BMW XM Launch Cocktail Party

If you’re a regular follower, you know I frequently attend various car events.  Some of my favorites are those sponsored by automakers showcasing their latest performance and technology offerings, which often has a driving or interactive component.  I have to say, of all the manufacturer events I’ve been to thus far, this cocktail party absolutely wowed me the most.

BMW definitely knows how to run events, I can confidently say from experience after last Summer’s BMW Ultimate Driving Experience featuring an autocross component of their i4 M50.  Likewise, BMW definitely knows how to throw a party.

This wasn’t my first time at the Long View Gallery; in 2015 I attended McLaren’s unveiling of their new 570S, so I expected something like that; I was pleasantly proven wrong before I even got inside the gallery.  The music could be heard from out front, and the mood lighting was a spectacle capturing the attention of passers by.  Inside, guests were welcomed and invited to enjoy signature cocktails at one of the multiple open bars, sample the numerous hors d'oeuvre, (including sushi and ceviche served on a BMW branded ice sculpture), and mingle around the cloaked BMW XM.

Also, any event with a cigar roller is going to automatically win points from me.  This is exactly the second time I have seen this; the first was a wedding I photographed over a decade ago.  This cigar roller had cigars for every taste and experience level, with mild, medium, strong, and amaretto; I’m admittedly not knowledgeable about cigars, but I know enough to know I enjoy the extremely occasional one with an Old Fashioned or glass of single malt.  I grabbed a few for myself for a special occasion, and a few for some friends; although there were matches and cutter available, nobody in attendance indulged at the event.

There’s a bit of a joke that I can’t go anywhere without being recognized, and while that’s not entirely true, chance would have it that I got spotted by a fellow commercial photographer also attending the party, and we enjoyed chatting off and on throughout the evening.

Soon it was time for the big reveal.  A brand VP and engineer gave an introduction of the vehicle, and discussed the XM’s vision and performance as the performance crossover was unveiled.  A notable design point of the XM is that it is the first M series SUV to have its own fame design, not sharing its platform with any other model in the BMW lineup; the XM’s platform is entirely BMW M.

Inside, the XM is all performance, with large flappy-paddles, and dedicated M Performance buttons on the wheel.  Passengers are pampered with ventilated leather, and treated to moodlighting and geometric design cues.  In the boot is a custom leather BMW XM travel bag, with dedicated strap and hook to ensure it stays put during spirited drives.

In the alley behind the Long View Gallery sat the original BMW M1, which served as inspiration for the XM.  The mid-engined coupe sports a more traditionally enjoyable 5 speed manual transmission, and propelled 277HP to the rear wheels; only 453 examples exist.

Inside, artist David Garibaldi began live-painting a BMW-inspired piece combining the DC skyline with the BMW XM’s headlight design.  The canvas was also live-silent-auctioned while he was painting.  The entire process took around 30min, but seemed much faster.  It was fascinating seeing his mixed tool process, switching between brushes, blades, and his fingers between strokes.  By the end of his painting, his glasses were smeared, his suit was speckled, and his hands were completely covered in various colors of paint.

Although the main events were finished, the party was still going, with many still lingering to enjoy drinks and get their chance to explore the XM.  With the playlist spinning, I’m surprised an impromptu dance floor never broke out.

On my way out I captured a few photos of the gallery front since I didn’t get any on my way in; besides, it looked better at night with the lights from the party still bumping inside.  BMW had fed us well, but I knew I’d be hungry again a little later after getting home, so I grabbed a go bag from nearby Ghostburger to enjoy as a midnight snack later in the evening.  It’s a spot I’d like to go back to when they’re not about to close - it definitely rounded out the theme of the evening, which was pretty colored lights.

A Day at the Newseum

Well, more like two days at the Newseum if we’re being accurate.

If you’re tired of being cooped up at home, unable to go out and enjoy the museums, and you missed out on visiting the Newseum, the post I’m sharing with you today is especially for you.

On the last day of the decade, December 31st, 2019, the Newseum, a product of the Freedom Forum, permanently closed the doors of its Pennsylvania Avenue home. The Newseum, open for a total of 22 years, demonstrated through interactive and rotating exhibits the importance of press freedom and fairness in reporting. Exhibits spanning watershed moments of history to current events showed the importance of journalism ethics, the pitfalls of censorship, and the dangers journalists can face in performing their duties. The Newseum illustrated the United States’ First Amendment’s five core values in real-world applications and infringements.

Until this December, my only experience with the Newseum was to attend a screening of the 2011 film “Documented” and subsequent panel discussion with director and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas in 2014, and the Nikon Z7 release event with Nikon President and CEO Yasuyuki Okamoto in 2018; this is to say, I’d only visited the Newseum’s atrium and auditorium for private events - none of the exhibits, as the museum was closed.

When I heard the Newseum was closing its doors, selling the building to Johns Hopkins University due to financial constraints, I made sure not to miss it any longer. Touring the Newseum was something I’d wanted to do with friends or a date for years, but invariably it always got put off; “we’ll do it later this year.” No more - across two days in December I explored the Newseum from top to bottom, like the Guggenheim, the way it was originally built and intended to be toured (this being said, my photos of the exhibits below are not necessarily arranged in order from top to bottom since these photos span across two full days, and I revisited some exhibits the second day).

