ON TAP MAGAZINE FEATURING LUKE'S WINGS

This weekend, the November issue of On Tap magazine hit the streets featuring Luke's Wings, a non-profit organization that provides travel planning services and airplane tickets for the families of wounded warriors currently hospitalized at medical and rehabilitation centers all over the country. Sgt. John Moore, a current spokesperson for the organization, volunteered to be on the cover of the magazine along with three of their lovely volunteer workers. Mackenzie, Rachael, and Lindsay rocked it for the cover shot with John, and Fletcher (co-founder) and Joe (soldier) stepped in for a few frames too. On November 13, Luke's Wings will be holding a fundraising event at Bobby Van's Grill in DC where you can meet all the awesome people involved in this shoot and support a great cause. Click here for info. And don't forget to pick up a copy of the magazine at bars and restaurants in the DC metro area! My photos are featured on the cover (which I also designed) and the inside spread for the Luke's Wings article.

WEDDING: DONDI & MICHAEL

At the beginning of 2010 I declared this my "year of networking." In an effort to grow my business I promised to push myself into meeting as many people as possible and putting my work out there for them to see, for one year, and to see where it led me. One of the first people I met on this mission at the beginning of the year was Dondi. She is a masterful networker and has friends and acquaintances near and far, high and low, and in every industry. Her warm personality and caring demeanor draws people in... and it didn't take long for Michael to become enchanted with Dondi. He asked for her hand in marriage and I was thrilled to be asked to be there to to document their wedding day, surrounded by family and friends at the Trump National Golf Club in an upper room with views of the Potomac river and pristine fairways.

PORTRAIT: AMANDA

One word: smartsexyconfident

OK, I know... that's three words jammed all together. But one wouldn't be enough to describe Amanda—a writer, professor, and business professional. In addition, she's a fiercely loyal friend and a woman who puts her faith into action. When she's not working to change government policy or informing collegiate minds of the systems of American government, she is volunteering to tutor and mentor young students in low income areas of DC. Wait! What!??? She's pretty too? Hey, the photos don't lie.

We took a walk through Georgetown over the weekend, just before the sun set between the buildings, to get some quick portraits.

NEW YORK CITY

Yesterday Hollie and I spent the day in NYC. I had three objectives: sit on a bench under the elms in Central Park, go to The Met, and eat a slice of pizza. All three were accomplished and it was everything that I had hoped for! The park was beautiful and green, none of the leaves have started changing color, and there was a talented cellist near the bench we planted on playing classical tunes. The Met is always inspiring because of the size and depth of the collections. This time I walked away wishing I was a sculptor and had skills like Rodin. For dinner we found a little pizza joint named Sal & Carmines on the upper West side that I would certainly go back to for that soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside crust. All in all—a perfect day.

WEDDING: LINDA & JON

Last weekend Linda and Jon got married in Arlington at the beautiful Cherrydale Baptist Church. They hired Jenni Green from Studio Diana to take photos and I tagged along as a second shooter, hanging with the guys most of the time. The bridal party was a lot of fun to work with and I quickly found common bonds with most of the guys because they came out from Southern California for the wedding. One of my favorite parts of taking wedding photos is to see a bride and a groom with their very best and closest friends, the people they have been through everything with, the people who have seen them at the worst... and then on their wedding day, at their very best. Linda and Jon certainly had that on their day. It's a blessing to witness these relationships and a whole lot of fun to try to capture the feelings in a single frame.