Madonna and Rubin - Fall Portraits

You might remember Madonna and Rubin from their spectacular travel themed engagement at the Dulles Airport gate where they met, or more recently Donna’s graduation portraits from George Mason University (Go Patriots!).  This Fall they took a stroll with me through Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria, Virginia to take in the Autumn colors at their peak and occasionally cuddle up (or get in a leaf fight after carrying one another).  The sun made for an unseasonably warm day, but it fit the feeling, because it’s clear just spending a few moments with Rubin and Donna that they both married their best friend.

As the sun set, and we were just a few short days from Halloween, Rubin got spoopy on the return hike.

It had been a relaxing day, and I’d once again lived up to Rubin’s famous quote about me: “I’m pretty sure David’s face just looks like a camera.”

Megan: Victorian Trenchcoat

Following our first photoshoot together that combined Steampunk corsetry in an old textile mill, Megan and I incorporated some of our foggy graveyard photoshoot idea that never materialized into a similarly moody morning photoshoot, exploring the same textile mill’s grounds in a Victorian trenchcoat.  Although there wasn’t fog like we’d aimed for, the crumbling and overgrown stone walls paired with Megan’s ivy earrings and black lace heels brought mystical vibes to the overcast grounds, with the din of water coursing through generation equipment in the mill’s spillway immediately behind our wall drew us even further out of the 21st century in our secluded corner originating in the industrial revolution.

Having now shot with Megan twice, I can only think of a handful of people I’ve shot with who have run through poses so effortlessly; it’s a blessing in that everything we shoot looks incredible, and a curse in that EVERYTHING we shoot looks incredible (so it’s difficult to narrow down in post): a struggle Megan and I gleefully lamented going through the photos following both our shoots together.

If you don’t already, you can follow Megan’s spooky and spectacular photography of storms, cemeteries, and astrophotography on Instagram.

Like all proper creatives with pent-up artistic energy, Megan and I continue to have shared, evolving ides for photoshoots, and hopefully the next time we see each other the stars will align to bring another passion project or two together.

Until next time,

The Queen of Halloween & The Duke of Spook bid you well in 2022!

Behind the Scenes

Because of the lighting setup on our fist shoot, I didn’t even attempt any Polaroid captures, but since this photoshoot was captured simply with the same run-and-gun fill-flash technique Polaroids traditionally lean on, it was seamless freezing a few moments in time on the classic instant format; all it required was pausing for each moment for the very mechanical image capturing process to work its analog magic.

This is only the second selfie I’ve taken with a Polaroid. Polaroid selfies are both easy because the camera is so light and the shutter release is in an easy spot, but more difficult because of the tighter framing and inherent time-delayed unknowns of film photography, even on an “instant” film - modern Polaroid chemistry takes 10min to display an image, and over 20min to fully develop. It’s a format I didn’t get the chance to play with until just as the Pandemic began, but I’ve fallen in love with its beautiful imperfection and mandatory physicality.

New England Bonsai Gardens

Foreward in 2021

These photos in this post are from 2018; long before SARS-CoV-2 was a concern or worldwide problem.

As with the photos I recently posted from my 2017 trip to Rhode Island, the following is a collection of photos shot in 2018 which I’ve had in my personal backlog to edit and write about for several years.  I only recently finished editing and composing this post alongside others from the same trip due to the sheer volume of images.

New England Bonsai Gardens

In 2018, I went on a roadtrip to visit with my friend Alyssa and explore more of her home state of Rhode Island.  I’ve been several times before, but as with any trip to a place you’ve been before, you discover something new every time.  This time, one of those discoveries was New England Bonsai Gardens.

So, I’m not as big a plant nerd as Alyssa, but I still enjoy certain varieties.  I have several orchids, and the previous year, Alyssa had gotten me a Willow Leaf Ficus bonsai for Christmas - Alyssa finds her zen in all plants, and discovered the art of bonsai the previous Fall.  Luckily for her, New England is host to the largest bonsai nursery on the East coast, just across the border in Massachusetts.  She visited often enough the owners know her by name, but it was finally my turn to see all their varieties in person.

We both selected new bonsai to take home.  I’ve always admired junipers, but sadly the one I picked up and brought home with me didn’t make it in the end, dying about a month later from some combination of too much sunlight or too much or too little water - I’m just not sure, but it’s the only plant I’ve ever lost, even with my experience raising temperamental plants.  I’ve been told by others that DC’s climate has too harsh fluctuations for junipers to thrive, but I find that a bit hard to believe if they can thrive with care in New England.  Beats me.

Interestingly, since returning from this trip I’ve discovered that the nursery I frequent here in Virginia sources all their bonsai from New England Bonsai Gardens; it was obvious to me when I noticed they don’t even take NEBG’s inventory tags off.  On top of that, since this trip, Alyssa has visited me here in DC, and while conversing with some of the staff here, they both actually know some of the same people at NEBG since they source their bonsai from there.  I know this is a pretty niche interest, but it’s still a small world.

