I was born and raised in the Washington, DC Metro Area. I went to college in Brooklyn, New York, but I came back to the area after college and have lived here since. I love this area! There is so much history, power, and beauty in DC, despite the bad rep it gets due to the national political climate.
One thing that I think is true of a lot of people who have grown up in major metropolitan areas is that you end up not getting to do/see a lot of the touristy things in your city. You tend to take them for granted. When I was younger, my parents made sure that I visited various landmarks, museums, memorials, and other historic sites in the area. It really made growing up in the shadow of the nation’s capital a pretty cool experience. Now that I’m an adult, I find that I don’t get to do as much sightseeing in DC as I’d like, and on the rare occasion that I do, it feels like I’m experiencing it all for the first time.
When I was gifted the opportunity to shoot with Michelle as part of a Shoot My Travel experience, I was so excited! She asked me where I wanted to shoot for my one-hour You & The City package, and I, of course, picked one of my favorite touristy spots: the Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool. I’m so basic. Fortunately, I am also open-minded, so when Michelle suggested the Jefferson Memorial, I thought, cool! Haven’t been there in a long time! I honestly can’t remember the last time I was really down in there exploring. Michelle recommended a sunrise photo shoot, which was a good idea (even if I am a big baby who hates waking up early), so we set a time and I went to bed — or I tried to.
The sunrise plan turned out to be an excellent one! It’s so weird for me to be out near one of the memorials and not see a ton of people! I mostly saw a handful of runners, but only every few minutes, and they were the speedy runners, so they were like little flashes going by. Nobody photobombed any of my photos! The only hitch was when a large party arrived to do some wedding photos about halfway through our shoot. They were hogging one of the best angles at the memorial which was super annoying. Who makes their friends wake up and get all dolled up for a 7 a.m. photo shoot for their wedding?! That’s just inconsiderate. Fortunately, Michelle was able to roll with it and find some other cool spots.
Michelle was such a lovely photographer to work with! She made me feel completely comfortable and had me try out some different poses all around the Jefferson Memorial. She was really patient and talked me through some little corrections to make (I can’t hit all the angles, unlike the woman in the
Drake song…). Most importantly, I love the photos! I love how she captured some quintessential DC elements (e.g. the columns, TJ in the background, the Monument), but also captured the fitness blogger in me.
I would definitely do another
Shoot My Travel photo shoot. I may even want to do another one somewhere else cool in DC! But I think it would be a great way to get some great shots with friends, family, and/or significant other whether that’s in your hometown or while you’re traveling. I would probably opt for a
longer session if traveling to a new city. One hour gives you a bunch of shots in a smaller area. Taking photos takes time! Shoot My Travel is available in
so many cities worldwide! You should note that the costs vary from city to city, so go ahead and explore the options!
I had such a wonderful experience with
Shoot My Travel! I definitely plan to use the service again! I got 15 photos (plus a couple of bonus images for leaving a review on their website) for my one-hour shoot, so be on the lookout on the blog and
Instagram for more!
Have you ever done a photo shoot? Have you ever had a photographer follow you along on an adventure? Do you get to visit landmarks in your area, or do you take them for granted?
