NVPS January 2020 Field Trip to Washington National Cathedral
When: Saturday, January 11, 2020
Where: Washington National Cathedral
3101 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20016
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Steve Glintz of NVPS, will share his knowledge and lead the field trip to the Washington National Cathedral on Saturday, January 11, 2020, at 10 a.m. (date subject to change with notice in the event new activities are announced at the Cathedral which would impact our plans – Steve will monitor).
The plan is to meet at 10:00 a.m. at the northwest corner of the Cathedral near Wisconsin Ave. by the elevator to the underground parking. Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for seniors and active military/veterans. Parking is available underground for $9, or for free on Wisconsin Ave. if it’s your lucky day. There are mass transportation options listed on the Cathedral’s website https://cathedral.org/visit-us/directions-parking/.
The morning will start by exploring the South side arcade. This side of the Cathedral really shines in the morning due to the low angle of the sun. Participants should slowly make their way down to the high altar to check out the light splashing on the organ pipes, the altar, and the many decorations above.
At 12 noon, there is a 30-minute service. We will have to disperse at this time. No photography is allowed near the high altar, the naive, or either arcade (basically anywhere inside on the ground floor). Steve recommends going downstairs to explore the crypt or going up the elevator in the Northwest tower which connects to the Southwest tower.
When the service concludes, the group will return to the ground floor for an encore. This time to explore the naive and the North arcade. The sun will be at its highest point in the sky and the light cast through the stained-glass windows above creates more unique photographic opportunities.
If participants feel they’ve been overloaded with architecture and color, there are opportunities to flex your creative muscles. Multiple exposures of some of the glass windows allow you to combine interesting subjects in unusual settings. Or try dragging the shutter. This place is literally a candy store for the photographer to quote Steve.
The group will take a break around 2 p.m. to meet up next door (immediately south next to the Bishop’s Garden) at the Cathedral coffee shop. They offer coffee, hot chocolate, pastries, and other lite snacks.
When 3:30 p.m. rolls around, the group will return outdoors in hopes of a sunset which will turn the outside of the Cathedral that warm golden glow.
It’s going to be a full day of photographic wonders, so stay as long as you like.
We hope you can join us! Please email us at fieldtrips-2019@nvps.org if you plan to.
Judy Graham and Tana Ebbole
Field Trip Coordinators 2019-2020
Note: If you cannot join NVPS for the field trip, you can visit the Cathedral at any time. Each visit yields different results. For best results (or at similar to the images created by Steve) he recommends visiting the Cathedral within 6-8 weeks of the winter solstice (December 21, 2019). The reason for that is because the sun is especially low on the horizon which helps the inside glow in wonderful colors.
If you visit on a Sunday, you can get free parking and free entry, however, Sunday’s are usually busy, and you have to wait until after 12 noon for services to end.
