Blog

The official photo blog of J. David Buerk Photography.

Ben's Chili Bowl's 65th Anniversary at Reagan National

August 22, 2023 marked a milestone for one of DC’s most loved institutions: Ben’s Chili Bowl.  Three days later, the Ali family joined everyone at Ronald Reagan National Airport to celebrate Ben's Chili Bowl's 65th anniversary.  After words by the airport and Ali family, the party started with the soulful beat of "The Real DC: Go-Go & Ben's" by DJ Mello T, and the rhythmic vibes of Sirius Company.  While passengers and airport employees alike jammed out to the concert with some half-smokes, the Ali family met fans for pictures in front of their airport location.

Ben’s Chili Bowl also used the occasion to announce their partnership with Giant Foods, where patrons can now buy the famous half-smokes and chili to enjoy at home, and their newest upcoming airport location at Washington Dulles International Airport.  The legacy of Ben's Chili Bowl at Ronald Reagan National Airport is not merely about gastronomic delights; it's a living testament to the blend of community, culture, and the indomitable spirit that continues to define the heart of our nation's capital.

2023 Annapolis Irish Festival • Gaelic Storm

To kick off my birthday week, and give myself a well-needed break, I took myself to the Annapolis Irish Festival.  Having the whole day to myself with no expectations or responsibilities to others hanging over me for the day was such a refreshing sensation I can’t remember the last time I felt, and filling it by being surrounded with my own Irish heritage with a backdrop of Celtic music, my soul felt overwhelmingly unhindered happiness and freedom.

I explored the vendors for some time, mainly in search of a Claddagh ring to hold me over until I settle on options for a bespoke piece; unfortunately, shopping for rings for myself is akin to shopping for pants, because I’m between sizes, and half sizes simply aren’t stocked at such a craft fair.  After browsing, and finally getting something to eat, I settled in to enjoy some of the music more purposefully.

Bastard Bearded Irishmen

Bastard Bearded Irishmen were in the later portions of their set once I finished eating, and I took some pictures of them playing a few of their last songs of the afternoon.

They finished their set with a cover of Sweet Child o’ Mine.

Gaelic Storm

The star act of the Festival was Gaelic Storm; a Celtic band headlined by Patrick Murphy on lead vocals, accordion, and spoons, and English guitarist Steve Twigger, the two remaining original members of the band that shot to fame after being featured performing in 1997’s Titanic.  They are joined by percussionist Ryan Lacey, Peter Purvis on bagpipes and flutes, and the group’s newest member, Natalya Kay, a talented fiddler who joined the ensemble last Summer.

I admit, I’d never heard of Gaelic Storm until a few months ago when a friend in another state saw them perform at an earlier stop on this same tour, and raved to me about them.  (I also have still somehow never seen Titanic in its entirety.)  Coincidentally, the Annapolis Irish Festival had already been on my radar for several months, so between the rave review by a friend, and a sense of reclaiming a tarnished St. Patrick’s Day, I was absolutely going to make sure to see Gaelic Storm play, whether at the Annapolis Irish Festival, or the night before at Leesburg’s Tally Ho.  In the end I’m glad my festival plan ultimately came to fruition.

Suffice to say, Gaelic Storm has a new “storm chaser” (what their fans are known as). I’m not new to Celtic music; I’m a lifelong fan of The Corrs, and was lucky enough to see The Chieftains perform a few years ago, but having already previewed and enjoyed some of Gaelic Storm’s music in the weeks before their concert, I was excited to finally see them live.  As the sun set, Gaelic Storm took to the stage, and I think the pictures will do the rest.

Video

I did take some video, but wasn’t intending on focusing on video, so the audio is trash using the internal mic.  This served me well, however, because it gave me a great set of files to learn on - I’ve been teaching myself Final Cut Pro, as Adobe Premiere Pro still doesn’t have a proper DolbyVision / HDR workflow (come on Adobe, get it together; it’s been 3 years, fix your Rec. 2100 support!).

The Maine and Beach Weather at Springfield Town Center

I don't post a lot of it, but a good portion of my work is commercial marketing photography for a few concession management companies.  Oftentimes this means storefronts and product shots for websites and social media campaigns (which is meaningful, but isn't really why people follow my photography, so I don't post much of it), and other times this means events.

