Every once in awhile I like a good "WTF is that" entry for Photo of the Day, and this one is pretty good. Is this some kind of strange baby doll orgy venue? The caption says it was taken outside a gym, so maybe they're the miniature fan club of D.C. Professionals On Treadmills? And then there's the splash of color against the gray toned background, turning it into a creepy version of those saccharine black and white greeting cards with the two adorable children in hats holding a red, red rose. Actually those are pretty creepy to begin with. Maybe photographer rsplatpc has a better explanation for what's going on here. EXIF.
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Just as predicted, the Kogod Courtyard is becoming a popular site with our photographers, and for good reason. Flickr user tklancer took this striking black and white that gives a kind of majestic feel to the canopy and entrance to the Reynolds Center. EXIF. more ›

This is the sort of tree that gives rise to all sorts of anthropomorphic, evil and/or violent trees in popular entertainment, and inspires waking nightmares in children walking in the woods on cold November evenings. Flickr user brents pix gives the picture the HDR treatment, but with two twists that buck the prevailing trend of overwrought and bizarrely colored HDR shots. First, he presents the photo in black and white (though there is a color version available). Second, he takes a subtle and restrained hand with the effects. He brings out all the craggy details of the tree without pushing into the surreal, making for a chilly and imposing photo. more ›

Flickr user polytropos had a number of excellent photos from down at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial over the weekend. With today being Veterans Day, and just two days shy of the 25th anniversary of the dedication of the Memorial, there was no doubt today's photo would come from that set. It was this black and white shot, not of the wall itself, but of the directory of names, in black and white with a bright glow illuminating the book, that really struck us. more ›

Hemphill Fine Arts opened two shows this past weekend, showcasing James Huckenpahler's digital prints in Mindless Pleasures and David Byrne's furniture design in Furnishing the Self – Upholstering the Soul (Chairs). And while both shows are housed in the same gallery space, they displayed art at opposite ends of the spectrum in both medium and in feel. The first of the two shows at Hemphill is Huckenpahler’s computer art presented in Mindless Pleasures. His work... more ›

We like this great black and white wide angle treatment of some checkers players at a park in Wheaton, Md. Flickr contributor chip py the photo guy frames the action perfectly, giving us the details of the bottle cap pieces while letting the background fall out of focus to make this next move feel like it could decide the outcome of the game. EXIF.
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Is there anything new that can be added to the debate over the legality and morality of abortion at this point? Finding anyone without a pretty firm opinion is difficult enough. Finding fresh perspectives on an issue this divisive, studied, thought through, and argued over is even rarer. Tony Kaye's Lake of Fire, a documentary 17 years in the making, doesn't necessarily present any new information. But it collects all those varying perspectives and passionate... more ›

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. Indie: Lake of Fire Michael Moore may have grabbed all the press where high profile documentaries are concerned, but it's Tony Kaye's Lake of Fire that is being quietly talked about as the most powerful documentary of the year. Which is remarkable considering its subject is one of the most talked about and analyzed issues on... more ›

Sometimes we note that there aren't many portraits in the DCist pool, but today we find ourselves overwhelmed by some fantastic people-centric shots taken over the weekend. The grainy black and white gives even more depth to this image of a tough guy waiting for the Chinatown bus, by Flickr user digital_don (check out his photostream for his other great street portraits). EXIF. Some close runners up included hashing Wonder Woman, block party balloon... more ›

Despite all the bad things that come with living in a big city, one of the reasons we love living here -- especially in the nation's capital, where all of America's characters descend to speak for their rights -- is the amalgam of people you'll find on the streets at any given moment. Flickr user quemino of the world just uploaded this photo she took in 2003 last Saturday at a march of anarchists on the Mall. The grainy black and white texture makes this look like something our kids will be looking at in their social studies books soon. EXIF.
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Who can resist the Hammer? We're glad some of you took our advice yesterday and went to see him live for free at the Woodrow Wilson Plaza ... so the rest of us could stay home and just enjoy the great photos. This close-up by Captain Easychord almost nailed it for Photo of the Day, but we couldn't resist this black and white version (that's Hammer in the center with the sunglasses) after photographer... more ›

Mayor Adrian Fenty has announced the city has formally filed an appeal to the Supreme Court in the hopes that it will overturn a March decision in which a lower court found that the District's ban on handguns was unconstitutional. Though the appeal has been a month in the making, Fenty and D.C. Attorney General Linda Singer today explained their reasoning in an op-ed published in the Post. In it, they reject the individual right... more ›

Looking around the web site for The Space, the new private club and concierge service that's opened recently across 9th Street from the Washington Convention Center, you get the sense that its proprietors want you to think it's a stuffy lounge space reserved for the wealthy -- there's the wedding invitation-style scroll fonts, the vague descriptions of what exactly this place is trying to be ("For those who love traveling, living, dreaming and discovering,") and... more ›

