I found out this afternoon that my grandpa passed away today. This is the first time I’ve lost a family member, and honestly I’m not quite sure what I’m feeling…
I shot this photo on his 90th birthday during a big family get together. Lots of fun memories.
Just a couple weeks after my trip to New York I was asked to shoot an event in Boston. Having never been there I jumped at the opportunity. Even though I was on a tight schedule I decided to make the most of it by getting up before sunrise to go exploring for a couple hours.
The only thing I learned (from a photography standpoint) was somewhat of an accident. By underexposing a scene by a couple stops you can more easily “read” the light. See the rest of the photos here.
Filed under: Don’t Hog Your Journey
I got to be the second shooter for Emily Chastain yesterday. Even though the weather didn’t exactly cooperate the church was ridiculously impressive –right up there with the Air Force Academy Chapel as one of the coolest venues I’ve photographed. As the second shooter I got to experiment with some different, creative shots which is always fun for me. You can find a handful of photos here.
New York City is a mere four hours away from DC, yet I spent over seven years in DC before ever venturing into the Big Apple. All along I kept saying I just needed to go there by myself, camera in hand, with no agenda to speak of. One week after the call to accumulate experiences I found myself on a Bolt bus headed for Manhattan…
It was a bit overwhelming. I had no idea what exactly I was doing there other than “exploring.” After about 2 or 3 hours of wandering aimlessly I decided that my primary objective was simply to throw down some tracks and see the city, capturing it along the way. I wasn’t focused on getting great photos, I just wanted to see as much as possible. Read the rest of this entry ?
Old Hickory Steakhouse is one of the fanciest restaurants I’ve ever been too. It’s one of four restaurants located inside Gaylord National. They recently promoted a new executive chef, and I had the pleasure of photographing him. It’s a joy to work with creative professionals in their element.
For what it’s worth, I wrote up some Lessons Learned from this shoot if you care to read it.
My friend Mark Armstrong and I have been talking about doing a shoot like this for a while, and we finally made it happen this weekend. We’re barely scratching the surface of possibilities here, but it’s a fun thing to explore.
This was one of those “Don’t pack up your camera until you’re gone,” sort of moments. I was shooting some architectural photos of a townhome community in DC. On my way out I decided to snap a couple shots of the nearby metro stop. Turns out this was my favorite shot from the whole day.
Not gonna repeat myself here since this photo already has scribbling all over it, but I will direct you once again to Zack Arias’ most excellent tutorial.
Yesterday was a rough day. Much of it was spent huddled over a Moleskine trying to organize my thoughts in black and white. I’m not sure I made much progress, but at the end of the day I decided to make a picture. That’s gotta count for something; maybe emotional support, if nothing else.
“Go big or go home” might as well be the slogan for Gaylord National. Last night was the third time I’ve had the privilege of shooting their Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony, and it was just ridiculous! Fireworks going off in the atrium, off the glass, on the lawn, and from barge in the Potomac; a light show, fountain craziness, smoke machines, flame throwers, and even an indoor snowfall, all timed perfectly to music. They might as well throw in some ninjas just for the heck of it. =)
Sometimes I wonder how I ever got to be a part of it all… I’m so grateful for the amazing opportunities I’ve had! More pictures here.
P.S. Big shout out to Amie Gorrell and Brad Klukas! Both of them worked so hard to make this thing amazing, and it seriously exceeded our expectations!
Photography was so much easier before I knew what I was doing. The old saying rings true: “The more you learn, the more you realize how much you don’t know.”
Lately I’ve found myself stopping to stare at posters in the movie theater, or at the mall, or the metro, or a store front. I’m seeing photos taken by photographers who know a lot more about this craft than I do, and I’m desperately trying to figure out what they are doing differently. I know I still have so much to learn, but I’m starting to experiment. It’s not much, but it’s a start.
I love it when a client turns into a friend. Recently that’s been the case with Jenny and Ben. They are such good people, and I’m stoked to be their wedding photographer!