Erik and Jennifer: Married June 27th, 2020

Many years ago, when I was a freshman in college, just as my interest in photography was taking off, and way before I knew I’d pursue it professionally, I switched positions at Washington Dulles International Airport from a customer service position to an office internship more closely aligned with the engineering major I was studying toward at the time. This is how I met and came to be friends with Erik.

Erik and I have always shared the same love of photography; he even worked in a photo lab developing film for a time in college. So as my career path started to change course, Erik understood, and continued to mentor me, even as my imaging talents eventually took me away from the airport’s Maintenance Engineering Division I’d been a part of for the better part of my college career. Erik is also largely responsible for familiarizing me with Nikon cameras, which although certainly not my preference, has continually proven useful to this day.

At the time Erik and I met, he had just had his son, Noah, and I saw him grow through baby photos in his office and periodically bumping into Erik taking Noah to airport events or Star Wars screenings at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center’s IMAX. So while I know Noah is as old as I’ve known Erik, it was still a bit of a surprise when he’s now in his early-teens and taller than I am, talking about cars at Erik and Jennifer’s wedding. Time flies.

As you can see, Erik and I go way back. Jennifer and I, not so much, but it’s clear they are happy together, and Jennifer’s sense of humor compliments the dry and oft deadpan wit Erik bears. Erik and Jennifer were engaged last year, but like so many other couples right now, the COVID-19 pandemic changed their wedding plans. Venues are difficult to come by, and everyone is still adjusting how to do even basic tasks, like safely traveling and meeting. Erik and Jennifer’s ceremony was outdoors and shared with a small group of socially distanced close relatives in order to maintain everyone’s safety while gathering to celebrate.

Although their wedding was abridged due to the pandemic, I ensured their wedding portraits were not. Taking advantage of the clear, warm Summer weather, and the rural Virginia manor in the Shenandoah Valley where they said “I do,” I captured portraits of them in the gardens and fields of lavender at sunset; without a reception, this wedding portrait session had a refreshingly more relaxed vibe than some of my pre-pandemic weddings with extremely limited time constraints for the couples’ portraits. I enjoyed capturing them, and am happy Erik and Jennifer have them to enjoy for many years to come even in the face of the pandemic.

Behind the Scenes

Normally I wouldn’t post my bathroom mirror selfies on my website, but it’s 2020 and here we are. I think it’s important to take a minute to show what I look like at all my sessions in the age of COVID-19. Not only am I protecting my clients, but I’m protecting myself and loved ones I care for, and wear an N99 respirator during the entirety of my sessions, even in 96º Summer sunlight; it’s not a problem, and is just one of numerous strict precautions I take to protect my clients and myself. I only break out the bowtie for special occasions though ;-)

I’ve also been taking fun-photos with a Polaroid lately; I’ve been curious about them for years, but only started playing with one this Summer. I accidentally had the focus set to Portrait / Close-up for this one, but perfection-in-imperfection is the exact thing I find so enchanting about film photography.

Harpers Ferry: Maryland Heights Trail

Summer is unfortunately drawing to a close, and after several consecutive weekends of thunderstorms and blazing humidity, this past weekend offered temperatures in the low 70s, so local hiking staple, the Maryland Heights Trail in Harper’s Ferry was an obvious choice for a hiking fast fix. Unsurprisingly, it was an easy choice for everyone else in the region itching for some outdoors time after some Summer cabin-fever, making the summit, which I’ve visited when deserted on multiple occasions, the busiest I’ve ever seen it. It’s a beautiful, albeit locally stereotypical, overlook a bit over 300 feet above the Potomac River and Civil War era town beneath. Its steep climb means you reach the summit in ~40min at a moderate pace, making the 3.3mi round trip (skipping the 2.2mi Stone Fort Trail Loop) taxing for the distance covered, but quickly worth the extra uphill effort. This trip was the first time I’ve seen a train use the Southern CSX rail line, however I was on the summit, not the rail bridge like I’d have preferred (just to finally experience how sketchy standing on a rail bridge with a train rumbling alongside feels). Before heading over to the trailhead, I head up High Street to look for evidence of the 2015 fire, which engulfed shops I’ve visited, and impacted a restaurant I ate at just months before the mysterious fire broke out. Evidence of rebuilding is there if you look closely enough, but to the ordinary unaware passerby, you wouldn’t be able to tell a difference - they did good work restoring the historic area!

Bonus: Photos of me at the summit, and see 4K footage of trains and the over-friendly moth. The video footage was shot handheld at 720mm, so yeah, difficult to hold perfectly still at that focal length.