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  Photo by Stephen Elliot

I got to try my hand at some candid fashion and runway photography thanks to the Crystal City BID. Last Saturday the models and event organizers came together for the final rehearsal for Crystal Couture.

They didn’t have any specific instructions for me –literally, “Find whatever is happening and then photograph it,” so I had free reign to get creative. =) I love the way some of the shots turned out, and it was a great introduction to that industry.

The big event is happening this week, but those details deserve their own post…

  Photo by Stephen Elliot

I’ve had an unshakable urge to create something lately. It doesn’t seem to matter what; just so long as I do something. I’ve been on the artists’ roller coaster that slowly climbs up frustration, rushes down inspiration, and then goes around practice and patience, through the dark tunnel of questions, and then one last rush of exhilaration before arriving at the place it started.

That was my week. And yesterday I made these.

  Photo by Stephen Elliot

I consider myself very blessed by the work opportunities I’ve been given. The Gaylord National hotel has been responsible for some of the coolest shoots I’ve done, and this week has been no exception.

I’m not sure if they “let” me in or “pushed” me in, but either way I’ve spent over 9 hours in the ICE! box shooting photos for their marketing team. Despite being 23 degrees below freezing, it’s been a blast to get a sneak peek of what will most certainly be the talk of the town this Christmas season.

  Photo by Stephen Elliot

Last night I had the privilege of photographing a private event for NPR, celebrating 30 years of the Diane Rehm Show. BizBash was my client, and they wasted no time in posting their story. I love seeing my photos get put to use so quickly!

Relatively speaking it was a simple event, so I had to get a little creative at times. I wandered back into the kitchen, up on the balcony, and just about anywhere else I could find an interesting shot. As usual, you can find some of my favorites here.

  Photo by Stephen Elliot

Three days ago I tweeted about the new Photo Jojo book. I had never heard of it, but David Hobby (aka the Strobist) highly recommended it so I figured I’d take his word and put it on my Amazon wishlist.

Unbeknownst to me, a friend saw my tweet and wasted no time in ordering the book for me. Needless to say, I was surprised and stoked to find the book in the mail yesterday!

I figured this random act of kindness deserved a random act of creativity –not to mention that’s the theme of the book. This simple photo took an hour of my day, but I’m grateful for the chance to exercise some creativity. =)

  Photo by Stephen Elliot

It’s kind of a long story, but the short of it goes like this: I wanted to experiment with Christmas lights in a photo shoot. I wanted to get a big, poofy background full of out-of-focus lights, (Uncle Rico would call it “billowy”) and I wanted some really interesting catchlights in their eyes.

If you check out the photos then you’ll notice that I didn’t accomplish either of those goals. I did, however, learn a lot from this experimental shoot. Hopefully you’ll find it helpful too.

  Photo by Stephen Elliot

Apparently I’m an attraction at Gaylord National this weekend.

They are offering a host of free activities for hotel guests this weekend, and one of those items is a “family souvenir photo.” Basically I setup a photo studio at the hotel each day so I can shoot and print photos immediately.

Today was the first day and we’ll be doing it again Sunday and Labor Day. Surprisingly it’s been one of my biggest (read: gear intensive) photo shoots yet. If I’m feeling particularly ambitious maybe I’ll blog about my setup. Come check it out!

  Photo by Stephen Elliot

I shot a wedding with a small army of photographers this Wednesday, namely Emily Chastain and Dan Hogarty.

I’m so appreciative of these two for their hard work and professionalism. It’s a lot of fun to have two other photographers to collaborate with in real time. I hope we get to work together more often!

After the wedding we grabbed some smoothies and talked shop for a while. I love connecting and sharing experiences with friends on a professional level. Many thanks, Emily and Dan!

  Photo by Stephen Elliot

I rented a 10.5mm fisheye lens yesterday for my assistant to use at a wedding. Around 2:00 AM (long after the wedding) I was packing all the rental gear and I thought, “Ya know, I’ve only got this lens for a few more hours, I should make the most of it.” Here’s what I came away with in the wee hours of the morning.

In all honesty, I didn’t feel like taking any more pictures. I already spent about 7 hours on my feet shooting a wedding, and all I wanted to do at that point was go to bed. Even still, I made myself get out and experiment, and you should too! Chances are, the inspiration you’ve been looking for is waiting behind an ordinary opportunity.

