Best of 2020

Let’s just say it: 2020 sucked. For everyone. At moments the year flew by, at many others the year seemed endless. But 2021 is upon us, and although for many, myself included, it meant more time at home than out in public, I still captured perspectives of this year the World will never forget.

It’s unsurprising that many of my photographs in this year’s Best of 2020 are barren of people, and those that do have people are individuals or small family groups. I quickly enacted a number of COVID-19 best-practices that meet or exceed those required by Virginia law, and have strived to maintain the safety of not only myself and my vulnerable family members, but those of my clients. Because of the unprecedented reduction in assignments this year, particularly of commercial clients due to the cancellation of events, a greater portion of this year’s Best Of consists of personal work, but you’ll see that although it’s personal work, much of it is relatable and has affected everyone in some way or another.

Here’s to 2021 redeeming all the hardship, loss, and overwhelming disappointment 2020 inflicted on the World. May these pictures put 2020 to rest, and may your 2021 be filled with joy and prosperity.

A “barn find” Porsche on display at the 2020 Washington Auto Show.

A Foggy February morning in Northern Virginia.

Toilet paper became scarce in early March as shifts in the supply chain shifted from commercial to retail bathroom supplies, while more population working from home, and public fear incited hoarding, drove demand, emptying store shelves of basic cleaning supplies for months.

Hand sanitizer, gloves, surgical masks, and N95 respirators became nearly impossible to come in Spring. By Summer, the market was flooded with price gouged, counterfeit, or unregulated KN95 masks, antibacterial sanitizing wipes, and hand sanitizer.

At Ronald Reagan National Airport, nearly all concessions closed indefinitely due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

At Ronald Reagan National Airport, airlines cancelled all flights indefinitely for the safety of passengers, and due to low demand while citizens quarantined in place.

Inside Ronald Reagan National Airport’s nearly empty National Hall, a COVID-19 branded hand sanitizer station is affixed to a shuttered Information Desk.

As air travel all but halted, entire terminals of airports were shuttered. With fewer travelers, ad spaces receive fewer impressions, leading to marketing campaigns to be rolled back or cancelled entirely. Above a closed terminal at Ronald Reagan National Airport, a digital ad site displays a creative encouraging proper hand-washing technique in place of normally cycling ad campaigns.

"Black Lives Matter" blazed several neighborhood trailheads, but were defaced with the arguably racist "All Lives Matter," then subsequently corrected back to BLM during the height of nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd under the knee of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.

In Northern Virginia, many parks and playgrounds were closed by guerrilla citizens even before executive orders explicitly closed such facilities. Meanwhile, other inhabitants ripped away barriers or ignored HOA shutdown orders, creating a kind of suburban anarchy.

Jack Zarinsky, CFP, walks into his office in Fairfax City, Virginia.

Jack Zarinsky, CFP, speaks into a microphone while recording for his podcast.

A Polaroid of pickerel hyacinth growing at Ellanor C. Lawrence Pond.

Erik and Jennifer walk in a lavender field on their wedding day, June 27th, 2020. Many engaged couples had to delay or downsize their 2020 wedding due to COVID-19 safety and legality of gatherings.

Polaroid of Alyssa McGuire carrying an elephant ear plant at Merrifield Garden Center, Centreville, Virginia. Alyssa’s favorite animal is the elephant, and as a self-proclaimed “crazy plant lady,” she chose a Colocasia to add to her Rhode Island garden. Alyssa drove from Providence to Memphis, stopping in Washington, DC for a week, to care for her aging grandparents who struggled to get supplies and home maintenance during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

At Washington Dulles International Airport, a health supply kiosk is shuttered inside a deserted terminal.

Rubin and Madonna stand on the ramp at Washington Dulles International Airport with the historic ATCT and taxiing aircraft behind them after Rubin proposed to Madonna minutes prior at the gate they first met.

Elizabeth laughs at James’ jokes during their July engagement session. James and Elizabeth planned for a Spring engagement session coinciding with the April Cherry Blossom Festival, but this became unsafe and illegal as DC enacted executive orders that made visiting the Tidal Basin legally impossible, while the National Park Service feuded with DC Mayor Muriel Bowser by continuing to sell photography permits. Meanwhile in Virginia, early executive orders explicitly closed or kept open specific businesses, but failed to provide operating guidance for unlisted non-essential businesses, forcing many people, like Elizabeth and James, to postpone scheduled sessions.

Lily pads float at Ellanor C. Lawrence Pond, seen through an antique Lubitel 2 medium format lens converted to work on Canon EOS mount cameras, shot on an EOS R mirrorless camera.

