update.

The stimulus bill passed both the House and the Senate today, and I was there as it happened.  Not literally because journalists are not allowed on either the House or the Senate floors, nor are photographs allowed directly outside of either chamber.  I did, however, shoot Speaker Pelosi and her triumphant press conference following the House vote, and I did get photos of key senators on their way into the Senate chamber to cast their vote.

It all sounds so romantic and exciting, I'm sure, being in Washington DC at this point in time, getting to cover these unprecedented events and situations.  And it is, to a certain extent.  The other side of this coin, though, is that I feel like I have no idea what I am doing.  I walked into the Rayburn Room on the House side (the only all-wood room in the Capitol), and I felt so lost.  I am surrounded by some of the best photojournalists in the country, and yes, they are all extremely nice and helpful, but they have also been doing this for years.  They have won Pulitzer's.  They crack jokes about Pelosi's wardrobe (which has so far impressed me, anyway).  It is all very intimidating.  The worst part, or best perhaps, is that I desperately want to count myself among their ranks.  I mean, my images had barely finished uploading to my computer and one of the Getty photographers already had their image on the Washington Post homepage.  I have so far to go; it scares me.  But I really, really want this to work.  I love being in DC.  I love the buildings and the people, generally, and I love being a photojournalist on Capitol Hill.  I just hope I can stay here; I hope I can become comfortable.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and ranking Democratic House members hold a press conference following the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan.