Photographing Washington, D.C.: Digital Field Guide

Chapter 5. Georgetown

A sign denoting the beginnings of Georgetown, along Pennsylvania Avenue. Taken at ISO 100, f/4, 1/125 second with a 100mm lens.

Why It's Worth a Photograph

Georgetown predates Washington, D.C. by a fair amount of time. It was an important area for trade and also was the farthest vessels could navigate up the Potomac River. Today, it is a confluence of old money, college students, trendy shopping, politicking, and Washington, D.C. history.

Two of the popular historical features of Georgetown that are interesting to photograph are the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (known as the C&O) and the Old Stone House.

The C&O Canal was created to join the headwaters of the Ohio River in western Pennsylvania with the tidewater of the Potomac River in D.C. An intact section of it still operates in the middle of Georgetown, and you can take rides on a canal boat during the warm months of the year.

Figure 5.1. The best locations from which to photograph Georgetown: (A) C&O Canal at Thomas Jefferson St. NW, (B) the C&O Canal at Wisconsin Avenue, and (C) The Old Stone House.

The Old Stone House is the oldest structure in Washington, D.C., thanks to a rumor many years ago that George Washington and Pierre L'Enfant had met at the house on several occasions. (They apparently had actually been ...