Nat'l Air & Space Museum - Udvar-Hazy Center Annex

[NostalgicDad]

I was traveling on business this past week in Herndon, VA and had a chance to swing by the fairly new annex to the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum near Dulles airport. There was lots to see and I would recommend it to anyone who has the chance to go.

The lighting is on the dim side in the hangar so I used an ISO typically ranging from 800-2500. These are a few shots I felt like sharing........

The Blackbird SR-71. This thing flew from LA to DC in 1 hour and 4 minutes when it was handed over to the museum. That's just a little fast!

I had to shoot this through the plexiglass they have on the railing protecting the front of the Enola Gay.

It was pretty difficult to get a good angle of the Concorde. It's much longer than you might think.

 

[WillCAD]

Nice shots.

I went there in Sept 2006 and took a bunch of pics myself.

http://willcad.org/photos/2006/Roll-280/Roll-280.html

Being a space buff, I particularly enjoyed the James S. McDonell Space Hanger.

I really love that place; I should go back sometime soon.

After we left, my friend Frank said, "I liked that place. I thought it was just going to be a bunch of planes sitting in a hangar."

To which I replied: "Uh, Frank - it kinda WAS just a bunch of planes sitting in a hangar."

 

[bob100]

I've been there and it's worth it, especially if you're an aeronautics buff. Also the Air & Space museum on the mall is definitely worth the price of admission.

 

[orchjoe]

Great pictures! I really like this one:

 

[KimAshton]

Wow it makes me wanna go.

 

[rtphokie]

The SR-71 is a popular photo subject, especially with the Enterprise right behind her. I shot this a few years back. The Udvar-Hazy Center is a must see in DC.

 

[rtphokie]

I had to shoot this through the plexiglass they have on the railing protecting the front of the Enola Gay.

That plexiglass is there because an anti-war protester threw paint on the Enola Gay shortly after the museum opened.

 

[NostalgicDad]

Thanks to all for the nice comments.

That plexiglass is there because an anti-war protester threw paint on the Enola Gay shortly after the museum opened.

Yeah, I figured as much. I remember standing there thinking, now why does just this one section have the plexiglass when the rest of the place doesn't?

Btw, I notice there are quite a few more lights around the perimeter in your shot of the SR-71.

 

[Mr._The_King]

Excellent Shots!! I was there in June and being a huge air and space program buff had a blast both looking at the exhibits and trying to take some pictures. I especially loved your exterior shots. You did a great job capturing the unique architecture of the complex. Thanks for sharing

 

[Gdad]

Fine work Danny- I enjoyed the whole series. There are several I wish I could see the EXIF on. What lenses were you using?

 

[NostalgicDad]

Excellent Shots!! I was there in June and being a huge air and space program buff had a blast both looking at the exhibits and trying to take some pictures. I especially loved your exterior shots. You did a great job capturing the unique architecture of the complex. Thanks for sharing

Thank you. It definitely looks quite unique from the outside. Being from the Dallas area, I'm really used to the heat. But man, it really felt extra warm and bright that day. I think the temp was only around 90-92 but just seemed a lot hotter. I found myself in a rush and wanting to get back indoors fast!

Fine work Danny- I enjoyed the whole series. There are several I wish I could see the EXIF on. What lenses were you using?

Thx Jeff. Using my D300, I went back and forth between my 2 favorite Sigmas......18-50mm f/2.8 and the 10-20mm. I think I was pleasantly surprised at the 10-20's performance being inside with not a ton of light available.

Here's the link to the gallery so you can view the EXIF. There are lots of images but the ones in this series are pretty much on the first 2 pages.

 

[Gdad]

Thx Jeff. Using my D300, I went back and forth between my 2 favorite Sigmas......18-50mm f/2.8 and the 10-20mm. I think I was pleasantly surprised at the 10-20's performance being inside with not a ton of light available.

Here's the link to the gallery so you can view the EXIF. There are lots of images but the ones in this series are pretty much on the first 2 pages.

Thanks for the link- I will check it out some more when I get home on a better monitor. I like THIS one.