blonde photo :: have more fun!

September 5, 2008 · 11:53 am

margie + jeff: married!

a rockstar evening.

congratulations margie + jeff!

this high-energy, oh-so-fun, gorgeous wedding is brought to you by the fabulous staff at the doubletree bethesda, where the super amazing catering manager happens to be the bride herself! it was wonderful to see margie enjoying the rewards of all the hard work she is usually bestowing on other couples! i met margie + jeff over a year ago when i photographed the grand opening of the swanky great room, and was delighted when she called me to be her wedding photographer! we had a crazy fun engagement session a few months ago, where they both captured my heart with their great personalities and sense of humor.

margie + jeff celebrated their wedding day in the company of their family and friends, starting with an intimate ketubah signing (the mot gorgeous ketubah i’ve ever seen) followed by a beautiful jewish ceremony and the wildly fun reception. the amazingly talented band onyx kept the dance floor packed, and margie + jeff made it on stage more than a few times – jeff even played the drums with the band! everyone had a fabulous time, especially margie + jeff who never sat for a moment – they were everywhere: dancing, laughing, and embracing their guests.

right now the newlyweds are enjoying their honeymoon escape to the unparalleled greek islands!

margie + jeff: thank you for choosing me to document your day, it was a blast! MAZEL TOV!

6 Comments

Filed under dc, photography, photojournalism, wedding

Tagged as BETHESDA DOUBLETREE, wedding

September 2, 2008 · 11:39 am

melinda + tim: post-wedding bash.

newlyweds + bbq + live music = good times.

it was so great to see melinda + tim at their post-wedding bbq bash! their june wedding at the tabard inn was one of my all-time favorites and i just adore these two! following their costa rica honeymoon they celebrated the 5th of july as newlyweds with their friends and family at a relaxed party at lyon park in alexandria. the warm summer evening was made complete with lawn games, live music (a few of their talented friends sang and played guitar!) and great food catered by red hot & blue – my favorite local bbq there were also tons of adorable children in attendance (since the wedding was a grown-up affair) and they all had a blast playing at the park and dancing to the music on stage. it was a fantastic evening, and i’m so happy to keep seeing melinda + tim – they are awesome! let’s hear it for the newlyweds! woo hoo!

11 Comments

Filed under event, photography

Tagged as LYON PARK, RED HOT & BLUE

September 2, 2008 · 8:43 am

day in the life: sister perpetua.

a life of service.

i recently began working on a personal project, a life of service, to document the lives of people who devote their life to serving others. for my first study in service, i spent a day with sister perpetua moellering – an 87-year-old catholic nun who works everyday fulfilling her ministry of the sick.

sister perpetua lives in the pallotti convent in laurel, maryland with three other nuns, all in their 70s-80s. it seems that a life of service isn’t as popular among young women as it once was – sister perpetua entered the convent almost 70 years ago, but rarely sees young nuns entering today.

sister perpetua (who is commonly referred to as “sister p”) begins her day at 5am joining the other sisters for daily mass at their private chapel, located inside the convent. she then proceeds to the church rectory, just a block away, where she shares an office and starts her work day. ministry of the sick involves visiting members of the community who are – in a variety of ways – homebound. due to extreme illness, chronic pain or some other ailment, these individuals are unable to attend mass. sister p visits for 15-30 minutes: chatting, inquiring about their family and their health, discussing current events. she brings with her the latest church newsletter, a copy of the catholic standard newspaper, and most importantly communion. together they join hands and sister p prays for their individual needs and families.

for as much as she comforts those she visits, she always reminds everyone that no matter how bad their present situation is, there are many people suffering worse all over the world. she is grateful for so much and encourages everyone not to dwell on their own pain but be concerned citizens of the world.

sister p no longer drives, and therefore relies on volunteers to transport her to the homes she visits. the day we spent together she made four visits. additionally, on saturdays she holds bereavement meetings at the church. her days are filled with prayer and service, and her free time is spent with her gorgeous lab, molly.

everyone who knows sister perpetua is in awe of her spirit, her strength and her faith. for me, her life epitomizes a true life of service, and i feel incredibly lucky to have spent the day with her, learning about her life, her faith, and her philosophies.

