Photographing Washington, D.C.: Digital Field Guide

Chapter 9. National Air and Space Museum

In the National Air and Space Museum, the Bell X-1, the first airplane to fly at the speed of sound, and SpaceShipOne, the first privately funded human-piloted aircraft to reach space. Visit www.chuckyeager.com and www.scaled.com for more information about these aircraft. Taken at ISO 800, f/4, 1/125 second.

Why It's Worth a Photograph

The National Air and Space Museum is the world's most visited museum, according to the Smithsonian Institution. Its annual visitation regularly tops out around six million people, and with good reason: The museum is packed wall-to-wall with the largest collection of artifacts from air and space flight ever assembled in one place. If you're fascinated by flight, it's an absolute must-see.

Where Can I Get the Best Shot?

Located on the south side of the National Mall between 7^th St. SW and 4^th St. SW, the Air and Space Museum at the National Mall has 22 exhibition galleries that cover over 160,000 square feet. You can see and learn a lot.

Figure 9.1. The best locations from which to photograph the National Air and Space Museum: (A) The museum's interior. Nearby photo ops: (3) Ford's Theatre, (10) National Archives, (11) National Mall, (12) National World War II Memorial, (14) Old Post Office, (16) Smithsonian Institution ...