About the upload order, that’s something I have yet to figure out.
I agree the Library of Congress to be a very difficult building to shoot! Not only is it so ornate that it’s almost impossible to find simplicity amid the extravagance, the architecture and sculptures are so influenced by Greek ethos that not everything on display should really be on display, in my opinion. But for the specific subject you have here, it lends itself to a centered composition. Shooting it straight on would bring out the symmetry and increase it’s message of profundity. Another way to make interesting shots in places like that, is to find a subject where you could incorporate depth of field, as you can see in the attached image. It didn’t take time to set up; just a snapshot as I was walking around, trying to think how I could capture what I saw in the building without holding up the rest of the folks in my group. 🙂
For the “second” image, I like how you got close to the rocks and water. It’s a good perspective, looking down the river and seeing the hump of hill at the end. I would have tried composing this vertically. There’s a lot of empty space on the left that could be cropped out and I think it would help lead my eye deeper into the scene if it was vertical. It would also have made the curve of the reflected tress stand out more, and the reflection of the clouds in the water too. You’re eye candy is all there in the center portion of the image.
