On a bright, yet crisp, cold and windy April day, 13 Sampson and Duplin county residents, cameras hanging from their necks and tripods at the ready, took to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., capturing the historic sites of the nation’s capitol.

The group are students in Gloria Edward’s four photography classes at Sampson Community College — Digital Do’s and Don’ts and Shutterbugs 2, 3 and 4 — and all were eager participants in this photography field trip designed to allow them to put into practice many of the techniques they have learned, including night photography, the use of their tripods and above all else the taking in of the things surrounding them.

Arranged by SCC Dean of Continuing Education Ann Butler and her husband Don, along with Edwards, the trip included a visit to the Photo Ark exhibit at The National Geographic offices in D.C., where photographs of some of the Butlers’ birds are a part of photograph Joel Sartore’s massive undertaking.

During the three-day trip, the photographers were able to visit Georgetown, have dinner at Legal Seafood and Clyde’s, visit the exhibit and photograph everything from the Washington Monument to the Supreme Court building and the US Capitol.

“It was a great trip,” noted Sebrinia Johnson, a student in the Shutterbugs 4 class. “We went by a lot of places.”

Ann Butler said it was a great time of fellowship, fun and history, with the classes having an opportunity to take in history in very unique ways, many from behind the lens of the camera.

Edwards concurred.

“It was amazing to stand in some of the locations where history took place,” Edwards noted, pointing out that she stood in the roadway beside the World War II memorial to capture a photograph of the Jefferson Memorial. “This was the place where President Gerald Ford’s coffin was stopped, right at the World War II Memorial across from the Jefferson Memorial. It was an amazing feeling being in that spot.”

Edwards thanked the Butlers for planning the trip and noted that everyone enjoyed their time together. “I think everyone had a great time. In fact, they are all ready to do it again.”

Photography students turn their lens to the nation’s capitol

By Sherry Matthews

[email protected]

An upclose view of the Iwo Jima monument, located near Arlington National Cemetery, shows the great detail given to the statue, which depicts 5 Marines and a Navy hospital corpsman raising the flag at Iwo Jima, the last territory US troops captured from the Japanese in WWII.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_IwoJima.jpgAn upclose view of the Iwo Jima monument, located near Arlington National Cemetery, shows the great detail given to the statue, which depicts 5 Marines and a Navy hospital corpsman raising the flag at Iwo Jima, the last territory US troops captured from the Japanese in WWII.

A picturesque view of The Washington Monument on a bright, but cold, crisp and windy April day. The monument is made of marble, granite and sandstone and is both the world’s tallest stone structure and the world’s tallest obelisk, standing 555 feet 5 1/8 inches in height.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Washington-Monument.jpgA picturesque view of The Washington Monument on a bright, but cold, crisp and windy April day. The monument is made of marble, granite and sandstone and is both the world’s tallest stone structure and the world’s tallest obelisk, standing 555 feet 5 1/8 inches in height.

The Jefferson Memorial, which is situated just across the Tidal Basin from the WWII Memorial, is seen here at dusk, standing majestically against the dimming sky. The memorial is dedicated to President Thomas Jefferson, one of the Founding Fathers and the main drafter and writer of the Declaration of Independence.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Jefferson.jpgThe Jefferson Memorial, which is situated just across the Tidal Basin from the WWII Memorial, is seen here at dusk, standing majestically against the dimming sky. The memorial is dedicated to President Thomas Jefferson, one of the Founding Fathers and the main drafter and writer of the Declaration of Independence.

The US Capitol seems to be rising from the circle of flags as seen from the Washington Monument.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Capitol.jpgThe US Capitol seems to be rising from the circle of flags as seen from the Washington Monument.

A statue of Vietnam Veterans is bathed in a slowly falling sun. The bronze statue overlooks The Wall, the monument dedicated to the memory of those who fought and died in the Vietnam War.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_IMG_7579.jpgA statue of Vietnam Veterans is bathed in a slowly falling sun. The bronze statue overlooks The Wall, the monument dedicated to the memory of those who fought and died in the Vietnam War.

Dozens of flowers line the Vietnam Memorial, tributes placed their by friends and loved ones during visits to The Wall each day. Sherry Matthews|Sampson Independent
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_IMG_7578.jpgDozens of flowers line the Vietnam Memorial, tributes placed their by friends and loved ones during visits to The Wall each day. Sherry Matthews|Sampson Independent

A tribute to the Pacific Theater, a part of the World War II Memorial that sits directly across the reflecting pool from the Lincoln Memorial in the nation’s capitol.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_IMG_7438.jpgA tribute to the Pacific Theater, a part of the World War II Memorial that sits directly across the reflecting pool from the Lincoln Memorial in the nation’s capitol.

The majesty of the US Supreme Court building.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_IMG_7571.jpgThe majesty of the US Supreme Court building.

The statue of Abraham Lincoln is the centerpiece of Lincoln Memorial, built to honor the 16th president. It is located on the western end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It was dedicated in 1922.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_IMG_1656.jpgThe statue of Abraham Lincoln is the centerpiece of Lincoln Memorial, built to honor the 16th president. It is located on the western end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It was dedicated in 1922.

The eternal flame which marks the gravesite of President John F. Kennedy in Arlington National Cemetery. The grave, located on a hillside in Arlington, was chosen because Kennedy had admired the peaceful atmosphere on a visit there just months before his assasination.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_IMG_1731.jpgThe eternal flame which marks the gravesite of President John F. Kennedy in Arlington National Cemetery. The grave, located on a hillside in Arlington, was chosen because Kennedy had admired the peaceful atmosphere on a visit there just months before his assasination.

The Washington Monument stands majestically against the evening sky and is captured in the Reflecting pool, a view seen looking from the Lincoln Memorial.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_IMG_1652.jpgThe Washington Monument stands majestically against the evening sky and is captured in the Reflecting pool, a view seen looking from the Lincoln Memorial.

The silhouette of President Thomas Jefferson can be seen between the columns of the Jefferson Memorial.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Jefferson-Don.jpgThe silhouette of President Thomas Jefferson can be seen between the columns of the Jefferson Memorial.

Dozens upon dozens of graves can be seen from this view of Arlington National Cemetery, a United States military cemetery in Arlington County, Va., across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. On its 624 acres, the dead of the nation’s conflicts, beginning with the American Civil War, have been buried. The cemetery was established during the Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House. Presidents John F. Kennedy and William Howard Taft are buried there, as well as Kennedy’s brother, Robert Kennedy, whose gravesite is adjacent to that of the Eternal Flame.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Arlington.jpgDozens upon dozens of graves can be seen from this view of Arlington National Cemetery, a United States military cemetery in Arlington County, Va., across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. On its 624 acres, the dead of the nation’s conflicts, beginning with the American Civil War, have been buried. The cemetery was established during the Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House. Presidents John F. Kennedy and William Howard Taft are buried there, as well as Kennedy’s brother, Robert Kennedy, whose gravesite is adjacent to that of the Eternal Flame.