  Photo by Stephen Elliot

I had the privilege of shooting some family photos for my good friend David Russell. They were planning to move back home to Alabama, so they wanted some photos to remember their time here with their toddler son and a baby girl on the way.

We spent almost two hours snapping photos around Upper Senate Park. It’s amazing how fun and spontaneous a shoot can be when you have a toddler rock star to contend with. Be sure to check out the rest of the photos; I think you’ll like ‘em =)

  Photo by Stephen Elliot

At least once a month I get bored with my style of photography. I feel like I always do the same, predictable things over and over. It leaves me feeling like I’m not creative enough, or that I’m somehow less of a photographer.

It’s important that I don’t let these thoughts consume me, but rather that I channel them into something productive. Such was the case with my random photos from Jazz in the Garden.

I made a point to avoid my usual editing techniques and instead to try something different. I did everything wrong in hopes that something would spark some inspiration. Can’t say I’ve met with any raging success so far, but if nothing else it has confirmed that maybe I like my style of photography better than I thought.

  Photo by Stephen Elliot

Every year my church spends a summer afternoon at Sandy Point State Park playing games, eating, worshiping our Creator, and celebrating baptism.

It is hands down my favorite church event to photograph every year. It’s always a little nerve racking to be waist-deep in the Chesapeake Bay while carrying thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment, but the pictures are well worth it! Check ‘em out!

  Photo by Stephen Elliot

Until last week I had never been to the American Indian Museum. It’s just one of those places that I drive by all the time, but have never taken the time to step inside.

Anyway, I was asked to photograph the event decor one evening since the venue was setup for a private dinner. The upstairs room has a really nice view of the D.C. skyline.

It sure is cool to see these public spaces transformed into something so different. Check out the rest of the photos here.

  Photo by Stephen Elliot

This has got to be one of the most eclectic shoots I’ve ever done. I shot corporate headshots, kids playing, sand sculptures, and architecture at/for Gaylord National this week. It was quite a shift in momentum to go from corporate headshots to candid pre-schoolers, but I love the variety.

In less than two hours I snapped over 900 frames of kids just being kids –running around and goofing off like little boys do. You can find a few of my favorites here.

  Photo by Stephen Elliot

Man! This event ended a week ago, but it feels like it was yesterday. Two full days of shooting followed by an all-nighter editing so that I could deliver everything by 5 PM the third day. I tried a lot of new techniques, and I learned an awful lot. Be sure to view some of my favorites and read the full story here.

  Photo by Stephen Elliot

Larry contacted me right around the time that I was so inspired by the Strobist that I had to try something new. We exchanged several ideas for a couple weeks before the shoot, but we left a large “wingin’ it” contingency.

Not only does he have a contagious smile, but he was so easygoing and willing to experiment throughout the whole process. I love working with people like that! Thanks, Larry, for a great shoot!

Check out the photos and let me know what you think.

  Photo by Stephen Elliot

Man! This shoot was a blast, and the story behind it is even better! Rose and Matt started dating on June 6th last year despite living on opposite sides of the country. He’s in Washington state; she’s in Washington D.C., and Rose wanted to surprise him with a photo shoot when he visited for their one-year anniversary.

His plane landed at 9:00 AM, and we had planned to start the shoot at 1:00. However, around 11:30 I got a text from Rose saying that he just proposed! So, by the time I got there it had turned into an engagement shoot. =)

We spent the rest of the afternoon strolling around the Tidal Basin before heading to Union Station and then finally Ebenezers. These two are so much fun to shoot. They’re so full of life and love, and they seem right at home in front of the camera. All day long it was: smile, kiss, laugh, kiss again, and then start dancing.

See for yourself, and then hit up her blog.

Shortly after I sent the photos I got an email from Rose saying, “I only made it through 10 pictures before I started crying, so can I just say… THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! The photos are incredible…I am at a loss for words.”

   Photo of Stephen Elliot

Brandt Siegel joined me for a spontaneous photo shoot on Memorial Day. It was just the two of us, and someone had to be the model. We played around with some creative lighting, and I put together a short visual effects shot from one of the photos. You can see the full story here.

  Photo by Stephen Elliot

Last Saturday I had the privilege of shooting photos for BizBash Media Inc., producers of a leading trade magazine for the event industry. I was asked to cover the Washington Performing Arts Society Gala at the Wardman Marriott. It was a big event, and everybody was a lot of fun to work with. You can see the BizBash article here and you can find a few of my favorite photos here.