Arched walkway at Union Station, Washington, D.C.
Tech specs
Viewing shapes, light, shadows at Union Station
I like images that show repetition of patterns in architecture or nature. This photo of the open hallway in front of Union Station, the historic train station in Washington, D.C., takes repetition to the max.
Identical arches with identical light fixtures extend far into the distance. Add the alternating patches of sunlight and shade along the ground and the scene contains a virtual cornucopia of repetition.
Union Station is one of my favorite Washington, D.C., locations to visit with my camera. The architecture, both inside and outside, provides interesting potential compositions for photography. The steady stream of people rushing to trains creates a sense of energy.
For this photo, I scheduled time to visit Union Station in the late afternoon so direct sunlight coming through the outside archways would provide a light/shade pattern on the floor. The sunlight also reflects off the floor to provide fill light for the arches. Shooting from the same location during morning hours, when the sun is behind the building, would provide a less interesting image. The lower contrast indirect lighting would not define the individual arches as well as the afternoon sun.
I used a small aperture to get sufficient depth of field to keep the series of arches in focus.
I shot from each end of the arched hallway, getting a number of photos with different lighting and pedestrian traffic. For this photo I stood at the east end of the hallway and framed my shot. I saw a businessman in a white shirt in the distance, walking my way. I waited until he entered a patch of light near me, then pressed the shutter release. His position in the shot helps to show the size of the arches and provides a focal point for the viewer.
Union Station opened in 1907. It is now Amtrak’s headquarters and the railroad’s second-busiest station, with more than 5 million riders annually (Penn Station in New York City is Amtrak’s busiest station with approximately 10.4 million riders annually, but Penn Station has the look and feel of a crowded, aging shopping mall and is definitely not on my short list of favorites).