Feel the Vibe at D.C.’s H Street Festival
By Jerald Council, CouncilMag.com
More than 150,000 people attended the H Street Festival, which spans 12 blocks along the H Street NE corridor from 3rd Street to Florida Avenue in Washington, D.C. Organizers say the festival featured 15 staging areas with various performances in fashion, music, dance, heritage arts and poetry.
The H Street NE corridor was packed with exhibitors, vendors and performers.
This year’s festival was bursting with color and captivating scenes—the kind of event that gets an editorial photographer like me excited. Capturing special moments is a form of storytelling that requires patience and perfect timing. I primarily shoot with an 85mm 1.2 prime lens, but when the crowd was right up on me, I switched to my 14-24mm wide-angle lens.
“I love capturing the H Street Festival experience”
- JERALD COUNCIL, Photographer
Two of my favorite images from the day are also good examples of visual journalism. In the first image, a cook from Koité Grill skillfully uses a Milwaukee handheld leaf blower to stoke the flames. He holds it in one hand like an oversized hair dryer and points it directly at the hot coals. I thought it was a brilliant idea worth capturing, so I moved in close using my wide-angle lens to grab the perfect composition.
The second image took quite a bit of patience because I had to wait for the shot to develop. I captured the vendor standing in the middle of the road, holding bottles of water for sale. He kept pivoting around to catch potential buyers’ attention. When he finally faced me, I shot him with an 85mm lens, keeping him in focus and blurring the background.
It was the perfect day to soak up the vibe at the H Street Festival. Though I captured only a glimpse of this year’s festivities, I truly enjoyed the sights, smells and sounds of thousands gathering to celebrate community, partnerships and the arts.
