Bayard and Margaret: Married April 13th, 2019

Over a lifetime, certain cities and locations become significant and close to one’s heart.  Sometimes it’s because of experiences, sometimes it’s just a feeling; oftentimes, it’s both.  For Bayard and Margaret, the first city to hold that significance is Williamsburg, home of William and Mary, where they first met.  Washington Dulles International Airport will always be remembered for where they got engaged upon Margaret landing.  But Alexandria is the most recent place of significance for them, because it is their current home, where they celebrated their engagement last Fall, and most importantly, it is the city where they tied the knot this April 13th!

On a beautiful Spring day at Belle Haven Country Club in Alexandria, Bay and Maggie said “I do” surrounded by family, friends, and cherry blossoms.  Bay and Margaret have always had a pizzazz about them; I first met Maggie when she was singing karaoke at Nina and Ian’s wedding in 2016.  This is the energy she draws from in planning her famously immersive parties, and this spirit shined at their wedding, from the wedding cake surrounded by cherry blossom trees and protected by his-and-hers Han and Leia porgs, to the Harry Potter candy bar for every house at Hogwarts.

With lots of love (and dancing), Bay and Margaret started a new chapter in Alexandria’s importance in their lives this Spring.  Together, the World holds infinite places for them to discover, collect new memories, and develop new bonds with as they now go and explore the World as husband and wife.  Though the places will change, their love will remain constant.

---

I don’t think anybody except my talented assistant photographer Eddie noticed, but if I looked pained at any point during Bay and Margaret’s wedding, it wasn’t because of the wedding!  I woke up the morning of Bay and Maggie’s wedding with what has now been diagnosed as a slipped cervical disc, which caused severe muscle spasm in all muscles in my left shoulder and pec.  It’s an injury I’ve endured a handful of times now, but obviously the timing of this reoccurrence was undesirable, but I didn’t let it impact my performance shooting the wedding!  Luckily now, after two months in PT getting trigger point injections and dry needling + ESTIM, I’m feeling much better.  This injury significantly slowed my progress editing this wedding initially, but with progress recovering I was able to make up for lost time and still get these photos fully edited and online the same week I’d originally projected.

But for now, enjoy this outtake:

Official Communications

Hello photography friends, I just wanted to take a moment to reiterate that all official communications with J. David Buerk - Photography are through myself (David; hi!), and only through my official contact channels and social media profiles. If you encounter any profile that you are unsure or suspicious of, claiming to be me, or conducting business on my behalf, immediately cease communications and please report any suspicious behavior like this to my email, david@jdbphoto.com.

Why I’m Bringing This Up

Although I haven’t received any reports of impersonation, I was recently contacted on one of my official social media profiles by a new, blank profile bearing my name, asking for basic information, which is why I am disseminating this cautionary message.

Official Lines of Communication

Below I am listing all official J. David Buerk - Photography communication outlets and social media profiles; please only interact with these lines of communication (and please Like / Follow / Subscribe / etc if you don’t already!):

Website:
jdavidbuerk.com
NOTE: My old domain (jdbphoto.com) redirects to this site.

Email:
david@jdavidbuerk.com
NOTE: My old email (david@jdbphoto.com) still works! In fact, both emails are the exact same account and inbox. I also accept PGP encrypted email; ask for my key.

Phone:
703.609.3226

Client Galleries (hosted by SmugMug):
clients.jdbphoto.com

Facebook:
facebook.com/DavidBuerkPhoto
NOTE: This URL was changed to mirror my other social media URLS on March 5th, 2019; the old URL (facebook.com/jdbphoto) does not work anymore, as Facebook does not allow masks or redirects.

Twitter:
@DavidBuerkPhoto

Instagram:
@DavidBuerkPhoto

YouTube:
youtube.com/channel/UC4mMZNPzpyd_mTlGbNMzkJw

LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/in/j-david-buerk-59803b8/
NOTE: Not regularly monitored; please direct messages to david@jdbphoto.com.

Google+:
plus.google.com/b/116097680376046332431/116097680376046332431
NOTE: Google+ is shutting down April 2nd, 2019; read why here.

Snapchat:
@DavidBuerkPhoto
NOTE: I am not presently active on Snapchat; this profile is not regularly monitored for snaps / messages - please direct all communication to the above email / phone number / social media profiles instead, but feel free to follow in the event I do begin using this profile.

Personal Accounts

I also have personal accounts at many of the services above, and others not listed; I do not use my personal accounts for business purposes, and if I am contacted for business on one of my personal accounts, I will always direct you toward my email, phone number, website, and / or social media profiles listed above. If you encounter an account seemingly impersonating me, either a personal or business account, or to conduct business or not, please notify me immediately.

Thank You, My Fans

Old Rag Mountain, August, 2018.

Finally, a thank you to every one of you who follows my photography, shares my enthusiasm, and introduces me to new people who will enjoy my work for years to come. Without you my work would be much less vibrant and diverse, and I appreciate your diligence in ensuring security and authenticity.