The Cumberbatch family poses among the Autumn leaves during their family portrait session in Sterling, Virginia.

J. David Buerk, owner and photographer of J. David Buerk - Photography poses in a werewolf mask and gloves, holding an authentic rusty scythe on Halloween in Fairfax, Virginia. Despite ample candy and decorations, not a single trick-or-treater showed due to COVID-19 scaring off young goblins and ghouls.

Kevin drops to one knee and asks Rhoda to marry him at a snow-covered Stone Tower Winery.

With vines in the background, Rhoda places her hand on Kevin’s chest to display her engagement ring minutes after saying “yes” atop a snow covered hill at Stone Tower Winery.

The sun shines on the steering wheel of an Infiniti G37 S 6MT coupe’s steering wheel.

A handmade, artisan designed and crafted embossed leather journal cover with pewter clasp, featuring a flourishing acanthus leaf pattern. I first spotted this journal five years ago at the Renwick Gallery, and have regretted not getting it at the time, and had been unable to find the creator until recently. To my surprise, it is still available, and the maker even has an Amazon storefront now, with limited supply available. My most loved Christmas gift this year, this beautiful, naturey journal in my favorite color holds the notebook I’ve been using for years, and will hold future notebooks as this one nears filling, fitting perfectly into my daily leather Tumi backpack.

Rubin and Madonna: The Proposal

If you’ve ever met Rubin, you know he always has something funny to share. One of my earliest memories with Rubin is from while I was covering Ethiopian’s 787 Dreamliner being introduced into service at Washington Dulles International Airport; Rubin said, “I honestly don't know what David looks like. I think his face might look like a camera.” Some say he may not be wrong.

When Rubin told me he was planning to propose to Madonna at the Dulles airport gate where they first met, I of course was excited to help capture the moment. Rubin spent several weeks planning the proposal, coordinating with the airport and IT to make his idea of the gate display boards play clips of all the travels and memories they’ve compiled over the years of their relationship, culminating with a special flight information display for the next chapter of their relationship to take off.

To-date I’ve photographed three prior proposals, two of which were also airport proposals, but like everything in 2020, this proposal presented new challenges to solve - namely, for me, how do I blend in with a crowd that isn’t there? 2020’s coronavirus pandemic has heavily impacted the aviation industry, and during a planning walkthrough a week prior to the proposal, it became apparent my usual tactic of hiding in plain sight may prove more difficult given that gate A25 was completely abandoned. Fortunately, given the video Rubin assembled to play on the FIDS, I wouldn’t need to hide much for very long, as the jig would pretty much be up as soon as Madonna saw the video - a marked difference from other proposals I’ve captured, and I’m happy to say it worked out exactly as Rubin planned.

Funnily enough, the day-of, gate A25 wasn’t abandoned! It was populated with passengers social-distancing in groups before their flight departing from an adjacent gate, so my gambit to “look like a passenger” paid off, and happened to come in handy much earlier than I’d planned - as it would happen, Rubin and Madonna were on the same AeroTrain as me when heading over to the gate to set up, while Rubin took Madonna to his office to pretend file some paperwork in order to throw Madonna off his plans and give everyone at A25 time to get in position. When I got off the AeroTrain, I spotted the couple getting off two cars ahead of me and hopping on the escalator - I decided to stick to my plan, and follow suit with everyone else moving through the station, and I walked my rolling camera luggage and backpack onto the escalator adjacent and a few steps behind them - don’t mind me; I’m just a passenger! Later on, Rubin told me he’d spotted me, but played it cool-as-a-cucumber the same as me. I was even able to grab a few photos of them before I paid them no mind speed-walking past with my rolling bag on the way to my “flight.”

Once the time came, Rubin walked Madonna to gate A25, the gate they first met each other as airport employees, and Rubin’s video played on the FIDS with music filling the gate area. And Rubin’s plan worked, because Madonna was taken with emotion immediately. The pictures tell the rest of the story - when the “Will you marry me?” flight card showed at the end of the video, Rubin dropped to one knee to pop the question, and the rest is history!

Just being around Rubin and Madonna you can feel their energy, and seeing how happy they make each other it’s impossible not to feel happy yourself. After passengers and fellow employees and friends alike had congratulated the newly engaged couple, we took some photos to formally commemorate the occasion. As Rubin and Madonna are both longtime airport employees, and to further celebrate the place where they met, we captured portraits on the ramp with Dulles’ historic ATCT in the background as onlookers watched from passing mobile lounges and taxiing aircraft, before heading back to the Main Terminal to meet with friends and family who had gathered to congratulate the pair.

It’s 2020; you have to social-distance and wear your mask:

Also because it’s 2020, it must be said: masks were only off for photos, socially distanced from non-family members.

With the help of a mutual friend of Rubin and I, video of Rubin and Madonna’s engagement was captured from several angles, which I’ve combined to show exactly how it went down.

Dulles’ tagline is “Your Journey Begins with Us,” and for Rubin and Madonna it truly did at Gate A25.

SARS-CoV-2 - March & April

As you are more than well aware, quite a lot has changed since the last time I posted.

Right around the time some family health issues that had taken most of my time were finally settling down a bit, the newly infamous novel coronavirus hit the US. You can learn more about my professional response to COVID-19 and subsequent service changes here.

This is a collection of photographs I have captured since SARS-CoV-2 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization to today’s mid-May posting. As I am a caregiver to someone at very high risk, my outings since before quarantine even began have been limited to grocery / food / fundamental shopping, healthcare and pharmacy visits, and my regular trail-running (hey, I stopped going to the gym due to the high risk before they even closed - I’ve never been up to half-marathon distance so early in the running season - I’ve already run two 13.1s and one 10 miler this year, on top of my standard training regimen).

Grocery

By now it’s not just common; it’s an expected sight - barren paper aisles, empty soap sections, cold medicine picked over and packages haphazardly ripped into, the contents stolen. It was only after weeks of this that stores even began limiting purchase quantities on high-demand items.

I’ve been lucky and have thus far been able to source everything needed to stay safe with the help of friends. Some hard-to-find items I’ve even had enough to safely share with friends or give to their high-risk or frontline-working families.

As an aside, the health and legal implications of COVID-19 have disrupted the paper industry even for printing - print production for most things like prints and albums have halted from almost all printing partners - it’s an odd industry impact I’ve been continually watching.

All images shot and edited on iPhone.

Restaurants

Quarantine food has mostly been a case of creating meals with what’s available at the grocery store a given week, which is fun because it has forced some creativity, while sometimes also leading to frustration when you have every ingredient but one - at one point I was searching for garlic for over 3 weeks!

There have been occasions where grabbing food to-go while out has either made more sense, been more convenient, or has simply been par for the course (birthdays, holidays, etc). I’ve been doing contactless curbside pickup for all of this, except for the two instances below, which show what the interiors of some restaurants look like in response to not allowing dine-in customers. For reference, Panera Bread and Jason’s Deli are among the many restaurants offering grocery orders and delivery.

All images shot and edited on iPhone.

Airports

Washington Dulles International Airport

Finally, while my business is currently limited in what it can do (click here to read how my business is impacted and responding to COVID-19), basic operations still must go on. One of the most fundamental of business operations is maintaining currency of security training and credentials. I visited both Dulles and Reagan in order to renew my security training and badges, and documented all changes I saw while on-site. I only stayed pre-security since I did not have need to enter the SIDA for my renewals, and am not taking unnecessary excursionary risks.

Noticable changes are Dulles are the nearly empty parking lots, completely empty Terminal loops (which are usually bustling), consolidation of security checkpoints, closed ticket counters of airlines that have suspended operations, and to me most notably is how clean the floors look - I don’t think I’ve ever seen the terrazzo so brightly polished and shiny. The departures level has been cleared of most stanchions, and background music has been turned off, leaving only the ambient rumble of HVAC noise - walking the Terminal, with nobody around but a few other employees, reminded me of my days in Dulles’ engineering department, doing facility walkthroughs in the back-of-house corridors surrounded by nothing but the buildings’ natural sound and your own echo.

All images shot on EOS R and edited on a color calibrated computer.

Ronald Reagan National Airport

Reagan was the same story - I did my renewals as required by FAA / DHS, and explored the impacts pre-security. Because there was no traffic, it was easy for me to capture photos of the Ronald Reagan statue I’ve never gotten before.

Impacts that were most apparent were immediately being greeted by a nearly empty parking garage, the people in National Hall were almost entirely employees - incredibly the handful of passengers arriving off a flight were all maskless.

The saddest part of this, for me, was seeing all the shuttered concessionaires. At both airports only a handful of concessions are operating at time of writing - this is sad for me because I’ve photographed each and every single one of these. What is most striking about the closed retailers is how abruptly they closed - many are still decorated for the Cherry Blossom Festival, the height of which is when most quarantine orders took effect, or have Now Open signage on their closed storefront hastily left in the rapid closures. It saddens me to see so many beloved stores and restaurants closed for the time being.

DCA, like Dulles, has prominent signage encouraging proper mask usage and hand washing. One difference, however, is, although both airports have the same hand sanitizer dispensers, DCA’s are COVID-19 branded.

All images shot on EOS R and edited on a color calibrated computer.

Spottings

Although I’ve had opportunity to see friends and even use private gyms if desired, I haven’t taken any of these opportunities because I know how lackadaisical (read: virtually non-existent) the social distancing was. That being said, I’ve had a few chance run-ins while out and about, which, although brief, has been a nice break in the monotony.

You may recognize David and Tiffany from their engagement session and wedding I shot last year. By the way, that picture of the Dulles Main Terminal over my shoulder is a photo I shot in 2012.

All images shot and edited on iPhone.

2020 Washington Auto Show

2020 has started off quite stressful for me, due to some health issues being faced by members of my family, so I am behind in posting, but here we are! With everything going on, I was fortunate to be able to make it out to the Washington Auto Show this year, which I look forward to and make it a point to attend every year. Since I wanted to relax by going to the show, this year I brought along my 85mm f/1.2; my favorite lens - great for details (and portraits), but a specialized lens not for wide scene captures.

First things first; the new “Mustang.” I can’t say I agree with Ford’s decision to place the Mustang marque on an all-electric crossover-type vehicle, and I found the car itself uglier than the press photos released when the new direction Mustang is going was released. I, however, am in the minority, as the general public seems to love it based on overhearing others viewing it at the auto show - apparently Ford’s market research was accurate. Apparently the C8 Corvette was also on display at this show, and I walked right past it without noticing - that’s interesting.

As an Infiniti driver, I am of course an Infiniti fan. The Q60 has grown on me since the CV37 released in 2017, and despite some exciting engine options up to 400hp, it is still being done the disservice of being sold without any manual transmission option whatsoever.

Anyone who knows me knows I love Porsche. They unfortunately did not have a display at this year’s show, but that didn’t stop me from photographing every Porsche I spotted at the show.

Best of 2019

2019 was quite an odd year. Its unusual helter-skelter pace sometimes made me doubt my photographic skills, but the year continually provided new opportunities to refresh my creative energies, whether that meant braving sub-zero wind chills in unfamiliar cities, or trying new lighting and editing techniques while on commercial assignments. This annual year-in-review wrap-up helps to fuel my creative energies for 2020, and a new decade of capturing the world around me. I’m all set for the new year - let’s capture 2020 together.

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As the Earth transits its Moon, a crescent shape is left illuminated prior to the total lunar eclipse during a “supermoon,” January 20th, 2019.

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The newly released mirrorless full-frame Canon EOS R in the snow, with a Lubitel 2 75mm f/4.5 lens modified to EF mount.

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2019’s first snowfall; a light dusting in the DC region.

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An airport employee demonstrates the proper method to clean up blood and bodily fluid spills in a safety and security fair for airport employees at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois.

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Milwaukee River one week after a “polar vortex” brought record low temperatures of -21ºF with a windchill of -40º. The temperature at time of this picture was 13ºF with a wind chill of -7º. The extreme cold snap claimed 22 lives.

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In downtown Milwaukee, a cheese mart offers rotating samples of hundreds of local cheeses.

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The bottling and packaging equipment line at Lakefront Brewery, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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Mew, the mythical 151st Pokémon, straps in for a flight in Economy Plus.

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Above Chicago, icebergs on Lake Michigan are visible for miles one week after a “polar vortex” brought record low temperatures of -23ºF with a windchill of -52º to the city. A maximum temperature of -10ºF set a record for lowest daily high temperature. The extreme cold snap claimed 22 lives.

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A nuclear power station vents steam and creates a shadow onto the eastern waters of Lake Michigan.

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In stark contrast to the mid-west’s severe Winter, the DC region experiences unusually warm February weather. A woman walks by a Fredericksburg brewery’s mural in the premature Spring temperatures.

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Details of a two-year-old orchid at the end of peak bloom.

Aerial view of Soldier Field at sunset.

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“The Sky's The Limit“ by Michael Hayden, 1987; neon lights and colored panels choreographed to music by composer William Kraft adorn the pedestrian talkback tunnel connecting United Terminals B and C at Chicago’s O'Hare International Airport.

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Between Terminals at O'Hare International Airport, globes illuminate the way for passengers at night.

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International arrivals queue through the line in O'Hare International Airport’s Terminal 5 before clearing customs. Disembarking passengers pass by ad space displaying a campaign for a Japanese courier logistics service. J. David Buerk - Photography documents marketing campaign activations in major markets across the United States.

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In downtown Chicago, an Uber driver cuts through the city to avoid traffic on I-90.

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Visitors to Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry view “The Great Train Story,” a 3,500 sq.ft. model train installation displaying 20 trains on 1,400 feet of track representing 2,200 miles of railway between Chicago and Seattle.

