Forget Capitol Hill, These Images Show the Real D.C.
More often than not, Washington, D.C., is associated with power and politics, with a dash of fireworks and monuments thrown in for good measure. That stereotype of the capital is exactly what photographer Bill Crandall avoids in his mysterious compositions of the District’s neighborhoods. His camera isn’t in the press pool but is turned on the “real city where people live.”
A native to the D.C. area and a current resident of Petworth, a neighborhood in Northwest D.C., Crandall recalls the first Metro stations opening in the 70s and coming of age during the heyday of the D.C. punk scene in the 80s. He’s seen the city change a lot. Many areas that once had a “kind of sleepy dereliction” are now prime real estate. That shift creates the kind of collision—or “fault line” as Crandall calls it—that sets the scene for his project Fairy Tales From the Fault Lines, in which he captures “seeds of truth wrapped in a little shroud of mystery or ambiguity or allegory.”
“Washington has been very divided by race and class for a long time, and with gentrification, those fault lines have been shifting and overlapping,” he says. “I’m very focused on this central corridor of neighborhoods.” He cites U Street and 14th Street as examples. “These are the areas changing the most and where you can find the interesting dynamics that transition brings. This is where the heart of D.C. for the foreseeable future is being forged.”
So what’s next for the soul of the city? He hopes new development leaves room for creative capital. “The city of my past is already long gone, which is OK, places need to change,” he says. He wonders if the rising cost of living may inhibit a “diverse, exciting, layered urban environment where people can pursue a variety of endeavors.” Good cities, he says, can become “beautiful but soulless places without their old cultural engines. Tender shoots and buds get stomped out.”
His images, though, are open to interpretation and aren’t meant to pinpoint any of D.C.’s transitions as right or wrong. “I’m not trying to show what’s wrong with the world—there’s enough of that,” he says. “I don’t want the work to be seen as some kind of literal reportage on the changes that are going on. It’s more a desire to find a kind of poetry that can transcend the usual knee-jerk ways that we think of D.C. and its divisions. The city is becoming a different place, and I want to bottle how it feels now.”
Crandall lists mystery, surprise, strangeness, simplicity, and a sense of atmosphere as things he keeps an eye out for when he’s shooting, which he says happens in the flow of normal life. “At times it’s a struggle,” he says, “ but I’ve become so in tune with what I’m looking for that I usually recognize ‘my picture’ right away. It’s sort of like a divining rod—I feel a kind of quiver and try to hone in on whatever it is without questioning too much.”
The images are meant for both Washingtonians, who he hopes will find the work nuanced, and the general public, who he hopes will see that “Washington is not just a kind of barracks town for the government.”
But at their core, the photos serve as a kind of journal, helping Crandall process his feelings about his home. “Mainly I want to know if I can love this city, if it can have magic and mystery worthy of great cities. At times I’m not sure if I’m shooting the D.C. that is, that was, or that I wish [it] to be.”
Related Topics
You May Also Like
Go Further
Animals
- Octopuses have a lot of secrets. Can you guess 8 of them?
- Animals
- Feature
Octopuses have a lot of secrets. Can you guess 8 of them? - This biologist and her rescue dog help protect bears in the AndesThis biologist and her rescue dog help protect bears in the Andes
- An octopus invited this writer into her tank—and her secret worldAn octopus invited this writer into her tank—and her secret world
- Peace-loving bonobos are more aggressive than we thoughtPeace-loving bonobos are more aggressive than we thought
Environment
- This ancient society tried to stop El Niño—with child sacrificeThis ancient society tried to stop El Niño—with child sacrifice
- U.S. plans to clean its drinking water. What does that mean?U.S. plans to clean its drinking water. What does that mean?
- Food systems: supporting the triangle of food security, Video Story
- Paid Content
Food systems: supporting the triangle of food security - Will we ever solve the mystery of the Mima mounds?Will we ever solve the mystery of the Mima mounds?
- Are synthetic diamonds really better for the planet?Are synthetic diamonds really better for the planet?
- This year's cherry blossom peak bloom was a warning signThis year's cherry blossom peak bloom was a warning sign
History & Culture
- Strange clues in a Maya temple reveal a fiery political dramaStrange clues in a Maya temple reveal a fiery political drama
- How technology is revealing secrets in these ancient scrollsHow technology is revealing secrets in these ancient scrolls
- Pilgrimages aren’t just spiritual anymore. They’re a workout.Pilgrimages aren’t just spiritual anymore. They’re a workout.
- This ancient society tried to stop El Niño—with child sacrificeThis ancient society tried to stop El Niño—with child sacrifice
- This ancient cure was just revived in a lab. Does it work?This ancient cure was just revived in a lab. Does it work?
- See how ancient Indigenous artists left their markSee how ancient Indigenous artists left their mark
Science
- Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io has been erupting for billions of yearsJupiter’s volcanic moon Io has been erupting for billions of years
- This 80-foot-long sea monster was the killer whale of its timeThis 80-foot-long sea monster was the killer whale of its time
- Every 80 years, this star appears in the sky—and it’s almost timeEvery 80 years, this star appears in the sky—and it’s almost time
- How do you create your own ‘Blue Zone’? Here are 6 tipsHow do you create your own ‘Blue Zone’? Here are 6 tips
- Why outdoor adventure is important for women as they ageWhy outdoor adventure is important for women as they age
Travel
- This royal city lies in the shadow of Kuala LumpurThis royal city lies in the shadow of Kuala Lumpur
- This author tells the story of crypto-trading Mongolian nomadsThis author tells the story of crypto-trading Mongolian nomads
- Slow-roasted meats and fluffy dumplings in the Czech capitalSlow-roasted meats and fluffy dumplings in the Czech capital