One of the most followed local Instagram accounts in the DMV, @dccitygirl captures the district through her lens and shares some of her most memorable experiences and places with us.

1. How did you get started with @dccitygirl?

I started my photography journey 6 years ago when the Instagram app came out.  I thought it would be a cool way to show my perspective of life through my lens, which, at the time, was doing macro photography with an iPhone 4 with an Olloclip lens!  I realized that I was restricting my creativity due to only “looking down” at flowers, bugs, and rusty things most of which were seasonal at best.  So I decided to start looking up while upgrading my iPhone to an eventual big-girl camera (from a Leica to my Sony A7rii).   Because my name is @dccitygirl, I want people to see my city through my lens.  I want them to know how beautiful my city is, and I want to show them the culture, daytime, nightlife, entertainment, museums, monuments, etc., maybe in a different way than what you see in a travel magazine.  I want them to be happy, yet curious, ask questions, which they do a lot on my feed.

2. What are your three favorite places to visit or photograph in DC and why? 

I have so many favorite places to visit in Washington, DC and it certainly depends on the season.  In April, hands down, you’ll find me at the Tidal Basin–a lot.  I want to showcase how beautiful springtime can be here.  Every year, over 1,700 trees burst with beautiful white and pink flowers lasting for 3-4 days.  In the fall, you can find me walking the neighborhoods across the city to find the trees changing colors.  This takes me to Rock Creek Park to Boulder Bridge, the Reflecting Pool at the monuments or on the cobblestone streets of Georgetown.  And in winter, I’m always chasing a good snow picture and how it decorates our monuments, homes, and storefronts.  I love how Union Station gets all dressed up, Union Market, the DC Wharf are fun and my favorite tree is the Capitol Christmas tree–I love the history behind each tree we get.  

3. What are some of your favorite local IG accounts to follow?  

My favorite account, of course, is @igdc!  As one of two community managers for IGDC, our goal is community first–and that is to encourage and nurture local photographers to pick up their camera and explore the DMV.  We have instameets, photowalks, and daily features. I love scrolling through that hashtag which has almost 900,000 posts!  It’s so fulfilling to meet other local photographers and some of my best of friends are those who I met on Instagram.  That means so much to me because it’s not only about photography but about friendships that are much stronger and go beyond just a photo.  So my list of favorites is massive.  

4. What is your most memorable experience in DC?  

My most memorable had to be when the Kusama Exhibit came to the Hirschhorn Museum.  I was so excited to visit all the rooms I was beside myself with happiness and awe.  I also knew that photographing those exhibits was a huge challenge.  But to tell you the truth, every day I try to make unexpected memories in DC.  I had to go downtown to get another Metro card one day and I decided to drive over to the Botanical Gardens, then over to Union Station to pick up some train tickets.  I ended up taking a bunch of photos and stopped three or four times because I saw some cool houses I wanted to capture.  That was my day and that’s how I roll.