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Aboard the German Submarine U-505, red alarm lights shine dimly while being depth charged. The submarine was captured by the US Navy in 1944 in efforts to capture an Enigma code machine used by Nazi forces during WWII. The U-505 is the only U-boat in North America.

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A recently hatched baby chick photobombs its siblings in the Museum of Science and Industry’s Fast Forward & Genetics exhibit.

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In Chicago’s Hyde Park, English Ivy is allowed to overgrow on a row house, blooming green in warm months, and exposing delightfully spooky vines on the brick facade in Winter.

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Bandmembers of Tommy McCracken playing electric guitar at Buddy Guy’s Legends blues nightclub.

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Rock and Roll Hall of Fame blues legend Buddy Guy takes the stage at his Chicago nightclub to sing relationship advice to audience members.

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Nellie Travis sings a soulful rendition of “Sweet Home Chicago” with audience participation at Buddy Guy’s Legends blues nightclub.

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Promotional photo of Wolfgang’s Meatloaf at The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck.

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Promotional photo of Lamb Lollipops with Hummus and Flatbread at Bracket Room.

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Margaret and Bayard kiss with champagne on the lawn of Belle Haven Country Club after their wedding ceremony.

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Margaret and Bayard’s wedding rings on a bouquet of flowers.

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Planespotters click away from Washington Dulles International Airport’s (IAD) T/L K as Alitalia touches down to begin non-stop service between Washington, DC and Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport (FCO).

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After remarks at the gate, Fabio Lazzerini, Alitalia CBO, and Armando Varricchio, Italy’s ambassador to the United States cut cake to celebrate Alitalia’s non-stop service between Washington, DC and Rome.

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Models showcase every uniform worn by Alitalia cabin crew since the airline’s inception in 1946 during a cocktail recaption at the Embassy of Italy in Washington, DC.

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During Alitalia’s cocktail recaption at the Embassy of Italy in Washington, DC, the Cognac Jazz Band’s singer solos on the trumpet during a cover of the main title theme from “Game of Thrones.”

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New 7000 Series trains cross the Washington Metro’s bridge between Arlington and Washington, DC, in front of the Jefferson Memorial and Washington Monument.

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Bridesmaids button up the lacy back of Tiffany’s wedding dress in her Arlington hotel room.

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David and Tiffany hold hands in front of a fountain in Arlington as the wind blows during a first-look.

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David and Tiffany’s wedding rings in a pink rose at their wedding reception.

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Lexus LC 500s await drivers to hot-lap them Lexus Experience Amazing Drive Event.

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Crowds fill the streets and tour the shops in Old Town during the Taste Leesburg wine and food festival.

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Storm clouds move in over St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia.

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A moth lands on a hiker’s arm to feed on salt in the hiker’s sweat.

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Atop the Maryland Heights Trail in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, Patrick poses for a contemplative portrait.

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An image from August 24th, 2019, showing the section of the rail bridge that gave way following the derailment of empty CSX grain cars into the Potomac River at 4AM, December 21st, 2019. The Goodloe Byron Memorial Footbridge alongside the bridge's train line provided pedestrian access from Harper's Ferry to the locally-famous Maryland Heights Trail, and is part of the Appalachian Trail. Information about the incident, including indefinite closure of footbridge access, can be found on the NPS website.

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Hina places “HOME” decorative blocks on the mantle immediately after closing on Imran and Hina’s first home.

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Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, DC is closed and filled with attendees of the Snallygaster beer festival.

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Lisa Marie’s 2017 “LOVE” mural in Blagden Alley’s DC Alley Museum.

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Farewell text on the exit way doors inside Tiger Fork, a Michelin Guide ranked Chinese restaurant in Northwest, Washington, DC.

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Exterior facade of Tiger Fork, a Michelin Guide ranked Chinese restaurant in Northwest, Washington, DC.

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A mother and child view “Migrants’ Perilous Journey,” by Reuters Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Adrees Latif on the Newseum’s final weekend open to the public.

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Crowds fill every floor of the Newseum on its final weekend open to the public before permanently closing December 31st, 2019. Outside, people wrapped around two corners of the building in the rain waiting to gain entry.

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The end of an era. Opened on April 18th, 1997, the Newseum permanently closed on December 31st, 2019. The media and journalism museum was originally located in Rosslyn, Arlington, Virginia, and moved to its ultimate location on Pennsylvania Avenue NW on April 11th, 2008. In January, 2019, The Freedom Forum announced sale of the purpose-built Newseum building to The Johns Hopkins University for $372.5M, where it will house graduate programs. As of this writing, the Newseum is currently searching for a new location to house its exhibits.