The official photo blog of J. David Buerk Photography.
Did you see tonight’s supermoon total lunar eclipse? I braved the 4ºF wind chill and got you a few photos, and was reminded of the last eclipse I watched: the total solar eclipse, from Niota, Tennessee two years ago. Unfortunately I had some clouds start moving overhead during totality, and I couldn’t feel my fingers anyway, so I was happy to call it a night and warm back up.
If you’re interested in prints or wall art of my astrophotography, you can order by clicking here.
Each year I publish a year-in-review which shows the highlights of my year in photography.
2018 began by closing out 2017’s setbacks; as some of you may recall, I dislocated my kneecap and tore my MPFL in 2017, and underwent surgery to reconstruct my MPFL in October, 2017. This meant that by time 2018 rolled around, although I was back on my feet, I was still in a full-leg brace and only mid-way through physical therapy. The beginning of 2018 was slow, and felt even slower, but that wasn’t a bad thing since it helped me focus on making a full recovery. By February I was out of the leg brace, March I was jogging again, and April I completed physical therapy. By May I was running full-speed again, and June I was fully recovered, hiking Old Rag Mountain and running half-marathons again. Today, 15 months after surgery, I am happy to report that it is almost like nothing ever happened to my knee in 2017.
Fully recovering from knee surgery early allowed 2018 to become my biggest year for travel assignments, giving me back full confidence and ability to go and do anything anywhere that is needed or wanted. In 2018, after spending a week and a half in Rhode Island visiting friends and exploring parts of the state that I hadn’t gotten to in previous visits, this meant a whirlwind week and a half across the entire country, touring airports in cities from coast to coast. Traveling from Washington, DC to Atlanta, to Chicago, to San Francisco, and back to Washington, DC, then back to Chicago again before returning home to DC a few weeks ago, I’ve enjoyed five photoshoots across three cities, not counting photoshoots in the DC metro area. The travel allowed me to sample some cities I’d never visited before, and relish some experiences I’ve looked forward to for years.
2019 already has some more travel planned, and I’m very hopeful to continue taking my photography on the road (correction: in the skies). Although it’s not the first time I’ve travelled for a photoshoot, 2018’s trips have been the largest and most logistical travel assignments I’ve taken on, and I’ve loved every second of it.
Below you’ll see some highlights from 2018, including some photos which are unreleased to-date due to focusing on deliverables rather than personal photos.
Here’s to 2019 and hoping it shapes up to have all the opportunities from 2018 and more!
A driving instructor watches the autocross track during The Kia Stinger Experience Tour, Washington, DC, March 10th, 2018.
Portrait of Steve Mohyla CFP with podcasting microphone.
An aircraft on final approach to DCA’s R/W 19, photographed from Gravelly Point, Arlington, Virginia.
Equestrians during the 2018 Virginia Gold Cup.
A Summer thunderstorm photographed from beyond the rainfall.
The Honorable Elaine Chao, United States Secretary of Transportation, addresses guests at The Aero Club of Washington's "When Ingenuity and Innovation Come Together" luncheon, June, 2018.
Bayard proposes to Margaret upon her arrival and clearance through Customs at Washington Dulles International Airport.
Nighttime view of the former location of New York City’s World Trade Center Twin Towers through the Empty Sky Memorial in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Headstones in the fog, seen in Union Cemetery, North Smithfield, Rhode Island.
Historic Downtown Woonsocket, Rhode Island.
TF Green Airport ARFF Station as seen from airside.
Southern face of the Rhode Island State House, Providence, Rhode Island.
“She Never Came” by Bezt from Etam Cru and Natalia Rak; a mural in downtown Providence, Rhode Island.
The Providence Biltmore Hotel as seen in the film 27 Dresses.
Hennessy the pit bull playing in a river stream.
Easton Point, Newport, Rhode Island.
At the Museum of Work and Culture in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, a French-Candian immigrant worker tends to a loom.
My September, 2000 print of New York City’s World Trade Center Twin Towers held and photographed in the exact same spot in present-day Liberty State Park, Jersey City, New Jersey.
View of Manhattan from Liberty State Park, Jersey City, New Jersey.
View of Manhattan from Liberty State Park, Jersey City, New Jersey.
View from atop Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah, Virginia. This would mark the first time I hiked Old Rag since my knee injury over a year prior.
A stream in Shenandoah National Park.
The Shenandoah River with a thunderstorm rolling in in the distance. Shot and edited entirely on iPhone 6.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar speaking at The American Heart Association’s Value in Healthcare Initiative Meeting at Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Total Health in Washington, DC.
Nikon President and CEO Yasuyuki Okamoto welcomes guests to the Nikon Z 7 release event at the Newseum in Washington, DC.
Capital Area Photographers gather for a group photo at the Nikon Z 7 release event at the Newseum in Washington, DC. Shot and edited entirely on iPhone 6.
Food photography for a marketing campaign.
Bayard and Margaret stroll during their engagement session in Alexandria, Virginia.
Downtown Chicago, Illinois at night, aerial.
Alexander Calder’s Flamingo in Chicago, Illinois.
Sir Anish Mikhail Kapoor’s Cloud Gate, colloquially known as “The Bean,” in Chicago, Illinois. Shot and edited entirely on iPhone XS.
Pacifica Beach, Pacifica, California at sunset. My first full West coast sunset. Shot and edited entirely on iPhone XS.
Cyclists biking down the chicanes of Lombard Street, San Francisco, California.
Aerial view of San Francisco, California from Christmas Tree Point, Twin Peaks, San Francisco, California.