Springfield Mall was reborn in 2014 as Springfield Town Center; a brand new enclosed shopping facility right off of the Franconia - Springfield Blue Line Metro Station, at the crossroads of I-495, I-95, and the Fairfax County Parkway.

Last week, Springfield Town Center was one of the venues along The Maine's "Free For All" tour, and Springfield Town Center's Concert Series.  This was the first time I have ever photographed a concert (if you don't count an opera).  In this case I was the venue's event photographer.

The Maine, and Beach Weather (The Maine's opener), I must say, were excellent bands to have as my first shooting concert photography.  I apparently am out of the loop, because even though a number of friends of mine knew about The Maine, I'd never heard of them (sorry about that guys... but you do have a new fan now!).  Both bands were awesome, and I've picked up their music since the concert last week.

I can't encourage you enough to go buy their music, and follow them on all the Internetz!

Beach Weather

Beach Weather on Facebook.
Beach Weather on iTunes.
Beach Weather on BandCamp.
Beach Weather on Twitter.
Beach Weather on Instagram.

I've wanted to try my hand at concert photography for many years, and I wouldn't change this first time in any way - I photographed two amazing bands, and quickly learned what it's all about.  I had a fantastic time - Thank you The Maine, Beach Weather, and all you great folks at Springfield Town Center.

Save Me, San Francisco Wine Company

It's not secret that I am a wine enthusiast.  Red, white, I love it all (but mostly drys, if we're being frank...).  With global warming changing vineyards' playing fields, and living in the midst of what has been hailed as "the East Coast Napa," it's a very interesting time to be a wine lover in Northern Virginia.

Today, however, I won't be sharing my latest Loudoun wine discovery, or newest Page County vineyard adventure - I've already Met Virginia.  No; today is about California... San Francisco, California, and a band you may have heard on the radio singing about Jupiter and Angels and Crappy Purple Scions.  Yes, today is about The Save Me, San Francisco Wine Co... colloquially known as Train Wine.

(Do This - Trust me, just do it!  Click here and just let it play in the background while you read this post.  JUST DO IT!)

The first time I heard about a band putting out a wine was ACDC and their "Highway to Hell" Cabernet, "Hells Bells" Suvignon Blanc, along with a few other varietals.  My first thought when I heard about it, and saw it for sale not long after?  "What a damn gimmick."  Let's get that mindset out of here before we go any further: The Save Me, San Francisco Wine Co. is NO gimmick - it's the real deal.  Jimmy Stafford and his bandmates came up with the wine company while touring; the various wines while on the road as their inspiration (and of course, the wine had to be from California).  This is wine you can appreciate even if you don't appreciate the namesake music... but you will surely grin a little wider when you read the wines' names.

There are currently six wines in the lineup, however there were only five when I shot these photos - you'll notice that the newest addition, "Bulletproof Picasso" Sauvignon Blanc is missing.  Even as I write this, I unfortunately still do not possess a bottle of it.  Observant drinkers will also note that the labels have since been refined as well.

Wines currently on the roster include:

While I've tried most of the wines over the past two years, I haven't tried all of them just yet; pictured is the only bottle of "Soul Sister" I have, and I still need to get my hands on "Bulletproof Picasso."  I was both pleased and frustrated when this was announced; pleased because Sauvignon Blanc is my favorite wine varietal, and frustrated because I had already shot the pictures, and it meant I have to wait to have my "Train Wine Tasting" party I've been plotting for a while now.  That's right - gather friends, hold a tasting with all six Train wines, and enjoy a little picnic (perhaps with Train chocolate too - yup, Train chocolate), all while jamming out to Train's discography.  What better way to celebrate my birthday?

For these reasons, I am not writing any kind of wine review or tasting notes.  For now, I will say that overall, Train's wines all have very bold flavors.

You can also now enjoy Save Me, San Francisco wines at any Train concert (although at concert pricing: one glass for the cost of a retail bottle - yikes!!!).  Train is always a great concert, by the way.

Hopefully for my birthday in a few months I will have a bottle or two of "Bulletproof Picasso," and can report back with an actual review / tasting notes on all of these bold, colorful wines.  Until then, I will simply leave you with...

Burberry Bonus

While I had this lighting set up, I also had some fun with a few other products; here is one of them.  In the coming days I will have to share highlights of some of the marketing and product photography I have been shooting for the past year at both Dulles International and Reagan National airports, as they both change their restaurants, and add luxury concessions such as Tumi, Esteé Lauder, and Burberry.