Immediately after shooting a wedding in Baltimore I headed straight to the Best Christmas Party Ever. The hosts really go all out in planning it, and everyone is dressed to impress; so I offered to setup a photo booth and capture the fun. In addition to printing the photos on-site, I also uploaded them to Facebook in real time. It was a lot of work, but well worth the effort. See for yourself.
Archive for the ‘Photography’ Category
Photo Booth and Friends
December 11, 2011Make Photos, Don’t Take Them
December 7, 2011
So there was this cool circular bar, but from a photographic standpoint I was up against two challenges. 1.) The best way to capture something like this is from high above, otherwise you can’t tell it’s a giant doughnut. 2.) It wasn’t lit well. The outside of it was covered in tiny mirrors like a disco ball, so I knew if I threw a little light on it then it would really come alive. Sure enough I got myself a ladder, set up my lights, and fired away.
Christmas Capitol
December 6, 2011
Maybe this will be the year that I go out with my dad and shoot this photo with the moon in the frame. We tried doing it last year, but we were about two hours too early and we really didn’t feel like freezing our butts off any longer.
On another note, I went to a photography workshop today… Got all kinds of inspired, and now I’m left feeling like all of my photos are terrible. Hmmph…
Architecture at Night
December 4, 2011
One of the greatest things about my job is the wide variety of things I get to photograph. I was put in touch with a local residential architect (who is amazingly talented, btw!) to shoot photos for her portfolio and website. Another awesome friend of mine not only helped me out during the entire shoot, but she’s also designing the architect’s website. I love me some collaboration!
Georgetown Waterfront Park
December 4, 2011
I’m working on a series of photos for a DC client and I get to shoot all around town exploring different neighborhoods. It seems like this park in Georgetown was under construction forever, but it has turned out to be a very cool place now that it’s finished. Hopefully I’ll be able to write more about the project in the near future.
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Awesome
December 1, 2011
This was the third year that I’ve had the privilege of shooting Gaylord National’s Christmas Grand Opening, but it was the first time I had my wife with me =) She got to watch the whole thing right next to me while I shot away.
Promotional Poster for Crisis Chaplains
October 12, 2011
Crisis Chaplains is a new non-profit here in the DC area. When Chuck first told me about the idea for the poster I knew it was a project I would enjoy working on.
The shoot itself took me a while to find my groove and start making pictures that I was proud of, but sometimes you just have to keep throwing stuff at the wall before you find something that sticks. I shudder to think of what the poster would have looked like if we stopped early…
Unlike the other posters I’ve made this one was a collaboration between the client and myself, and we finalized the design in about a quarter of the time I normally spend working on these. Sometimes the best way to get things done is to involve other people.
Something Assisted, Something Different
October 6, 2011
Lori and Robert hired a photographer for their small, mid-week wedding, but for some reason the photog had to cancel a few weeks before the big day. Emily Chastain stepped in to cover it and she asked if I could help out too. Usually when we work together it’s at a large wedding that needs more than one shooter, so this was a welcomed change. You can find more photos here.
Wine After Dark
October 3, 2011
Crystal City just wrapped up a month of weekly events called Wine in the Waterpark. They asked me to shoot the event, and I knew it was gonna be a challenge given that it was outdoors after sunset. I rocked my 50mm f/1.8 lens the entire time, which is quite different for me, but the wide aperture proved helpful. For this particular shot, I wanted to capture the colorful laser light display thing. It took a lot of fiddling, but I finally came away with a shot I am proud of. You can see some of the other highlights here.
May I Suggest a Glass of Wine
October 1, 2011
For years I’ve said that restaurant menus should have pictures of everything instead of descriptions. It seems that some places are finally starting to get the idea. Today I shot an entire wine list for Old Hickory Steakhouse. Despite the repetitive nature of it, I actually found it to be a very creative challenge.
