Jillian and Jerry 08-30-08
We had a great time last Saturday with a beautiful couple, Jillian and Jerry, and their families in DC. I started at the bride’s home in Fairfax Station then joined Dennis Kan and Kait Whitehead at the picturesque St. Matthews Cathedral for the ceremony. We had a nice long break before the reception, so we took the bride and groom and the entire bridal party for a few fun pics to one of my favorite memorials in DC, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial (FDR for those in the know).
Our final destination was The Westin Grand where Victoria Rapoport, of Perfect Detail Event Planning, and Meredith Flanagan, from Capital Decor and Events created a luxurious atmosphere for the guests to dine and dance. And dance they did - All night long! I don’t know if it was the band, those luscious cocktails (Mojitos on an ice bar!), or their amazing friends and family, but this was one awesome party! Congratulations to Jillian and Jerry - I’m so glad we were a part of your special day.
The Latest Issue of Capitol File Magazine
In case you haven’t yet seen it, we thought we’d let you know about the newest issue of Capitol File Magazine that just hit the newsstands. Inside you’ll find Some great shots by Geoff and Michael of Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin. We spent some time with the hockey great on the day he was given the key to the city from DC Mayor Adrian Fenty. This was also the day after he received four awards from the NHL including the league’s MVP award.
Also in this issue you’ll find some event photos from Shmulik Almany of the Grand Opening of the Ritz Carlton Residences, Inner Harbor in Baltimore, as well as our latest full-page ad (below). This is the third in the series and features an amazing image by Susan Pleiman. Our own creative team of Julie Zitin, Gina Okon and Nasy Qureshi get all the credit for the image enhancement, design and layout.
Jackie and Kevin 06-28-08
I absolutely loved photographing Jackie and Kevin’s wedding! Clearly the word of the day was “awesome.” I was so happy to have my faithful friends Dennis Kan and Sarah Gemmell there to photograph with me. Dennis even broke out his old film camera and shot some infrared. I would also like to thank Julie Zitin Michelena for tweaking some of the images and giving them a timeless feel.
This was the first time I had ever worked at the Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Maryland. I was so blown away by how beautiful the ballroom was. The vibrant colors and dramatic chandeliers gave an added richness to the reception photos while the lush green grounds proved to be the perfect backdrop for portraits.
Teaching Portrait Basics with Critical Exposure
Geoff’s friend Adam Levner is the co-founder of a great local non-profit that we have been getting increasingly more involved with called Critical Exposure. Their mission is to teach youth how to use the power of photography and their own voices to become effective advocates for school reform and social change. This is a really great organization that provides students with training in documentary photography, leadership, and advocacy; teaches them how to document issues that impact their lives; and helps them to use their images and voices to advocate for positive solutions to those issues. They take these images and create traveling exhibits that can be shown in galleries, libraries, coffee shops, and other public spaces to inform and engage the public and increase awareness of the issues facing young people.
Participating students have learned to use photography as a both a vehicle for self-expression and an advocacy tool. Thousands of people have seen the students’ images through public exhibits, community events, legislative hearings, and media coverage, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, PBS, NPR, The Washington Post, The Baltimore Sun, and The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Recently I had the opportunity to work with a group of students as part of a summer arts elective provided for the Higher Achievement Program at the Oyster Bilingual School in Northwest Washington, DC. There were about 15 kids and since this was the beginning of their exposure to photography, we talked about memorable photos and how they impacted these kids’ lives. Their next assignment was to photograph their families, so we went outside and I demonstrated how using light the right way can add impact and drama to a photograph and how to compose the image mindful of backgrounds and props and what they communicate about the person. The kids were a real hoot to work with and really got into it when they photographed each other that day.
We’ll keep you updated on all of the ways that we get involved with these guys. For more information on how you can help, please contact Critical Exposure at 202-745-3745 x20 or info@criticalexposure.org. You can also visit their website, www.criticalexposure.org, to see online galleries of students’ photographs and captions.