One rule of writing is that your best material tends to come from your experiences. If this isn't true about Dominic Cicere's Near Wild Heaven, then he's damn good at faking it. more ›

Every year since its opening in 1989, the DC Arts Center has held its 1460 Wall Mountables show as a fundraiser for the non-profit Adams Morgan art center. A non-juried opportunity for artists of varying styles and skill levels to display work in a respected D.C. gallery, Wall Mountables comes off as a mini-Artomatic. Work is displayed floor-to-ceiling salon-style, with photographs next to drawn portraits next to abstract oils. And, just like at Artomatic, some... more ›

We love the high contrast black and white and near vanishing point in this shot by Flickr user akkleis. This pergola shades a walk in the ten acres of gardens at Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown, which also houses a museum with rare book, music, and art collections. The museum itself is closed for renovations until 2008, but the gardens are open for an $8 admission fee. EXIF. more ›

Flickr user F1.4 has turned this sad little broken fire hydrant into a 1940s black and white Hollywood tragedy. Can't you hear the music crescendo as the camera slowly tilts down onto this scene? Then a pause as we reflect on the symbolism before ... the credits silently begin to roll. EXIF.
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If you saw the Morning Roundup, you'll notice that we love this rain series from maxedaperture. He took advantage of a day off work to sit safe and dry under an awning while watching D.C. folks get caught in that massive downpour yesterday. This poor guy looks like he got the brunt of the entire storm, vainly trying to hurry across the street to outrun the wetness, and the black and white makes the... more ›

One would easily peg Rhea, a looming, witch-like matriarch who can haunt both your dreams and reality, as the central villain of Birds, now being staged by Rorschach Theater. But the piece has another, more abstract source of fear and genuine creepiness — a haunted Manhattan itself, where magic makes an unwelcome appearance. In this New York, a vagrant can take your fortune along with your coat, and the loss of a lock of hair... more ›

Post and photo by DCist Contributor Mehan Jayasuriya "It's just not fair," my friend said to me as we stood and watched multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird perform at this year's South by Southwest conference in Austin. "How can one guy be so talented?" Admittedly, it does seem a bit unfair: Bird holds a degree in violin performance, is an accomplished guitarist, knows a thing or two about the glockenspiel, has a soaring voice that often recalls... more ›

If Thursday's show at the Red and the Black was any indication, this year's 6 Points Music Festival looks to be a good one. The local fest, in its fourth year but only its second with a wider reach, aims to someday be a D.C. version of South by Southwest and helped its cause by bringing a diverse indie bill to H Street NE. The show began with Brooklyn's The Lisps, followed by Chicago's Scotland... more ›

>> Start your Thursday night gallery hopping at Flashpoint, where they're holding an opening reception for Shifting Waters, a collection of drawings by Janis Goodman, an associate professor of fine arts at the Corcoran. Her gestural markings create animated representations of water in its many natural forms. Ask yourself if the dark graphite Goodman uses accurately translates her subjects' connection to life and nature, at the opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. >> It's... more ›

The lazy angles of the shadows cast by the oars in this photo by Flickr user christaki give it a certain warmth, even in black and white. Which seems pretty appropriate considering the weather we had last week. EXIF data is here. more ›

As we ring in the new year POTD-style, thanks to all those who put up great photos in the DCist Flickr pool of their holiday time in the city. MatthewBradley had some great shots up, especially some shots of the motorcade passing by with President Ford's remains. One that caught my eye was this black and white shot of Penn Ave. up towards the Capitol dome. Alas, the dome is covered by fog, which... more ›

>> Show 'Em How It's Done: Remember how much we hated the Art Walk? We can't fix the mosaicked drain gutters (ugh), but you can do your part and dress up the rest. The D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities is soliciting entries for the next exhibit entitled Drift. Hat tip to Lenny from Mid Atlantic Art News for this info, and who also tells us that the first exhibit may have suffered simply... more ›

It's Third Thursdays, y'all! And 14th Street doesn't have the monopoly on galleries quite yet, so step over to the 7th Street corridor tonight for a brisk-almost-autumn evening of gallery hopping. You can find the list and a map of participating venues here, but we've got some picks for you: more ›

It's true, everything looks better in black and white. Flickr user metajunkie caught these grillers hard at work yesterday at the Adams Morgan Festival. I nearly stopped by this guy's tent for a plate because it smelled so good — but the lines! Did any of you have more patience than I, and get some meat on a stick? This photo was taken with a Polaroid Reporter SE.
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Written by DCist contributor Paul Ghosh-Roy. more ›

We love photos that turn mundane objects into something deserving of prime wall space. This crisp black and white photo by Flickr user Hoffmann makes these old washing machines look like shiny industrial workhorses that might be featured in an historical engineering book. The photo's EXIF data is here. more ›