the image.
Together, these photos reflect two sides of the same experience: one quiet and architectural, the other lively and human. Both moments highlight how color, light, and atmosphere can transform everyday city scenes into something memorable.
Eric Fromson
View of The Watergate. Photo taken by Eric Fromson.
There’s a version of Washington DC that most people know — the one at eye level, where you move through streets and storefronts, glance up at facades, and take in the city in pieces. It’s a familiar kind of seeing, but the moment you find yourself on a rooftop you weren’t exactly supposed to be on, that version dissolves. What replaces it is something harder to explain until you’ve actually seen it: the city rearranged into something coherent and strange all at once.
You never quite know what it’s going to take to get to the top. Sometimes it’s persistence, asking the right person, waiting, asking again. Sometimes it’s knowing when to move quickly and quietly and not draw too much attention to yourself. Washington, DC asked for both. And every time I made it up, the city I thought I knew disappeared, and something truer took its place.
The Watergate was one of those shots that only exists because I pushed a little further than I probably should have. On the ground it’s iconic in a way that almost works against you as a photographer, so loaded with history and familiarity that it’s hard to see it fresh. But from above, all of that falls away. The curved terraces sweep beneath you in long, deliberate arcs, the geometry taking over completely. It stopped being a symbol and became a building again. A beautiful one.
View of the Washington Harbour and Georgetown waterfront. Photo taken by Eric Fromson.
Georgetown came the same way. At street level, the neighborhood and the waterfront feel disconnected with different rhythms and different energies. From a rooftop, you see the whole thing breathe. The spires reaching up, the river anchoring the bottom of the frame, the warm afternoon light settling over the brick like it had been there forever. It looked like a city that had grown honestly, without anyone trying too hard.
That tension, between the effort it takes to get somewhere you’re not entirely supposed to be and the stillness you find once you’re there, is something I keep chasing. The view doesn’t come free. But it’s never once felt like it wasn’t worth it.
Minh Phan
The U.S. Capitol Building from the Capitol Reflecting Pond. Front Cover of Trope Washington, DC. Photo taken by Minh Phan.
I’ve come back to this spot enough times to know how it moves.
Some days it’s the light and other days it’s the reflections, but there’s almost always something subtle that completes the scene if you’re willing to wait. This time, it was fall at its peak. Nearly every tree had turned, filling the frame with deep reds and warm yellows, while the Capitol stood steady in the background.
The water was calm, softening everything into a quiet reflection. It felt still in a way that makes you slow down before even lifting the camera.
But what I’ve learned here is to never just focus on what’s already in front of you. I kept watching the water, knowing there’s almost always a bird passing through at some point.
Sure enough, one glided across the frame. Not unexpected, but exactly what the image needed. That small movement gave the scene a sense of life and timing that can’t really be forced.
For me, this shot is really about that mix of timing, place, and luck. A reminder that the best photos aren’t always chased — they’re found. And in DC, beauty shows up at any time. You just have to be there to see it.
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