I truly enjoyed every minute of the Newseum, and wish I’d simply said “no more” and visited solo much sooner than I did. Even with two full days of visiting and taking in the thousands of displays, I still missed so much of the specimens and their captions on exhibit. It is my utmost hope that the Freedom Forum will find a new, sustainable, third and final location for the Newseum and all its exhibits; the Newseum is one of, if not the most, culturally significant museum I have ever visited, because of its perpetual relevance - news breaks every day. In the last months I’ve thought about the Newseum almost daily, wondering what to be made of the systemic targeting, attacks, and arrests of credentialed media by police across the US, including just a few blocks away in Lafayette Square. I can’t help but wonder how the US’ ranking of Press Freedom on the Newseum’s Press Freedom Map has changed even in the few months since the Newseum’s doors closed. And with the ongoing pervasiveness of “fake news” and anti-science conspiracy theories being perpetuated by presidential candidates in an election year, the Newseum feels more relevant than ever now that it’s gone.

“First they came for the journalists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a journalist — we have no idea what they did after that.”
-Arleen Myers Fields’ adaptation of Martin Niemöller’s “First They Came…”

Below are highlights of my visits to the Newseum’s many exhibits; I have not included captions for these photos, as there is too much relevant information about each to properly bestow in a timely fashion. I did, however, as I frequently do visiting any museum like this, capture images of many of the museum’s own description panels. If you would like to see the full gallery of my two days of touring the Newseum, including more exhibits and artifacts, along with the museum’s captions, you can view the full gallery here.

Bonus: Newseum Restroom Misprinted Headlines

Perhaps a nod to the tradition of placing flyers in restrooms and newspapers (especially sports sections) above urinals, the Newseum’s restrooms are speckled with tiles bearing misprinted headlines, poorly phrased captions, and awkward apologetic corrections.

Dulles GEM Awards 2012

Washington Dulles International Airport's GEM (Going the Extra Mile) Customer Service Program promotes good character among employees at the airport.  When a passenger has a good airport experience it often goes unnoticed, but when employees give exceptional service, the traveler is often compelled (and encouraged) to write in, and nominate the employee for a "Gemmie." I recently photographed the first four awardees of the GEM Customer Service Award, for inclusion in a new GEM Portrait Gallery.   You can view the gallery (and my employee portraits) by visiting Dulles' South Finger, which is located beyond security on the Arrivals level overlooking the Main Terminal AeroTrain station, just before the Exit for Baggage Claim.  Or for more advanced Dulles travelers, the Gallery is underneath the new TSA Pre-Check.

Photography, lighting, and retouching are by J. David Buerk.  Final Graphic Design and Printing was accomplished by CSI in Falls Church, Virginia.  They did an amazing job with the text overlays!

Here are my portraits of all four GEM awardees which are now on display.  See the bottom of this post for the original portraits without graphic overlay.

CLICK HERE TO VEIW ALL EVENT PHOTOS.

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The award ceremony itself was mid-day, but free food and prizes were provided for all Dulles employees the entire day.  Food was catered in part by Chick-Fil-A, and many employees posed for pictures with the cow!

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The awards were presented by Airport Manager Chris Browne, who then hung the portraits in the newly formed Portrait Gallery.

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Randomness: In one of the offices I dropped in on during some behind-the-scenes event planning, I found there are proud Browncoats at Dulles!  I am an leaf on the wind...

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And finally, the Choir from Stone Bridge High School performed for employees and passengers stopping by.

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Be sure to check out all the day's photos, including all employee pictures with the Chick-Fil-A Cow, right here.

Strobist:

Here are my portraits, before graphic design by CSI.  Since this is a photography blog, I'll give you some background info on how I shot these lovely portraits.

First, I was photographing some of the friendliest people the airport has to offer!  That means every one of these folks were very fun and easy going; that's why they were recognized, after all!

The first two images, of Linda and Jack, I used a single 600EX-RT with 1/2 CTO gel in a 48" Softbox, and broad lighting.  These photos were taken in Dulles' Main Terminal AeroTrain Station, atop one of the passenger bridges.  There was enough ambient lighting that I used as fill.  The softbox was about 7 feet off the ground to eliminate glare from Jack's glasses.

The next image, of Hailu, was the only image shot outdoors.  Due to the extremely bright sunlight, I positioned the car with the sun behind, and got the remainder of Fall colors in a sunlit tree in the background.  I then used two bare 600EX-RTs at full power and zoom aimed directly at Hailu and the driver's door.  As the car was angled 45 degrees, the reflective Washington Flyer Taxi logo and car number didn't noticeably reflect in the final image.

The final image of Dave was shot in the United Airlines 1st Class Lounge, and I used a 600EX-RT in my 48" Softbox camera right as key, and another 600EX-RT into a 30" umbrella camera left as fill.  Both lights were about 7' in the air to avoid reflections in the glasses, but careful placement of the lights was needed to ALSO avoid reflections in the two windows behind Dave.  Additionally, I made sure to keep the United Airlines logo visible on the tail, just outside the lounge's window.

All photos were shot using my EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM.  It's my all-time favorite lens!  Strobes were triggered via the PocketWizard Flex system.

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