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The official photo blog of J. David Buerk Photography.

Katie's Cars and Coffee Catch-Up

I've been very busy the past few months, and haven't been able to make it out to Katie's lately. I've had several meets waiting on the back burner until I could finish some client shoots. Here are four separate car meets, all in the Northern Virginia area:

Katie's Cars and Coffee, August 10th, 2013

This Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport is the same one that was damaged by a delivery truck while parked in New York City just a few weeks later.

Katie's Cars and Coffee, August 17th, 2013

Many of these photos were shot with my new (at the time) 90mm Tilt-Shift lens. Tilt-Shift all the things!

Chick-Fil-A Sterling, August 30th, 2013

All of these photos were shot using my Retrofit Lubitel 2 75mm lens. I got several comments on it by folks wondering what on Earth I was shooting with.

Katie's Cars and Coffee, September 21st, 2013

This blog post has been republished by J. David Buerk onto Oppositelock. For the full set of photos, view the album at his Facebook Page. All photography is by J. David Buerk, and is copyrighted All Rights Reserved.

MPSC in Miami: 2013

Recently I flew to beautiful Miami to photograph the Military Personnel Services Corporation's annual off-site conference, at Turnberry Isle Miami Resort. It was an amazing trip, not only because of the lovely warm Florida beach weather while the DC area endured non-stop rain, but also since it was made more significant to me as it marks the first time a client has flown me to a destination for a shoot. Over the course of several days, I sat in on conference sessions, and enjoyed the party atmosphere at cocktail hours and hosted dinners each night. It was a very enjoyable trip, and I began missing Miami the moment I stepped off my return flight into DCA. Check out all of the photos on the client site (password required).

And with my recent aerial photography from helicopters, I of course took some interesting photos on the flights to and from Miami.

With all the work I've done (and continue to do) for Dulles Airport over the years, this was the first time I've flown through DCA - I was very impressed with JetBlue's service, and loved the free satellite TV - I watched Criminal Minds and Law and Order: SVU while I edited photos... no different than when I normally edit, just a lot more altitude ;-)

I did manage to get some interesting views of Alexandria on the way into DCA - you can see the Masonic Temple behind Virginia's side of the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge.

This trip also marked the first time I've used the 1D X on a major job - it's an amazing camera and worked flawlessly for me. The image quality is breathtaking out of camera, and best of all, ISO noise doesn't exist... you can only call it grain now, because it is so natural that it looks like film! Phenomenal!

Etihad at The Nation's Triathlon

Last month I photographed Etihad Airways' sponsorship of The Nation's Triathlon; the fourth time I've worked with the wonderful folks at Etihad Airways. This time, however, presented the most challenging logistics of any shoot I've undertaken to date. I'm accustomed to working under tight deadlines with rapid image delivery for press release and other publication; however, for the three-straight days in September covering Etihad's events surrounding Nation's Triathlon, my second shooter and I both maintained the ability to instantly live-upload each photo we shot to the Etihad social media team in Abu Dhabi. Two photographers, multiple locations miles apart from one another, fully mobile, fully wireless, three days. Our photos were live-uploaded and live-tweeted by Etihad while we were still on-site photographing - It was a huge success! My second shooter (Eddie) and I were separated over the course of all three days - we were in constant contact, however we were never in the same shooting location. Eddie became close with the Etihad Cabin Crew who were working at Georgetown Cupcake leading up to the Triathlon while I spent time covering the Health and Fitness Expo. Check out Eddie's highlights here.

My first task, however, was to photograph Omar Nour, an Egyptian professional triathlete who helped connect the Tri Yas in Abu Dhabi with Washington, DC's Nation's Tri, making them triathlon sister cities. Omar is on his way to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Our photoshoot utilized the United States Capital Building as a backdrop,making our DC event location easily recognizable to anyone in the World. Omar is very friendly and outgoing, and is a natural in front of the camera.

The Health and Fitness Expo took place the two days prior to the Triathlon. Sponsors and vendors offered samples, demonstrations, information, and wares to athletes and fitness enthusiasts.

That Friday night, a VIP Party took place at the United Arab Emirates Embassy to commemorate the joining of The Nation's Triathlon and the Tri Yas in Abu Dhabi.

The next night, after the Health and Fitness Expo, Etihad Airways presented passengers with complimentary cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake at Washington Dulles International Airport.

But of course, Sunday was the main event. Since my photographic duty was to cover Etihad's sponsorship of the Triathlon, I was not able to document the entire event due to time constraints. Though I had full access to the full course, including a chase motorcycle with my own driver (exactly like the Tour de France), I only had time to document the Swim course from a boat on the Potomac before the first finishers were due to cross the Finish line.

The sunrise over the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument on the Potomac is probably the most beautiful sight I've seen in DC.

