Washington Photo Safari

09/10/2026

Have you thought about becoming a professional photographer? Are you thinking about making a career change?

Then you need to attend the Second Career Workshop at the Brandywine Lounge on September 19!

WPS Director E. David Luria, who has been in this very position, where he lost his job, made a career change to become a photographer and started Washington Photo Safari over 25 years ago.

David will discuss what you need to do to become a professional photographer - gear, experience, and the most lucrative genres of photography.

Book your space now!

https://washingtonphotosafari.com/home/photo-tours/photography-as-a-second-career-workshop/

09/10/2026

"Shoot more" is one of the most common pieces of advice a photographer receives.

We usually read "more" as more places, more subjects, more opportunities. Repetition may teach considerably more than novelty does.

Shooting more gives you experience. You become faster with the camera and less likely to miss an obvious frame, but broad experience is not the same as measurable improvement.

The problem with "shoot more" is not the word "more." It is what we keep changing while doing it.

Repeating the same subject or problem isolates variables and reveals your actual decisions. Constant novelty masks improvement. Return to locations and problems to develop genuine visual growth.

09/09/2026

Join WPS for a special event on Tuesday, September 22 at the Library of Congress to photograph the Main Reading Room! This beautiful space is mainly open to researchers, but twice a day the Library of Congress opens it to the public for about an hour, including photographers!

E. David Luria will provide tips and techniques for interior architectural photography, with emphasis placed on composition and lighting. In addition to photographing the Main Reading Room, you will also get to photograph the Great Hall, which is as magnificent as any structure you will find in Europe!

Book your space now!

https://washingtonphotosafari.com/library-of-congress-open-house-at-the-main-reading-room/

09/08/2026

WPS is pleased to announce a new Zoomfari, designed to help you improve your photos, after you've taken them!

Pictures that get in really close, right down to the essentials of the image, have much more impact. Amateur photographers tend to be too far away from their subject, and include too much in their photographs.

On the October 20 ""Lop and Crop: Getting in Low, Close and Tight With Your Images, participants will learn how to eliminate unnecessary or distracting backgrounds during the editing process to make the photo stronger.

During the Zoomfari, photos provided by the participants will be critiqued and edited to crop the image to eliminate all elements of the image that do not contribute to the impact of the image.

The two-hour session will provide essential details on how to make your photos more impactful, by learning how to "lop and crop" your photos before or after you take them!

Book your space now for the October 20 session!https://washingtonphotosafari.com/home/photo-tours/photo-editing/lop-and-crop-workshop-on-zoom/

09/08/2026

From missed focus and accidental overexposure to a caption error, six image-makers share the mistakes that resulted in something good.

From missed focus and accidental overexposure to a caption error, six image-makers share the mistakes that resulted in something good.

09/07/2026

By night the World War II Memorial is a magical wonderland for the nighttime photographer. Designed by architect Friedrich St. Florian and inaugurated in 1994, thememorial comes to life at twilight as the sun goes down and the lights come on in the fountains and the massive Atlantic and Pacific towers.

Architectural photographer and Washington Photo Safari director E. David Luria will show you how to capture memorable images in your camera as he teaches you the techniques of long-exposure nighttime photography on Manual Mode without flash, and how to achieve good composition, exposure, and proper white balance/color filtration, using all the white balance option of your camera’s menu.

Any camera will do, but you must have a STURDY, good-quality tripod. Join WPS on September 20 at the World War II
Memorial!

https://washingtonphotosafari.com/world-war-ii-memorial-at-night/

09/07/2026

A drone photographer in Nepal unwittingly captured the horrific mudslide caused by a glacial collapse high in the Himalayas.

The video was posted to the Chinese social media platform RedNote, showing stunning Himalayan peaks with the photographer in view. See video below; the collapse starts at eight seconds in.

'I never imagined those loud noises behind me could be an ice avalanche and mudslide.'

09/06/2026

"Join WPS at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on September 26.

Safarians will be able to photograph both the exterior and interior of the largest Catholic Church in North America, with over 80 chapels and oratorios that "honor the Mother of God", in the Byzantine and Romanesque Revival Style.

You will learn how to photograph the interior of the Shrine without a tripod, adjusting white balance, ISO, shutter and aperture in a low-light environment. You will also learn how to photograph the spectacular stained-glass windows!

There are a limited number of spaces available for this safari, so don't wait to book your space!

https://washingtonphotosafari.com/basilica-of-the-national-shrine-of-the-immaculate-conception-safari/

09/06/2026

Photographers don’t always need to go to great lengths for great pictures; sometimes it’s about making the most of where you are. Case in point: Andrew McCarthy’s latest shot of a Blood Moon eclipse.

The lunar eclipse happened last week as Earth’s shadow covered 96% of the Moon’s surface. This partial eclipse caused the Moon to turn a crimson color because light from the Sun passed through Earth’s atmosphere, which causes blue light to scatter but bends red light toward the

Moon.

Not all space shots need to be complicated.

09/05/2026

On September 19, WPS Founder and Director E. David Luria will be teaching a group of safarians how to use all the features on current model smartphones and then taking them to photograph iconic locations on the west end of the National Mall, and ending at Union Station.

Learn how to photograph various subjects - people, pets, architecture, landscapes, cityscapes and more!

You'll also learn how to apply the principles of photography to your smartphone images as well as use the editing functions and special effects right there on your phone!

Book your space now!

https://washingtonphotosafari.com/home/photo-tours/outsmarting-your-smartphone-at-d-c-s-monuments/