Dog Days of Summer Social with Guest of a Guest

August 10, 2011 - It's the Dog Days of Summer and the heat has been consistently beating down on the DC area, and every now and then it's good to have some reprieve. Although it's fun to do activities outside, it's always a good time for a happy hour. For this social with Guest of a Guest the venue was Co. Co. Sala in DC, a restaurant and chocolate boutique renowned for their savory food, signature cocktails and decadent desserts.

The hosts for this chocolate and bubbles social were: Bill Brewer, Ava Deylami, Robert Flock, Richard Lee, Cori Sue Morris, Chase Noyes, and Co Co Sala's Hollis Pica.

A Guest of a Guest photographer was there to snap pics of guests and I took several pics myself to tell of the evening. The last time I was here I photographed an engagement party, and this time it felt like a media event with the step and repeat banner up. Guests seemed to enjoy being photographed as they were in good spirits and company. It's safe to say, guests left feeling happy considering everything.

Proof of Life

August 10, 2011 - Six minutes and twenty-seven seconds. I hope you can take that amount of time to watch this photo short posted by RC Concepcion as a guest blogger on Scott Kelby's blog. It is one of the most moving photo shorts I've seen. It is a beautiful touching story of dreams, inspiration, passion, friendship, sacrifice and love.

I've taken pictures of people and have often said: "See, now there's proof that you were here." Yes, it was an event, experience, and moment captured and to be remembered. It's proof of life. There is a story behind the picture(s) and this photo short speaks volumes.

http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2011/archives/20822

Okay, so it's been more than six minutes and 27 seconds by the time you've gone through all this, and I actually watched this photo short three times. This short encapsulates why I love life and photography. Life can go by so quickly and it's good to be able to pause and reflect on it, and gain insights from experiences. I want to do more than just see pictures, I want to know the story behind them, and in doing that I believe life and people will be enriched and appreciated more. Live on.

The Donovan House Hotel - A Rooftop With a Circular View

August 9, 2011 - It was a gorgeous night to be on a rooftop in Washington DC and one of the best places in my opinion is the Donovan House Hotel rooftop. The openness and vibe of the rooftop along with it's furniture and decor gives it a Miami feel and appeal. Sophisticated drinks along with upbeat yet soothing tunes from the DJ and a cosmopolitan crowd keeps everything cool.

One of the nicest views around is in looking Northwest and seeing the skyline and sunset over Thomas Circle, where Massachusetts Ave, Vermont Ave, 14th Street, and M Street, N.W. intersect. The National City Christian Church makes for a beautiful addition to the backdrop with it's steeple reaching high and being prominent in many a picture for it's location. A bronze statue of General George Henry Thomas (a prominent commander during the American Civil War) on horseback is a centerpiece of the circle.

There is a sense of time slowing down when upon the rooftop and watching the sunset and the people and cars below go their own ways. To those on the Donovan House Hotel rooftop, they've arrived and are relaxing in a little rooftop paradise.

The W Salon - West Meets East

August 8, 2011 - Having photographed many fashion events in the DC area, I've come to know some salons who have supported these shows with hair and makeup services. One such salon which I found a great connection with is "The W Salon" or just "W Salon." This salon is sometimes mistaken for being a part of or in The W Hotel in Washington DC. The hotel doesn't have a salon, but the W Salon opened for business in February 2010 and it's seen a lot of growth since then.

The W Salon gets it's name from it's owner Souny West who is from Laos and she's been in the USA since age two, and eventually she moved to VA at age sixteen. The W Salon has made waves in the DC area, getting buzz from clients and the media. With the W Salon being in Burke, VA it has done rather well in Fairfax County and beyond, attracting clients from all over. The W Salon and the experience there can be described as clean, modern, colorful and comfortable. I believe their signature green splash of color theme accentuates the freshness and vitality of the salon. To provide a total service experience, Anna Castillo, Celebrity Makeup Artist and owner of Ink Cosmetics, LLC was added to the salon's space bringing professional makeup styles seen on fashion runways from across the world to the W Salon.

Souny wanted me to come out and photograph her and her staff at the salon, as their staff has grown in numbers and needed updated images reflecting their staff and the salon's growth. I'm not a stranger to salons, having grown up with a mother who was a hair stylist for many years. It was good to visit The W Salon and meet the staff who were very friendly and hospitable. Having photographed portrait shots and group shots I could see their unique personality. Even with an array of diversity with the staff, they all seemed like a family.

