A handful of random black and whites

Truth be told, it's been a busy season.  I've been seconding out the yin-yang and my own sessions are amping up significantly, starting this past week.  So exciting but also draining.  And it leaves a hole in my blogging heart.  So many wonderful sessions and weddings to blog, I hardly have time to throw in some embarrassing punnage (for that you might try twitter) or treat you to the inanity of my daily life.  But never fear dear blog readers, for today I post some random black and whites! First up, a self-portrait from my very own office building.  Yes, I pass by this window maybe 5 or 6 times a day on my way in or out of the elevators.  But on this particular day, I noticed a double reflection and decided to snap a selfie. self-portrait in an office building Next up, this was taken on my walk from my office to my knitting class. Yes, folks, I am in a knitting class!  Today is the last day and I have yet to complete a single project, but there is a promise that many projects could be completed.  And the promise of Knitting 201, in which we will cable and make lace!  Very exciting stuff.  My dream of being crafty inches closer. foliage at the housing and urban development headquarters in washington, dc And finally, our sad sad Richmond vacation.  How does a wedding photographer swing a weekend getaway?  On Thursday night.  Yes, George and I rambled on down to Richmond late late at night after a client meeting to arrive in Richmond at 11:30pm, to spend one day in the capital.  We toured Hollywood Cemetery, strolled around the VA campus a bit and even made time for overpriced wine at the modern art museum.  Then we turned right back around and came home for Friday night so I could do a wedding in the morning.  My lovely husband puts up with me on so many levels. statue in hollywood cemetery, richmond It's kind of sad that I haven't been doing as much personal shooting as I used to.  But in the end it probably evens out.  Surely there is some limited quantity of creative energy available to each person.  I spend like crazy during weddings and portrait sessions, so maybe there just isn't that much left over for the everyday stuff I used to shoot all the time.  Or maybe it's because my camera is always packed in my wedding gear bag... In any case, we're really looking at one more solid month of jam-packed schedule (actually, October may be the worst month in my entire calendar for free time or the kind of stuff that might cause me to blog) but after that, it should be pretty smooth sailing.  Thanks for reading, my friends!

Modern Art Portraits

I had a free day last Friday, so David and I met up to check out the new exhibit at the Hirshhorn Museum - my favorite on the Mall.  Only they're between new exhibits (the next up is Andy Warhol) so we had to wander around the permanent collection.  Poor us.  And because I had a more or less willing subject, I took the opportunity to make some portraits with David, who is always up to "just stand there". red line david portrait black and white portrait with modern art funky portrait at hirshhorn museum portrait with sculpture at hirshhorn twisty sculpture at hirshhorn

Stuff I love: Pinterest!

I haven't done a "stuff I love" post in a while (for more, see the category), so it's high time I talked about my hands-down favorite bookmark thing on the web: pinterest.  If you are a visual person (hello graphic designers, fashionistas, photographers), this is for you. screen shot of bookmarking program pinterest It works like this:  You are on a website with an awesome photo or a recipe you want to try or something you want to purchase.  You hit "pin it" (after you install the browser extension) and then you choose from available images on the page to "pin".  You write a short description, choose the "board" where the pin belongs, and hit enter.  Pinterest sends your note and image to your bookmark page and you go on browsing.  Later, when you want to review your photos/recipes, etc., you draw up your board and you can see everything laid out for you in a very visual display. This works really, really well for me to save inspiring photography or to keep notes about poses I want to try with my couples. example of pinterest board with wedding images In short, it's totally awesome. If you want to join, you might need an invite.  Just email me and I'll be happy to send you one!  And don't forget to follow my boards and such so I can follow you back! And because I love you, here is the one non-intuitive thing I can share about Pinterest that you might not figure out on your own:  If you highlight text on the page before you hit "pin it", it will automatically insert that text into the entry box.  Happy pinning!