- Michael Kress
Amy and David in Palm Beach
I had the great fortune of capturing a beautiful celebration at the Four Seasons Resort in Palm Beach, Florida for Amy and David and their families. I had photographed the brother of the bride’s wedding in December (Blogged in January - Jackie and Adam) so I already felt like a part of the family for this one. What can I say…a beautiful, beaming bride, a gorgeous beachfront location, and a rockin’ party. Thanks to my friend Craig for joining me on this adventure and getting an idea of what being a wedding photographer is like.
- Geoff Chesman
Yael and Jona 06-22-08
We shared a beautiful Summer day with Yael and Jona and their families at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. Herlene Nagler of Signature Events created a gorgeous setting for this celebration of two amazing families coming together. The gourmet kosher food by Dahan Caterers was creative and represented the multicultural celebration. Nick Perez of Multiflor always does an amazing job - just look at the bride’s bouquet of cascading orchids!
I brought in the big guns for this one - with over 400 people I needed all the help I could get, so thanks to Shmulik and Charlie for hanging with me all day and all night and Dennis and Michael for bolstering the troops during the most crucial part of the day. The end result - we captured some amazing images and didn’t miss a thing. At the official afterparty we had a slideshow playing on my laptop of the highlights of the day and even loaded those same images onto a new iPod touch for the bride and groom to take with them on their honeymoon so they could relive all of the best moments of the day. Mazel Tov!
- Geoff Chesman
Katie and Derek 06-07-08
I was really excited to have the opportunity to photograph Katie & Derek’s wedding on June 7th. Katie and I had not seen each other since we were little kids so it was a real treat to be part of her special day.
The Friday before the big event I dropped by the Intown Uptown Inn in Washington D.C. to take some photos at their rehearsal dinner - aka crab feast. At the rehearsal I realized that this wedding was about so much more than just the union of two people in love, it was about the joining of two amazing and loving families, great food and fun. I knew that despite the 100 degree forecast it was going to be a great wedding.
On Saturday, Dennis, Kris, and I worked hard, sweat a lot, and took some bad-ass pictures. The ceremony was at the Cedar Lane Unitarian Church and was followed by a hopping reception at The Inn at Brookville Farms where Onyx kept the guests on their feet dancing all night long. Flowers were done by Floral Scentsations, and just look at that cake from Fancy Cakes by Leslie!
- Susan Pleiman
Lauren and Alan at the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City
Dennis and I spent Sunday, May 25th at the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City with a wonderful couple - Lauren and Alan. I was having fun with my new Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III - wow, what a camera! The bride wore a dress by Jenny Lee and her flowers were by John Duffy of Yellow Door Floral. who created a beautiful room at the Ritz as well. Encore from Washington Talent did their part to rock out for the Bride and Groom and their guests. Wedding planner Joan Sacarob brought together all of these great elements to create a night no one will soon forget.
- Michael Kress
Leslie & Bryan at the Hay Adams
On Saturday May 17th Leslie & Bryan tied the knot on the rooftop of the beautiful Hay Adams Hotel in Washington D.C. overlooking the White House. Dennis Kan and I had so much fun shooting this wedding that we thought we’d share some images on the MBK blog. Thanks to Wendy Katzen, of Party Perfect, for organizing such an amazing event and to our friend Janet Flowers for always providing the most beautiful flowers. It was a fun day!
- Susan Pleiman
Jenna’s Bat-Mitzvah
This weekend was Michael’s daughter Jenna’s Bat-Mitzvah at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. It was a spectacular affair with a “Club Jenna” theme designed by the fabulous Jaime Greenwald of Gala Inc, with support from Julie Shanklin of Syzygy Events. Video coverage by On Line Suburban Video, lighting was provided by Digital Lightning while Angel and Glyde from Glyde Productions kept the club hoppin’ all night long.
Photos by Geoff Chesman, Shmulik Almany, Kait Whitehead, and Kris Thacker.