In talking with Souny she desires for her salon to be a place of community and to have that coffeehouse feel, as well as being fun and youthful. The events that the salon has put on has become the talk of the town so to speak, especially when it's hard for people to leave because they enjoy them so much. Souny loves her staff and the staff gets along well and even brings in dishes for each other.

Check out The W Salon's website for more information about them and upcoming related events, such as complimentary cupcakes for clients on August 13th and the INK Cosmetics Launch Party & Fashion Industry Network Event on August 20th at L2 in Georgetown.

Andy Zipf: Jealous Hands Tour - Arlington, VA

August 4th, 2011 - When Andy Zipf is set to perform at a venue, I try to be there and I've attended and photographed several of his shows, even one in an Apple store...yes, an Apple store (in a big shopping mall). When I heard about Andy performing at IOTA Club & Cafe in Arlington VA, I wanted to go, but I also had a lot (and still do) of work to catch up on. After a meetup with photographers earlier this evening, I went home, but then something drew me back out. It must have been the lingering echo of Andy's ethereal vocals and memories of his superb live performances that got me packing sufficient camera gear and then back on the road again to IOTA.

On the way to IOTA, I recalled how photographer Zack Arias enjoys Zipf's music after first hearing it on one of Andy's tours. Zack knows of the talent in Andy Zipf and how his words and music are pervasive and engaging. Knowing this, Zack requested Andy Zipf to come and perform along with Meghan Arias at Zack's OneLight Mixer on July 1st 2010 at BOSSA in Adams Morgan, which was the mixer before his OneLight Workshop in DC.

It was the Jealous Hands Release Show at IOTA and several other musicians also performed earlier in the evening there (Kirsten Thien, The Riverbreaks, Justin Trawick, and Bobbie Bare Jr). I arrived just before Andy and the band were to perform. I had my Nikon D7000 camera with a 35mm and 50mm lens and I know I didn't want to use any flash (and it wasn't allowed anyway).

The concert started and Andy and the band played a fantastic set of songs that I believe reached deeply into heart and soul. It's the nature of Andy's words and music to capture one's attention. A quote from Paste Magazine on Andy's website says "Jealous Hands shows off his capacity to produce one great hook after another." Check out more of Andy Zipf on his website and hopefully in a venue near you.

http://www.andyzipf.com/

DC SMUG with Justine Ungaro

On a beautiful August 4th evening in DC about 30 photographers gathered for a DC SMUG (Smugmug Users Group) meeting and heard from guest speaker photographer Justine Ungaro. The meeting took place in the new studio of photographer Moshe Zusman in DC, who is well known in the DC area.

We were glad to welcome Justine back in the area, as she was raised in the DC area and works out of both the DC and Los Angeles area. Justine is a graduate of Virginia Tech and began her photography career in 2003 and then moved to Los Angeles in 2006. Justine is known for her classic and elegant style and photographs 20 weddings annually in the US and abroad and also does child and family portraiture in the Los Angeles area.

Pictured (Moshe Zusman, Justine Ungaro, Armin DeFiesta, Nicole Wolf, Douglas Sonders)

It was great to gather together and see other photographers and stay inspired. That's what we need to do, as it's hard to go it alone in the photography business. So may you take your photography to the next level, whatever that is for you. Keep your head up and your camera out.

Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photo Walk - Coming Up

It was announced on August 1st on Scott Kelby's blog about his Worldwide Photo Walk on October 1st and 2nd. This will be the fourth annual event, yet this time it's happening over two days and you get the convenience of picking one of the two days that best fit your schedule. It's with the input given over the years that Scott and his crew can make adjustments to this event. These photo walks have a great turnout are a lot of fun. It's a time of discovery and learning too.

To read up about the blog post that announced the worldwide photo walk and to see lots of resources about it, check out the entry here:
http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2011/archives/20667

I thought I would share some of my favorite images from last year's worldwide photo walk at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA. I had not seen the cemetery before, so it's something I definitely wanted to see and to photographing it was a very introspective and moving experience. As a veteran of the U.S. Army, seeing the cemetery brought back memories and made me even more appreciative of the service and sacrifices made for our country.

Hope you can get out for the worldwide photo walk, but if not, you can always get people together and go on one yourselves. Here's to getting out more and shooting.