Lan Anh + Ben : Arts Club of Washington - Washington, DC Wedding

Here's Lan Anh and Ben's wedding I photographed last month at the Arts Club of Washington. Lan Anh and Ben were a fun couple and had great family and friends to prove it. Each wedding I attend or shoot is unique, with different regional, cultural and family traditions that often come into play. At this wedding, I had the pleasure of witnessing my first rice-ing and ice-ing down the groom's pants - a family tradition from Ben's side of the family. Check out the photos below to see for yourself.

Thanks to Jeff Cruz for second shooting this wedding. 

Allison + Mark : Alexandria Wedding - Old Town Alexandria, VA

Okay folks this is a long one. It's been a busy season with weddings and I wanted to showcase Allison and Mark's beautiful wedding held at the Carlyle House in Old Town Alexandria. Their ceremony was very spiritual and you could feel the love they had for each other and for their family and friends. Their wedding had great details and everyone there came in style.

For this wedding, I asked the talented Akins Lawal to second shoot with film - check out his blog soon to see what this wedding looks like on medium format and 35mm film (I popped in a few rolls for myself too). The photos below were made with my Nikon D700. Akins and I have something brewing so stay tuned for more details. Enjoy!

Lan Anh + Ben : Wedding Preview - Washington, DC

Print your photos!

I received these prints today from Richard Photo Lab (RPL) from a wedding I did a few weeks ago. As usual they impress me all the time. The photos below were made by me and the talented Akins Lawal. I shot Kodak Portra 400 35mm film, and Akins shot both 35mm and medium format film (did I say he's a beast!). Whether shooting film or digital, everyone should make prints and use a quality lab like RPL. These guys are champions when it comes to processing film and making prints. Physically holding and flipping through your photos is so much different than seeing them on a screen. I love looking at my parents' old photos and sharing them with family...I can only imagine how these photos will be shared years from now. Here are some samples below.

Street Photography : U Street and Shaw - Washington, DC

Personal work. Man, I've stayed away from this for a while. After a series of weddings and engagement shoots, I felt the need to bring it back to another thing I enjoy - street photography. In a sense street photography is like shooting a wedding - lighting scenarios change and anticipating moments. Street photography gives me a chance to interact with strangers too, some folks shy away from the camera and others jump right in wanting their photo to be taken. For me, I always ask permission to take someones photo. I know others who don't and thats fine too. 

Here are some photos made with my Nikon D700 using a 50mm 1.4. I shot these photos on U Street along with Akins Lawal who was shooting film with his Contax 645 Medium Format camera. Let me know if you figure out the story I tried to tell here. Enjoy!