David Enzel

A rainy Memorial Day view looking east toward the Washington Monument across the drained Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. As part of preparations for the nation’s 250th anniversary, the 6.75-million-gallon basin was emptied for repairs, leak mitigation, cleaning, and resurfacing. The project includes application of a new protective coating in a custom blue color that will replace the pool’s long-familiar gray floor. Tarps, equipment, and standing rainwater covered the site as work continued toward its planned reopening.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading to France! 🏈🇫🇷

As part of the NFL’s 2026 international lineup, the Steelers will play the New Orleans Saints in the first-ever regular season game in Paris. The historic matchup is scheduled for Sunday, October 25, 2026, at the Stade de France.

Kickoff is set for 2:30 PM local French time (9:30 AM ET). Check out the full Steelers 2026 Schedule for more details.

I enjoyed Ondřej Trojan’s “Under the City” photo essay for LFI. He beautifully captures the quiet, isolated, and deeply human moments shared by strangers in the Prague metro system.

“I want to capture moments of stillness, when people are forced to pause, even if only for a brief moment, during their busy day. This motif of calm amidst the bustle of the city is also one of my main themes beyond this public transport series.”

I just posted a gallery of photos from my recent trip through Scotland, capturing everything from the historic streets to the Highlands.

You can view the full collection here: Scotland Photo Gallery.

A visitor stands before Frederic Edwin Church’s Niagara (1857) at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. When the painting debuted, audiences were stunned by its scale and sense of immediacy. Long before large-format photography, cinema, or digital media, Church created an experience that seemed to place viewers at the edge of the falls themselves. The exhibition traces how artists have interpreted Niagara over the last two centuries, from romantic spectacle to cultural symbol.

The Bridge of Sighs in Glasgow, built in 1833 by James Hamilton, crosses the Molendinar Ravine and connects Glasgow Cathedral to the Necropolis. Its name echoes the Venetian bridge, but here the “sighs” were those of funeral processions making their way to the Victorian cemetery beyond.

The stone structure in the foreground forms the bridge’s monumental gateway. The Molendinar Burn that once flowed beneath was culverted in 1877, leaving the bridge today to span a roadway and parkland rather than water.

I’ve just updated my list of Photographers Worth Exploring to include the work of Sarah M. Lee. Her photography is remarkably intimate and engaging, capturing moments that feel both deeply personal and universally resonant.

You can see the full list and the new addition here: Photographers Worth Exploring

The Great Hall of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, opened in 1889 and designed by architect Sir Robert Rowand Anderson, was conceived as a “shrine” to Scotland’s national history. At its center stands a statue of the historian Thomas Carlyle, surrounded by Gothic arches, stained glass, and richly decorated surfaces.

Encircling the upper walls is a continuous processional frieze painted between 1897 and 1901 by the artist William Brassey Hole. The mural depicts 155 figures from Scottish history, arranged in reverse chronological order—beginning with Carlyle himself and moving back through monarchs, thinkers, and cultural figures to the nation’s prehistoric inhabitants. Each figure is labeled and dressed according to their period, forming a visual narrative of Scotland across time.

Executed in a spirit fresco technique, the frieze was part of the original decorative scheme funded by the gallery’s founder, John Ritchie Findlay. It reflects a late Victorian ambition to present national identity through art, assembling a collective portrait of Scotland within a single, immersive architectural space.

A solitary figure climbs the steep steps of Warriston’s Close, one of the historic “arteries” of Edinburgh’s Old Town. Named for the 17th-century Scottish lawyer and statesman Sir Archibald Johnston, Lord Warriston, this narrow passage has seen centuries of legal and political intrigue. Today, the ancient stone walls—some of the tallest of their era—serve as a dark canvas for the modern city’s vibrant night light, bridging the gap between Scotland’s storied past and its electric present.