Museum of Failure: Washington, DC Launch Party

I attended the Museum of Failure's launch party in September, 2023, anticipating an exciting experience, however, The Museum of Failure, located in a failed gym within a failed shopping mall, left me disappointed.  The layout was haphazard, and the artifacts, while featuring memorable failures, often took shortcuts, with some using replicas instead of authentic items.  Some of the captions had errors, including misplaced apostrophes and unexplained references.

One of my suggestions for improvement is to look to the Museum of Sex in Manhattan as a model for a more immersive experience.  Despite the drawbacks of the hastily assembled traveling exhibit, it showcased interesting products, such as a controversial sex doll rental service and an array of failed toys and ill-timed electronics.  Sections devoted to Donald Trump and Elon Musk were also present.  The food section included familiar brands and products, but I questioned the inclusion of Starbucks' Oleato, which has since expanded to nationwide availability.

The controversial inclusion of the Colgate Lasagna, a viral meme product that never actually existed, raised doubts about the museum's seriousness.  The Museum of Failure, in my opinion in order to be taken more seriously, needs to reassess their focus on accuracy rather than entertaining at the expense of facts.  Overall, it was a small, quirky collection with room for improvement, and I suggest the permanent location being built in Malaga, Spain should be larger and more consistently factual.

Duty Free Americas: IAD • DCA • BWI

This past Spring I photographed all of the newly renovated Duty Free Americas locations at Washington Dulles International Airport, Ronald Reagan National Airport, and for the first time in my career, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.  I hope in the future to do more work at BWI, and this was a good introduction to an airport I've only visited a handful of times.  In the meantime, here are some highlights of some of my photography of the Duty Free Americas locations at DC's three major local airports.

Marketing and Product Photography

Recently I shared some of the portraiture I shoot for professional clients and commercial marketing campaigns.  But what about the other half of that equation?  In addition to portraiture and various press events, I photograph a large volume of product and storefront photography for marketing purposes at both Dulles International and Reagan National airports.

Last week on my Facebook Page, I shared a Behind the Scenes photo of a product shoot featuring Spartina 449 handbags.  These product photographs are quite similar to last year's Save Me, San Francisco Wine Company shoot, however this set is intended for use as dustwall graphics for upcoming stores during renovations periods, in addition to regularly ongoing marketing campaigns.

This sort of imagery continues inside many of the retailers; notably, Estée Lauder has an equally bright and modern storefront and display.

Both airports feature luxury brands.  Most have opened in the past year, and my photos are used by both airports for their promotion.

I am not limited to retailers either - restaurants and eateries get just as much attention.

All new concessions and restaurants have ribbon cutting ceremonies; oftentimes the grand opening is a major event, including guest speakers and performances.

Not only are my photos used for promotional campaigns, but at major events, placards summarizing newly opened and soon to open retailers are on display featuring my photos.

An airport wouldn't be an airport without newsstands and book retailers, and I take photos of them as well!

It's just further demonstration of why I love photographing for DC's local airports - everyone who asks me about my airport photography simply assumes all I do is photograph aircraft, but upon explaining the body of work above, they always leave surprised and better informed - it's a side of every airport that few people ever think about, yet is so often taken for granted.