FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 6, 2008 

FOCUS ON PHOTOGRAPHY: PORTRAITS OF POWER, ENVIRONMENTALISM AND DC'S FIRST-EVER FOTO WEEK 

The focus is on photography this fall in DC, as the city plays host to remarkable exhibitions by Richard Avedon, Ansel Adams and other leading names and faces, plus an inaugural celebration of local photographic talent, FotoWeek DC. Plus, DC's beautiful, wide open-skies and breathtaking architecture make it the perfect place to hone your photography skills on a photo safari or to pick up a one-of-a-kind souvenir by a local artist.

Taking place Nov. 15-22, FotoWeek DC is the first regional celebration of photography. Programs will include a photo contest and juried exhibition, gallery openings, lectures, educational workshops, portfolio reviews, book signings and more. Much of the programming will be free of charge, and many area galleries are participating by displaying the work of local photographers or nationally and historically renowned photography. Visit fotoweekdc.org for more information on programming and a list of participating galleries.

Even if you can't make it to DC this November, there are many ways to get great shots of the nation's capital any time of year. Consider Washington Photo Safari, a tour where photographers of all skill levels bring their own cameras and head out on an excursion to some of DC's most popular sites, including the White House and the WWII Memorial. The tour (which happens 4-5 times per week and costs $74 for a half-day; $129 for a full day) is guided by professional photographer David Luria, whose photos have appeared in more than 100 publications. Luria also offers special nighttime workshops like "Monuments at Night" and "Moonrise Over the Nation's Capital."

Photos on Display
Those who enjoy seeing photos on display more than taking them won't want to miss the photography exhibitions coming to DC this fall:

Sept. 13-Jan. 25
Richard Avedon: Portraits of Power (at the Corcoran Gallery of Art)
Opening just in time for the presidential election, this exhibition will bring together more than 200 of Avedon's portraits of the country's power elite for the first time. Subjects include Barack Obama, Karl Rove, Malcolm X, Ronald Reagan and Henry Kissinger.

Sep. 26 - Jan. 4, 2009
Georgia O'Keeffe and Ansel Adams: Natural Affinities (at the Smithsonian American Art Museum)
This display will feature approximately 40 paintings and 50 photographs celebrating these iconic artists' deep commitment to the American landscape.

Oct. 17-Jan. 25, 2009
Role Models: Feminine Identity in Contemporary American Photography (at the National Museum of Women in the Arts)
This exhibition will feature the work of two generations of artists whose portraiture, self-portraiture and narrative photographs have indelibly inflected our understanding of gender and identity over the past 30 years. More specifically, it focuses on how role models and role-playing have been central to the art, meaning, and social function of contemporary photography.

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About Destination DC: Destination DC, the lead destination marketing organization for the nation’s capital, is a private, non-profit membership organization of more than 1,000 businesses committed to marketing the area as a premier global convention, tourism and special events destination with a special emphasis on the arts, cultural and historic communities. Destinationdc.com.