Same Story, Different Place
September 20, 2011
I’ve had the pleasure of photographing various events in some of the coolest venues around DC, but until tonight I had never worked in the Air and Space Museum. Capitol Services, Inc. did a fantastic job setting the mood and making the guests feel special, and I’m glad to have been a part of it! Be sure to check out the other photos here and leave some comment love if you like ‘em.
Just Do It
September 18, 2011
I have a short list of places around DC that I’ve seen from the car and thought, “I want to photograph that someday.” I’ve been saying that for years, but last night I changed that.
The Rosslyn skyline is, in my opinion, the most picturesque urban cityscape in the DC area, but the problem is that the angle I wanted can only be seen from the highway. Suffice to say it was a challenge to get there on foot, but it feels good to finally check it off my list.
It turns out that my tweet inspired a couple friends to go shoot some photos on their list too. Awesome!
Chesapeake Bay Wedding
August 20, 2011
The control freak in me loves to be in charge and take the lead, but I often find a lot of creative freedom when playing second fiddle. Such was the case last weekend when Emily Chastain asked me to be her second shooter. It was such a classy wedding, and I had a blast photographing it. You can find some of the highlights on Mud Productions’ Facebook page.
Lessons Learned Shooting with Canon
June 28, 2011
My friend and fellow photographer Emily Chastain approached me with a great idea. She suggested that we plan a shoot where we swap cameras; I would use her Canon and she would use my Nikon. Now, I’m not sure if she was just tired of my Canon bashing or if she had something else in mind, nevertheless I jumped at the opportunity to give her a chance to experience the greatness of Nikon. We scheduled the shoot in Annapolis, giving her home field advantage…
Vegas Jump
June 23, 2011
I got to shoot a wedding in Vegas recently. Unlike the stereotypical weddings in Sin City it was probably the swankiest one I’ve shot. The schedule was packed all weekend, so around 2:00 AM after the wedding I finally had a chance to go snag a jumping photo on the strip.
Hours of Operation
June 22, 2011
It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of 9-5 jobs. Even still there is at least one important thing that we creative freelancers can learn from them. It’s a little thing called work hours.
I’m gonna venture a guess that most full-time photographers and designers work their butts off at all hours of the day. Personally, I enjoy working late because my inbox and phone aren’t vying for my attention, and I often find my groove between 10:00 and 3:00. That’s just how I roll. Read the rest of this entry ?
Down by the River
June 22, 2011
This is one of those weeks where I’m buried with work that pays the bills but doesn’t exactly inspire me, so I figured I’d mix it up and post a little creative shoot I did last week with Michael Jantzen, David Houdyschell, and Elisa Rice. I got to shoot, teach, and even do some sweet jumps. Not too shabby for an impromptu shoot with friends.
Exploring the City By The Bay
May 3, 2011
Turns out it was actually cheaper for me to fly Virgin America from Seattle to San Francisco and then SFO to Dulles, as opposed to flying directly from Seattle to DC. This also meant that I would have a 14 hour layover in which I planned to stretch my legs and explore yet another city for the day. I spent the morning soaking up the sights and sounds of downtown with no particular agenda.
Exploring the Emerald City in the Rain
May 3, 2011
In keeping with my travel posts I’m pulling some more photos from the archives for this edition…
One of my best friends lives in Seattle now and another one of my friends just so happened to be getting married there, so it was a perfectly good excuse to spend a few days in a new place. The weather was horrible the entire time, but that’s pretty much what I expected; so we had fun with it. Read the rest of this entry ?
Creating is Good for the Soul
April 28, 2011
I feel most alive when I’m creating. It doesn’t really matter what it is as long as I’m left with something that I’m proud of at the end of the day.
When I got news of my grandpa’s death earlier this week my mind was too cluttered to think straight. I tried taking my thoughts to the Moleskine, but that was about as productive as a blind puzzle maker. Eventually I reached for the camera and began to play. It never ceases to amaze me how art can adjust one’s perspective.