Much of their dating relationship was long distance, so it seemed fitting that she suggested we do some of their engagement photos at the airport. I was certain we would get kicked out for “security” reasons (whatever that means anyway) but we decided to give it a try anyway. We had a blast snapping photos at the old terminal in the Reagan airport, and surprisingly nobody gave us a hard time. There really couldn’t have been a better place for it!
For me, it was a fun challenge to shoot in a new place and to try doing things a little differently. That, combined with their fun personalities, makes this my new all-time favorite engagement session. Check out the pics and see for yourself!
Crystal City’s Kids Festival was a huge hit this year! I know this will sound redundant, but it’s so much fun to shoot fun events! It allows me to take a more observant role and capture the fun going on around me, rather than having to generate a reaction or tell people what to do.
With all the activities going on –face painting, obstacle courses, balloon animals, hula hoops, arts and crafts, moon bounces, oh! and there was this marathon happening too– taking good pictures was like shooting fish in a barrel.
Head over to Mud Productions Facebook page for more photos from the event.
I’ve taken a lot of pictures of flowers. Heck, every photographer has. They’re beautiful, they don’t really move, they never get in a bad mood, they never go out of style… Let’s just say there are a plethora of pinatas reasons why we photographers like to take pictures of flowers.
Anyway, I was thinking about it and I realized that I’ve never done a shoot with a flower. They are usually the things I photograph along the way, but not something I set out to capture. I wanted to change that, so I brought this one into my makeshift studio and went to town. I hope it brightens your day a bit.
I had the privilege of shooting with Emily Chastain again last weekend. It was a beautiful venue on the Chesapeake Bay …except for that fact that it was overcast and drizzly all day. As the second photographer I was able to relax and capture the often missed moments while Emily covered all the “must-have” stuff. It was a great opportunity to try some new stuff without the pressure of having to get every single moment. Here are a few of the shots I came away with.
Occasionally I wrap up a shoot feeling like I’ve utterly lost my creative edge. I’ve been there twice this week, and it started to really bring me down. I needed something creative, something new to remind me that photography is fun, so I called up my friend Isabel and said, “Hey, do you wanna hang out with me in a really dark, sketchy part of town tonight?” (er, something like that…) She gladly accepted and invited Aaro to join us as well.
The three of us spent about three hours playing with off-camera lighting, giving high fives, and making some fun photos. I didn’t take a single picture, but it was exactly what I needed turn my attitude around. Thanks friends!!
After Saturday’s wedding I got home at 1:00 AM, re-charged my batteries, imported the day’s photos, and packed my bags to catch a plane the next morning. I landed in Portland, Maine at noon and went straight to Sebasco Harbor to start shooting Jamie and Jonathan’s wedding. Given the tight schedule, let’s just say we could all breathe a little easier when I got there.
I had no idea Maine was such a beautiful place! It was almost hard to take a bad picture. I feel so blessed and honored to be given the opportunity to photograph weddings like this. Thanks for letting me be a part of it, friends! You can find your photos here later in September.
Lastly, I gotta give another shout out to Emily Chastain. Those who frequent this blog will know that she and I have worked together a couple times before. She was actually a bridesmaid in this wedding and I probably owe her a bigger thanks than this for putting in a good word for me with this couple =)
Whew! What a weekend! Saturday was spent shooting Janet and Anthony’s wedding on both sides of the Pennsylvania-Maryland border. They treated me like family and were so easy to work with. I don’t think I ever got bored in the 12 hours I spent taking pictures. It was a long day for sure, but we got a lot of great photos and had fun doing it! Check their online gallery in September to see the rest of their wedding photos.
Gotta give a shout out to Dan Hogarty and Jeremiah Gruber for their help shooting and filming this one with me. Those two fellas worked hard and made me look good!
A couple friends of mine are getting married today, and I have the privilege of photographing the wedding. We shot their engagement photos several weeks ago around the DC landmarks. Check out the photos here!
It’s kinda crazy to think that this is the fifth year that I’ve shot this event, yet I still look forward to it every time. It takes place on the beach at sunset, which always makes for beautiful pictures. Add in a strikingly visual religious experience and it almost becomes difficult to take a bad photo. Perhaps my favorite thing about it all is capturing these moments to serve as reminders for the people who publicly declared their faith in Christ.
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