However, what was more breathtaking was the incredible support for the Wounded Warriors competing in the triathlon. The crowd cheered louder and louder as each veteran amputee exited the swim course and entered the transition area to begin the bike course. It actually brought tears to my eyes as I watched the crowd's reaction as each veteran who had lost a limb, sometimes more than one, pass through the throng of spectators. Everyone was united in cheering them on and showing their support. It was incredible!

Even though triathlons take several hours to complete, the first finishers were almost to the finish line - time flies, and so do professional triathletes! Etihad Cabin Crew presented medals to the runners as they finished their race.

The triathlon ended and was a huge success! That night, in Etihad's Diamond First and Business Class Lounge at Dulles, there were more Swim / Ride / Run / Tri More, Etihad Georgetown Cupcakes for patrons to enjoy.

As The Nation's Triathlon drew to a close, so did my own triathlon - three days of non-stop photo coverage, spanning across Washington, DC and into Northern Virginia. I can't wait to do it again!

2013 Dulles Day Plane Pull and 5K on the Runway

2013's Annual Dulles Day Plane Pull to benefit Virginia's Special Olympics drew the largest turnout of any event at Dulles, with over 16,000 attendees. This year marks the first year that Dulles Day was kicked off with a 5K on the Runway. 2,000 runners looped around the adjacent taxiways, high-speeds, centerline of R/W 19C, where they passed underneath a Boeing 777 supplied by United Airlines. The full album may be viewed here.

Scroll to the bottom of this post for a few short areal video clips.

As the race concluded, aircraft began arriving for display during the Plane Pull.

What'cha doin'?

Oh, nothin'. Just... backing up my PLANE.

A real treat came in for aircraft aficionados at half past noon; the only privately owned Harrier Jump Jet in the World was flown in for display from its home in Maryland, climaxing in a vertical landing... but not before performing a few fly-bys and hovering maneuvers to showcase its abilities. The treat for myself as I covered the Plane Pull was to be in the air for the Harrier's arrival and departure. Unfortunately due to fuel constraints of the helicopter and the Harrier (which later performed a standard departure), we were unable to go air-to-air with the Harrier as planned... but I still got some great areal photos both of the Harrier, and the crowd that gathered to watch.

I requested we fly by Dulles' Main Terminal for some photos. I've wanted these photos for almost as long as I've been photographing... and I finally have them now...

And then of course was the Pizza Eating Contest compliments of Famous Famiglia Pizza.

Soon the day was drawing to a close, and it was time for 2013's Dulles Day show-stopper, the Harrier, and it's wingman to depart.

Likewise, it was time to gear up and take to the skies again. It's always interesting to me that people wave at helicopters but not planes.

Of course, before the Harrier taxied to the runway, I captured this little Easter Egg... Zoom and ENHANCE!!!

And with that, it was time for the final team to pull FedEx's plane; The Chesapeake Sheriff's Office, who successfully defended their title for the 7th year in a row.

And lastly, there was this guy, who photobombed...

The 2013 Dulles Day Plane Pull and first 5K on the Runway was a massive success, and continues to grow larger every year. Shockingly, this was only my second time at the Plane Pull, and my first year widely covering the event - last year I didn't even see a single team pull. My coverage this year was an amazing experience - thanks to everyone at Dulles who work hard to make Dulles Day such an enjoyable and inviting family event! See you all next year!

Special thanks to Chris Browne and Steve Settle for arranging my areal coverage. Thanks to Steve Bussmann for donating his time to fly each year.

Special Features / Behind the Scenes

As promised, I shot a few videos while flying. I was concentrating on shooting photos rather than video (which I hastily shot on my iPhone 5), so the quality isn't cinematic.

A few more fun things from the event. Steve is a very skilled pilot and I had a blast flying seated in the door with him. This wasn't my first foray into areal photography via helicopter, however it was my first time flying with my feet dangling outside the aircraft. Here is some perspective, along with some steep banks. But first, a photo of myself and photographer Andrew Shippin, before lifting off.

That being said, there's this: "Oh, don't worry; it's just $5,000 of camera in my lap, and a few hundred feet straight down. You know, if you like vertigo. BlackRapid's got my back." You can see the Plane Pull in my glasses' reflection. Yes, I am strapped in, and so are my cameras (note the black harness); we do things safe around here.

The Browne Family

For many years now, I've been very closely connected Washington Dulles International Airport based on my time working for the Airports Authority, which continues today as a private business. It has only been over the past several years that my photography has brought me to directly know Dulles' Airport Manager, and come to know him and his family. With their son headed off to the Marine Corps, and the rest of the family soon busy with work and school, Chris' family asked me to take some pictures while everyone was still in town this Summer. This wasn't the first time I have photographed the Browne family (and certainly not the first time Chris has been in front of my lens) - the Brownes love having a great time, and will always make you feel welcome, both in their home, and going out... perhaps to a vineyard...