Category Archives: dc

October 18, 2007 · 9:10 am

kate michael.

just wanted to show my support for kate michael (miss dc 2006) as she prepares for her entry in the miss dc usa pageant on november 24, here in dc. my friend lee helped me put this mini-ad together to run in program brochures for the event, featuring one of the headshots from a session we did for the pageant…best of luck kate!

crystal + edwin.

crystal + edwin’s wedding at the ronald reagan building on sunday was beautiful…the weather was perfect, the flowers and decor were stunning, and their families were so much fun – dancing like crazy all evening long! they chose the reagan building because of its proximity to freedom plaza – a very special place for edwin (the awesome skateboarder that he is) as freedom plaza is highly regarded as one of the best places to skateboard in the country. there was a turkish festival going on all day on sunday, so when we went to get some shots the guys had to be very low key, as skateboarding is officially prohibited…we got some great shots, and more importantly edwin and his boys had fun skating in their fancy suits, and crystal joined in the craziness as well…i have to say one of the coolest things at the wedding (and there were many – from the insane dollar dance, to the skateboarding escapade, to the phillipine traditions during the ceremony) was the groom’s cake: a “crab” cake – it was literally a bushel of fondant crabs with a side of corn and old bay! fancy cakes by leslie rocked it out.
edwin + crystal: congrats! happy skating and best of luck!

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Filed under dc, photography, photojournalism, wedding

October 9, 2007 · 8:29 pm

andrea + tim: engagement photos.

ok – let me tell you how much i loooooooove this couple!
andrea + tim are a breath of fresh air – they are young, energetic, totally silly, and TOTALLY head-over-heels in love!
andrea lives in south dakota and tim lives in dc…so they pretty much spend all their time chatting on the phone and planning as many weekends together as possible. they are both from huge families (they each have 8 siblings!) and they have tons in common, including their great personalities. this weekend andrea was in dc so we met at the lincoln memorial and then headed to georgetown – andrea even showed me photos from when tim proposed on the beach in california in the cab! too cute!

we had a blast running around the city, these two were up for anything – laying in the grass, piggy back rides, a stroll along the canal, tim even attempted to dramatically dip andrea – which went all wrong! it’s ok, they have plenty of time before the wedding to perfect it ;)
nonetheless, the shoot was a fantastic success, i have about 100 photos of them just absolutely hysterically laughing. it was a lot of fun, and i am so glad to have met these two, and who knows? i might even make it to south dakota for the wedding next year…

a huge congrats to andrea + tim!

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Filed under dc, engagement, photography, photojournalism

September 28, 2007 · 2:59 am

habitat for humanity.

i had the awesome opportunity to work with dc habitat for humanity yesterday on their current project in northeast dc.

dc habitat just recently passed the 100th house marker and is underway on a 53-home project in the district, 27 of which are completed. contrary to popular belief habitat for humanity does not give away houses to homeless people – rather they work in partnership with low-income families to build affordable, decent homes, and sell them far below cost with no-profit, no-interest mortgages.

habitat builds homes using volunteer labor and donations, in addition to the 300 hours of “sweat equity” that future homeowners are required to complete.

along with about 25 other volunteers i spent the day working on one of 3 houses in varying stages of development, (out of 6 that are currently under construction.) organized into three teams, we painted, laid drywall, hung vinyl siding, and stuffed insulation.

it was a tough, but very rewarding day, and i met some amazingly hardworking people – including the americorps crew leaders (yay scott!), local volunteers, and the organizers from dc habitat.

to learn more about habitat for humanity and its local affiliates visit www.habitat.org and consider volunteering or donating to this truly incredible organization.

scott teaches the crew how to hang vinyl siding:

asher and i get ready to pack in fiberglass insulation:

lee + jenny finish drywalling an upstairs closet:

team drywall is busy downstairs as well:

hillary expertly cut the soffit into perfect-sized sections:

don’t let her fool you – shabnam LOVES when i stalk her with the camera…just look at her measuring that siding!

the hanleywood crew acts goofy after a hard day’s work:

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Filed under dc, just for fun, photography, photojournalism, volunteer

September 28, 2007 · 2:11 am

ambassador yuri ushakov.

current russian ambassador yuri v. ushakov addressed guests at the russian embassy on tuesday night as part of a reception honoring former russian and us ambassadors. the event signified the continued celebration of this year’s 200th anniversary of us-russia diplomatic relations, to which ushakov toasted the crowd with a shot of vodka, proclaiming that “cold vodka is better than cold war.”

HTB TV was covering the event, and the renowned anatoly panchoshny, one of the best russian singer in the united states, perfomed as guests mingled and enjoyed traditional russian cuisine, and – of course – trays of vodka + pickles.

dc mayor adrian fenty.

i finally got the opportunity to photograph dc mayor adrian fenty tonight at the rooftop reception celebrating the opening of the mixed-use development kenyon square in columbia heights…oh how i love a photogenic politician!