A personal blog and an archived wedding blog.
Biergarten Haus, on H Street NE, was a pretty hip joint. Very laid-back. Looking at the menu, the beers looked kinda pricey until you realize that they are served in massive, liver-crushing portions.
I helped him drink this. A beer this size requires a team effort.
Sad little half-liters. They get used and taken away. A bar-goer can have a relationship with a liter glass.
A shady one. Now let's talk light. There was very little in this bar. I'm not about flash - at all - so I'm always trying to work with the ambiance. In all these bar photos I've been taking, that means grain grain grain. For a shot like the one above, though, I think it works. What does Sai see in this beer? Mystery, intrigue, inebriation.
There wasn't anything funny. They're fake-laughing for the camera. This was much more the vibe last night. I guess we were all feeling sorta mellow.
I love how phones cast just a little wink of light on the people using them. It's very pleasant. Here's Sara on the street, just before we all said our goodbyes. I love taking photos out in the street after being in a dark bar. For one, a proper exposure can be had. But also it's nice to capture that see-you-tomorrow vibe.
Thanks UV filter. I love that you routinely do this to my photos. But I'm not going to go around with an exposed lens all the time. I'm far too clumsy for that.
To wrap this up, here's Sara again. Honestly, I don't remember what she said this was supposed to be - some form of drinking invented or at least spread around by a friend not present. It's the worst light, horrible grain, but definitely my favorite image from the night.
Today is our big fake wedding photo shoot. You'll see many of the same people but dressed up in their wedding finest. I have the most wonderful, gracious friends. Okay I'm off - I have so much to do!
Why am I grimacing? Because I'm jumping and I might hit something! On ANTM (oh yeah, they use the acronym), they tell them to relax and keep their faces "pretty." Simple enough.
Are you looking at my crappy tiny apartment? Stop looking at my apartment. You'd have mismatched furniture too if you were... well, if you were too cheap to decorate appropriately. I'm a minimalist!
Ugh, this is painful. So why did I take all these jumping shots? Because all this awesome stuff has happened to me lately and it makes me giddy. Also, I am crazy excited for my wedding photo shoot tomorrow. I'm dressing up all my friends in their wedding gear and assorted finest and we're going to hit up Old Town and maybe a park on Duke Street for a massive photo shoot. I picked out colors for the couples and I'm getting them bouquets. Yesterday, I scoped out locations. I could not be more pumped about it. Pumped like this.
Don't hate. I'm not even posting the worst ones. Some advice for jumping shots - wear a shirt that won't fly up. Your belly will look really, really bad. I have proof that you will not see.
Okay, two more. I want to point out that self-portraits are easy if you're not trying to jump. You use the little remote release, the camera prepares itself and then clicks. But if you're trying to jump, you're aiming to get the very top of your jump when the shutter clicks. The timing can be tricky.
But you have to keep going until you get - more or less - what you were aiming for.
I'm quite a bit more calm today, but I want to send a big shout-out to the universe for sending so many good vibes my way. Something strange is happening with me. Even as I was writing this post, a lady from Preservation magazine with the National Trust for Historic Preservation writes and asks if she can use a photo I took ages ago. I've had it listed under a Creative Commons license for at least a year, so yes, she can! I feel like I have so much momentum and good energy whirling about me.
And on a final note, according to my statistics, 100 people visited my site yesterday, which is twice as many as have ever come in a single day. If you're there, leave a comment and let me know. Tell me something great that has happened to you lately.