Random Excellence: Matthew Girard

Matthew Girard of the engineering firm Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates took this vertiginous fisheye photograph from the top of the Washington monument in Washington, D.C. last fall, as his firm was repairing damage to the monument sustained in an earthquake a year ago.

Tourists can see a similar view from the top of the monument—but without 32-year-old Emma Cardini of WJE's Difficult-Access Team hanging on ropes off the eastern face of the 169-meter-high structure.

A series of pictures taken by WJE workers was recently featured in the Washington Post.

Mike
(Thanks to Ed Kirkpatrick)

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Original contents copyright 2012 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved.

Featured Comment by Roger Bradbury: "I had no idea that the monument was quite so big, or that you could get inside it. I was very surprised to see WJE's Difficult-Access Team in a room, paying lines out of a window."

Mike replies: Roger, each side of the base of the monument is 55 feet (just under 17 meters) wide. The walls are 15 feet thick at the base.

Here's a picture I found online that will give you a good sense of its scale.

Comments

[Edd Fuller]

And here's a similar view taken in 1945 from the Library of Congress archive:
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/owi2001045043/PP/

[Ken]

It is a great view, and is already historic. By now the green quadrant to the left (between the curving road, which is 15th st, and the straight road, which is 14th) is now a big hole in the earth, site of yet another monument being constructed. And I don't believe they reopened the top of the Washington monument to visitors yet.

[Speed]

After many trips to Washington, DC and many visits to the Washington Monument to view the long line of people waiting to get inside, I arrived one morning before opening and rode to the top after a very short wait. The view from inside is as interesting and dramatic as the photo above. More, even.

[Jim Hart]

I don't care how you photograph it, that monument looks nothing like the man.

:-)

[James Gaston]

One of those occasions that are best captured with a fish-eye lens. Very nice.

[MJFerron]

One of the best fisheye shots I've seen.

[Robert Harshman]

It really a shame Matthew did not understand shooting 360's. He could have perhaps shot a wonderful 360 from his precarious perch.And then added the top of the monument from a aerial mapping image.

Robert

[Mandeno Moments]

A tip for beginners: the story that the photo tells would be incomplete without the shadow. Placing the shadow of the monument in the frame is one way of telling viewers what the camera is mounted on.

[Jeff Greer]

The monument is still closed due to last year's earthquake.

[Craig Beyers]

There are two access methods to the top of the Monument: the aforementioned elevator and a winding staircase. The National Park Service has occasionally done walking tours from the top of the Monument to the bottom, showcasing the individual state plaques mounted on the staircase. In the old days (i.e., circa 1968), everyone had the option of walking up/down the Monument or taking the elevator. These days, only the elevator is available, unless the NPS does a walking tour.

[Mark Sampson]

A standout childhood memory is when we walked down those stairs. I thought 'we must be close to the bottom by now', and then I saw on the wall a marker. It stated 'you are now equal in height to the top of the statue atop the Capitol' or something like that. Awesome at 8yrs old...