* * *

a life of service is an on-going project where i combine the photographs and essays from days spent documenting the lives of people who serve others. if you know an outstanding member of your community that you would like to nominate for this project, please email me – i’d love to meet them.

28 Comments

Filed under a life of service, photography, photojournalism

August 23, 2008 · 10:54 am

8.23.08: a day of reverence.

I hold it true, whate’er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
‘Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

– alfred lord tennyson

today marks the start of my fall wedding season. over the next four months i will be documenting the love + lives of 16 amazing couples who have chosen me as their photographer, and i am so excited for each of them. having just returned from europe i am anxious to embark on this second half of a very busy year, continually honored and overwhelmed by all my incredible clients.

however, i write this post filled instead with sadness, confusion, and despair. my heart is heavy, my thoughts disjointed, and i fear that words cannot express the magnitude of the tragedy i am about to share.

today, august 23, 2008, was the date of eric + laura’s wedding day. eric + laura were planning an intimate late summer wedding when i met them earlier this year and i was thrilled when they chose me (eric being very passionate and knowledgeable about photography). just last month we had a fantastic engagement session at great falls. last friday eric and i corresponded about the big day, finalizing times and locations via email from spain. he was so excited and i couldn’t wait to return to the states and capture their wedding.

arriving home wednesday night, i received the most devastating news: eric had died suddenly of a brain aneurysm. laura’s mother had called and emailed me, informing me of the tragedy. i was in complete shock. i stood staring at my phone, unable to comprehend the news. days later, i am still in shock. death is never easy to accept, but far more confounding when it happens so suddenly, to a young, healthy, vibrant person…and at such a tragic time in his life. i mourn for this loss every day, and my heart pours grief for laura, who lost her beloved fiancé, just days before her wedding.

i’m having a very difficult time resolving my emotions, or focusing on anything, but i know my sadness is nothing compared to that of eric’s family and friends, and everyone who knew and loved him.

i write to honor eric’s memory, and to share again some of the images from eric + laura’s engagement session – which will forever be among the most beautiful and important photos i have ever taken.

13 Comments

Filed under news

August 22, 2008 · 4:17 pm

six-man volleyball tournament.

the infamous manhattan beach volleyball insanity tournament.

the mascot for the bullfighting (?) team.

the day after i photographed the EOS launch party i headed over to manhattan beach to watch/partake in the madness of six-man with a bunch of friends…this famed august volleyball tournament combines two days of volleyball competition with an all-out, all-day beach party. it reminded me of attending the preakness in college and partying on the infield with all the other maniacs who preferred to chug beers in the sun than be seated in the grandstands. i attended the preakness four times, yet i never saw an actual horse. at six-man you couldn’t miss the volleyball players, decked out in wild costumes they were everywhere, with matches happening in the midst of the partying. it was quite an experience, and i’m just happy my camera survived, not to mention snapped some sweet photos…

possibly the most ironic sign i’ve ever seen considering everyone i saw was wildly drunk and consuming massive quantities of alcohol, including a number of the volleyball players…

the madness:

the costumes.

the craziness:

pretty manhattan beach (the day after):

4 Comments

Filed under event, just for fun, photography, photojournalism, travel

Tagged as MANHATTAN BEACH, SIX-MAN, VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT

August 22, 2008 · 1:01 pm

EOS launch party: los angeles.

evolution of style launches on the west coast.

i flew out to cali a few weeks ago to photograph the official launch of evolution of style at a great event in los angeles. evolution of style (EOS) got started in nyc and i did a fun street shoot with them earlier this year…the party was their way of announcing their arrival on the west coast and introducing the company to new clients. the founders – jonathan mustich + randall o’neal – were available to talk about memberships + set up style consults, as guests browsed through many of the clothes and designers currently available. it was a fantastic evening complete with stunning models, great music, wild dancing, and of course, the shining, happy people of california.

taking the step-and-repeat up a notch.