Washington DC @ night - Restrictions?

I'll be in DC for a week this month. I love sunrises so I'll be up every morning. The problem is, I'll be so excited to see this awesome place that there is a good chance I'll wake up well before the alarm (2 or 3 AM). I'm not familiar with DC and the hotel is near Thomas Circle Park or 10 minute walk from the WH. I will have a rental car but from what I've read, DC is an awesome walking city. I'm fairly active, so a day of 10+ miles walking while on vacation is not uncommon. But, perhaps there are some areas I may need to drive to to catch sunrise? I also plan to catch all the sunsets, but can't imagine driving in the evening hours.

I'm doing research but would like to hear from those who either live in the area and/or are familiar. Are there any areas that are off limits for night photography? I'll be well covered since it will most likely be cold and carrying a couple bodies (1 in a shoulder bag) to include a 70-200 + a travel tripod.

With everything that's going on lately, I'd like to avoid any security confrontations.

Thanks for any insight or tips that will help me make the best of the visit.

For Sunrise, I would consider driving over the water to Old Town Alexandria and shoot across the city scape. I would not consider walking around anywhere in DC itself in the wee morning hours, nope..... Totally avoid Southeast DC. Greater concern is for personal safety, not security. Old Town is a beautiful place and lots of view towards the city, it used to be a part of it. The parking lot upper level of Union Station has a view of the Washington Monument, I think the scaffolding is gone now. Check out Google maps and determine where the sun will rise and building positions. P.S. I grew up in the MD suburbs. Living in Annapolis nowadays.

The National Mall and all of the monuments are open for photography at any hour, but if you're wanting to do any sort of tripod work, go at night. Less people, and I am pretty sure tripods aren't allowed inside of the museums or when it's super crowded. Safety wise, if you stick to the main thoroughfares you won't have any issues, but like any big city you have to have an awareness about you. In my years of venturing into the city (for photography, random events, nightlife, touristy stuff) I've never had an issue, but I don't let myself get careless.

For sunrise/sunsets, make a trip over to the Marine Corps Memorial (aka the Iwo Jima memorial), where you can get a great shot of the "Big Three" monuments in a row.

Otherwise, the really fun part about DC is walking around and discovering hidden views and points of interest. The memorials are awe inspiring, but have been shot a million times from the usual vantage points. Explore the streets, you'll find so much to photograph!

I'm jealous... never been. Have a great time!

As mentioned by Matthew you cannot use tripods 'generally' within buildings, they also are not allowed within the covered monuments. I couldn't get an explanation on why from the park police, perhaps they are tired of answering the same question a million times. My guess is both safety (tripping hazard) and the tripod clogging up space which prevents the crowd from flowing past the displays.

The US Capital Building is undergoing renovation, the dome is shrouded with scaffolding so that shot is out. If you want something 'different' to shoot I would visit the beautiful Willard Hotel on the corner of F & 14th Street (just east of the White House lawns), then cross the street and visit the National Press Club (13th floor - daytime only) which has some really cool historic photograph's and displays.

Don't forget the EEOB (Eisenhower Executive Office Building).

A bit off topic but FarmerTed1971, your screenname reminded me of when my wife and I went on our Honeymoon back in 1990. We went to a half dozen towns and spent a couple nights camping at our local park in Greenbelt MD just 10 miles outside DC and a farmer and his family were there from Idaho or other farming state, pretty far away. He had been to DC as a kid and brought his wife and 2 young sons to see the Monuments etc. The kids had not ever seen an escalator and were thrilled to be on the huge ones on the subway. It was really cool to meet them and just realize how different a culture or environment we are all accustomed to. I hope you get to DC someday, it is a beautiful place, home to more museums than anywhere else in the world. I've never posted pics on here, hope this is OK to do on this thread. Here is one of our days at the museums, more are on my Flickr page:

https://www.flickr.com …/albums/7215764​6702748257

Some places allow Monopods. Safety of others tripping is the general concern. Spiked feet do horribly expensive damage to marble floors.

Think Farmer Ted may be a reference to the movie '16 Candles'

This is the Official Photography Policy from the NPS Park Police for the DC Park Grounds and Monuments:

Most of these are aimed at commercial photography (Which requires a permit)

TRIPOD USAGE WITHIN RESTRICTED AREAS IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED WITH OR WITHOUT A PERMIT.

B-roll footage MAY be permitted if the project is directly related to the purpose of the Memorial.

Lincoln Memorial: Filming/photography is prohibited above the white marble steps and the interior chamber of the Lincoln Memorial.

Jefferson Memorial: Filming/photography is prohibited within the columns and the interior chamber of the Jefferson Memorial.


Washington Monument: Filming/photography is prohibited within the circle of flags surrounding the base of the Washington Monument.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial: Equipment set-up of any kind is prohibited at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial including, but not limited to, microphones, speakers, lights and musical instruments.

Three Servicemen Statue: The Three Servicemen Statue, located adjacent to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, is a copyrighted piece and, therefore, may NOT be filmed or photographed for commercial purposes without express permission from the artist.

Vietnam Women's Memorial: The Vietnam Women's Memorial may NOT be filmed or photographed for commercial purposes.

Korean War Memorial: Due to copyright restrictions, filming within the Korean War Memorial must be done with a handheld camera. Equipment set-up of any kind is prohibited. Any footage must credit the artist, _______________.

FDR Memorial: Due to copyright restrictions, commercial filming/photography is prohibited within the FDR Memorial.

Holy crap--I thought these monuments are owned by the people

Silver-Halide wrote in post #17830478
Holy crap--I thought these monuments are owned by the people

Nope. The recent monuments have copyrights retained by sculptor, etc. Check out the case of the Post Office issuing a stamp of the Korean War Memorial and then getting sued by the sculptor (Spoiler, he wins about $600k). I"m pretty sure the recent monuments were funded largely, if not entirely, by private donations.

Commercial restrictions have no bearing on the average vacation.

As far as tripod use, I've found that if you go late at night (best time anyway), some of the security guards are not opposed to a quick setup.

tandemhearts wrote in post #17830834
Nope. The recent monuments have copyrights retained by sculptor, etc. Check out the case of the Post Office issuing a stamp of the Korean War Memorial and then getting sued by the sculptor (Spoiler, he wins about $600k). I"m pretty sure the recent monuments were funded largely, if not entirely, by private donations.

Commercial restrictions have no bearing on the average vacation.

As far as tripod use, I've found that if you go late at night (best time anyway), some of the security guards are not opposed to a quick setup.

Are the Sculptors paying a royalty to the US Soldiers/Sailors/Airme​n/Marines depicted in these monuments? As a disabled veteran it gets tiring seeing others profit from the sacrifice that others have given freely to their country. I understand protecting the artist in blatant attempts to rip off their work, but the intention of the post office stamp was to pay homage to Korean war veterans.

"Gaylord also sued the former Marine, John Alli, who took the photo that the Postal Service used on its stamp in 2003, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the war." 1.

1. Zang, Michael, "Sculptor Awarded $685,000 After Photo of Korean War Memorial Used on Stamp", Sep 23,2013, Petapixel (online), Retrieved from http://petapixel.com/ on 12/24/15

Free money is a huge draw. We live in a world of litigation. It's very sad, really.

FarmerTed1971 wrote in post #17831122
Free money is a huge draw. We live in a world of litigation. It's very sad, really.

So you would not want compensation if somebody sold $17 million worth of product from your creative work?