Thank you!

-David

AirlineGeeks.com

A Planespotter’s Dream Gig: A Look into the Life of an Airport Photographer

This morning, AirlineGeeks.com features a profile of me, highlighting my aviation photography, and giving a glimpse into what it’s like when I cover large-scale corporate events.  I invite you to read the full article on the AirlineGeeks website by clicking here or the article preview below.

It is an immeasurable honor that my photography has inspired a profile to be written about me and my work. I’m proud to work so closely with so many people at Dulles International and Reagan National airports, amongst the Airports Authority, the airlines, and their partners, all of whom work hard to keep the DC airports operating smoothly, and welcoming passengers the whole-world over.

I especially have to thank Ryan from AirlineGeeks for shadowing and interviewing me during the Air India inaugural a few weeks ago. I also must thank Airport Operations; without their skilled assistance, I would never be able to cover airfield actives with the depth I capture. Finally I must thank my many partners in the numerous PR, marketing, communications, and media departments and outlets I have worked with over the years - it is because of their efforts on many projects that my photos have been presented to a global audience.

Thank you to everyone who has helped me in growing my career to where it stands today - today marks a true milestone; I can’t begin to describe how honored I am to be receiving such recognition, and I am excited to learn the next heights my career will take. Thank you!

Click here to continue reading the full article on AirlineGeeks.com.

Rose Corps

Rose Corps, a synth-pop solo project, burst onto the DC music scene earlier this year with the release of their first single, “Frosted Glass;” an icy track with ambient warmth and rich vocals.  Aeron, the singer / songwriter and synthesizer player behind Rose Corps, brought her background in dancing to the streets of DC for a sultry nighttime photoshoot.

Rose Corps is currently producing her next single, expected to release later this year, but for now you can listen to “Frosted Glass” while enjoying Aeron’s pictures.

I can’t encourage you enough to go follow Rose Corps on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Reverbnation, and most importantly, go buy “Frosted Glass” on Bandcamp to help support Aeron’s new music career.

A big thank you to Patrick and Rupeng for being my human lightstands in a short-notice pinch!

SOARING - A Short Film by J. David Buerk

Recently I accompanied my friend Ellen up to Connecticut to help her buy a new car - a metallic green Nissan Xterra.  In this case, one of only two green Xterras for sale on the East Coast.  After buying the car, we convoyed back down to Blairstown, New Jersey, a small township roughly 60 miles West of New York City.  Blairstown is home to Blair Academy, a prep school, and Blairstown Airport, a single runway public use airfield that is a base for Jersey Ridge Soaring, a glider business owned by Ellen's parents.

It's long been a dream of mine to get a pilots license and learn to fly an aircraft recreationally.  I flew twice that day; my first flight was scenic, and the second was an actual flight lesson where I was on the stick most of the flight - my first time actually flying an aircraft!

Without further ado, I present to you a short film I assembled from the bits of footage I gathered that day.

For months Ellen has been begging me to come and try flying in a glider, and for months I've told her, "aircraft are supposed to have engines." I've been in small aircraft plenty of times; mostly helicopters, but even a hot air balloon, which of course isn't powered.  If anything, I finally realized gliders are safer in that you can actually steer them.

My first flight was scenic, encompassing the photos and video footage you see here.  My second flight, after gaining just 500AGL, I was told, "Ok, follow the tow plane!"  Basically as soon as we were off the ground I was given control of the aircraft.  There were only two instances where it was a bit too much and I gave back the controls (beyond departure and landing); once while getting kicked around during towing, and once when a thermal became a bit too strong for my (lack of) skill level.

I'd managed to find and get centered in a 400ft/min thermal, gaining over 1,000 feet in altitude, before the updraft mixed with the crosswind was getting too dicey for my own inexperienced comfort at the controls.  That's a pretty solid thermal to latch onto, and a far cry from the first flight, which hardly had any thermal activity, lending itself to a short, ~40min flight.  The second flight was a little under an hour long.  What threw me off the most during my stick time was the lack of feedback through the stick, as well as how much movement it had available; at some points it felt as if my legs were in the way of the stick.  Also, there was the slight delay for inputs which also befuddled.  I found it interesting that the gliders' airspeed is in MPH instead of knots.  Both flights we were towed up to 2,500ft before releasing, and reached a max altitude of ~3,500ft on the second flight.

Glider aircraft are also called sailplanes because of their similarity to sailing a sailboat; wind currents are your friend, but you must know how to use them.  Flying in the sailplane feels like flying in a sky kayak.

I skipped over it, but immediately after buying Ellen's truck, we all got dinner at a Texas Roadhouse in Connecticut - Alyssa had driven over from Woonsocket, Rhode Island to catch dinner with me and my friends (you should have come flying with us!).  After dinner, we departed for Blairstown for a weekend flying, which you just read about.

Gliders are definitely something I will be doing again, though I find it ironic that I still have not been up in a single-engine airplane.  I can't wait to get more flight time in!