Cabernet Franc grapes on the vine in Napa, California.
Myself atop the Panoramic peak above Muir Woods, Mill Valley, California. Shot and edited entirely on iPhone XS.
A bobcat crosses a road atop the Panoramic peak above Muir Woods, Mill Valley, California.
View of the Muir Woods canopy from midway above the forest floor.
San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge at sunset.
Aerial view of wildfire in the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
Composite image of the moon and Milky Way galaxy. Moon and stars are not to scale or sky position, but were photographed in the same night sky.
Myself standing in Willis Tower’s “Sky Deck Ledge,” the tallest point above Chicago, Illinois.
David and Tiffany during their engagement session in Shenandoah, Virginia.
David and Tiffany during their engagement session in Shenandoah, Virginia.
David and Tiffany during their engagement session in Shenandoah, Virginia.
And assortment of mannequins gathered for closeout sale in a liquidating Sears department store. Shot and edited entirely on iPhone XS.
Chicago O'Hare International Airport’s iconic Terminal 3 decorated for Christmas as seen in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
My first photoshoot with Canon’s new EOS R mirrorless full-frame camera, in Chicago O'Hare International Airport. Shot and edited entirely on iPhone XS.
Sir Anish Mikhail Kapoor’s Cloud Gate, colloquially known as “The Bean,” in Chicago, Illinois, as seen from inside / below.
The Chicago, Illinois cityscape skyline at night as seen from atop 875 North Michigan Avenue, colloquially known as the John Hancock Center. Willis Tower (formerly known as Sears Tower) can be seen on the far left lit in red and blue uplighting.
It’s no secret that one of my all-time favorite Christmas movies is Home Alone (1 and 2). So when I confirmed a photoshoot at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport scheduled for December, I was elated. I’d just had a photoshoot at O’Hare (and two other airports) two months prior, but visiting ORD in December meant I would get to see O’Hare’s Terminal 3 decked out for Christmas. Made famous in Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Terminal 3 is where the McCallisters perform the McCallister family travel tradition of springing to their gate. The McCallisters fly out of the K Gates in Home Alone, and the H Gates in Home Alone 2, while Kevin gets separated at the Y-split, boarding his flight to New York out of the K Gates. A fun factoid if you watch the movies closely is the Terminal 3 Christmas decorations only appear in Home Alone 2.
My flight on United arrived in Terminal 1, and since it was nighttime upon landing and my photoshoot the next day was in the morning, I took an extra hour to walk all the way over to Terminal 3, stand in awe of the beautiful light display, take pictures of it, and walk all the way back to Terminal 1 to exit and claim my bag - this way I was sure to get photos of the decorations during night and daylight. Totally worth it, and a huge airport bucket-list item checked off.
By the way, all these photos were shot on the all-new Canon EOS R, which I will be reviewing in the coming weeks; I had promised a review on Instagram during this trip, but due to migraine and now ongoing shoulder spasm and deadlines, this has been backburnered.
At the hotel I got some editing done after making my room a bit more… festive.
The day after my photoshoot was free for flexibility or inclement weather, so I decided to go downtown and explore some of the places I didn’t get to in October. I started at the Christkindlmarket Chicago, a German Christmas market serving German food and selling German Christmas wares. After eating some bratwurst, a stuffed pretzel, and some hot chocolate with Krampus, I embodied Kevin McCallister and set out hunting Christmas trees.
I started at Millennium Park, photographing Cloud Gate in daylight (since I photographed it at night in October), and worked my way along Michigan Avenue en route to the pizza joint which some of my O’Hare contacts had recommended for dinner.
This led me to 875 North Michigan Avenue (AKA John Hancock Center), which provided some fantastic views of the city to pair with my night aerials from my October trip up Willis Tower (AKA Sears Tower). These photos will come along later, but I found it interesting I recognized this space at the building’s base before I realized what building I was standing beside.
This October has been the busiest month for me all year (if you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know what I’ve been up to and all the places I’ve been the last few weeks). I am very glad, however, that I was able to get October started by spending an evening with Bay and Maggie photographing their engagement in downtown Alexandria.
You might remember Bay and Maggie from their July 4th airport proposal as Margaret arrived home from a stay overseas. Bay and Maggie met at William and Mary, and now call Alexandria, portions of which closely resemble Williamsburg, home. With the beautiful cobblestone streets and lines of lights, the old city is warm and beautiful even on a cool evening as dusk rolls in.
These two are just adorkable and I love it.
Since its inception in 2005, the Honor Flight Network has flown over 200,000 veterans of WWII, the Korean War, and Vietnam War from over 141 hubs across the United States free of charge to Washington, DC. Once in DC, the veterans are escorted to visit the war memorials and other sites in the District.
Flights run year-round into DCA, IAD, and BWI, but are more frequent in the Summer months, when often there are flights daily, sometimes several a day. Upon arriving to the airport, veterans are warmly welcomed by volunteers and live music as they deplane. From there they leave the airport to begin their tour in DC over the following few days.
After the veterans’ visit to our nation’s capital and it’s time to return home, veterans are greeted at their departure gate with live singing of period hits, swing dancing, and a fresh meal. Just before it’s time to board, a mail call delivers letters and small packages from friends and family thanking veterans for their service and giving their support.
Below are some of the pictures from an Honor Flight on September 12th, 2018.
In this case I was documenting airport concessions’ support of the Honor Flight Program, so I only covered some of the festivities at the gate. Full photo coverage of specific honor flights can be found by contacting your representative at the Honor Flight Network.
