Blink Photography at Glenview Bridal Expo 1/31/10

SNOW UPDATE!
The expo is still planning on starting at 12pm on Sunday the 31st! We won't let the snow stop us from having fun and meeting great new clients and vendors!

Please call the Mansion if you have any questions.
240-314-8660

Glenview Mansion is located at
603 Edmonston Drive Rockville, MD

Photo from last year's booth! Come on by this year to see what's new!

I just wanted to put up a quick post to let everyone know showing my wedding work at the Glenview Bridal Expo this coming Sunday Jan 31, 2010. I love show because it's small, relaxed and intimate.

If you are getting married or know of anyone getting married in the DC/MD/VA area, send them on up to the show, and make sure to stop by my booth and say hello!!

As a show special, I will be offering a $150 print credit to anyone who books their wedding date with me!

Have a super weekend!

Please click on the image above to see a complete list of vendors.

To check out blog posts from my previous years at Glenview, please click HERE!

Holga Series {Amherst, VA Dairy - Sweetbriar College - Myrtle Beach, SC}

At the end of 2009 my travels took me back to Joe's home town of Amherst, VA for Thanksgiving with the family, and then shortly there after to Myrtle Beach, SC to memorialize my brother's father.
In Amherst, Joe was a great tour guide, bringing me to an old run down dairy on the grounds of SweetBriar College. It was such a fantastic structure to photograph. I had never seen the inside of a dairy silo (if that's in fact what they are called) and the whole barn was a variable play ground for creativity.
Now, Myrtle Beach was quite another story. We were there for a much more somber purpose, but the kitsch of the area helped give us some laughs and distraction. Not to mention the beaches in November are beautiful, empty and serene.

It was a world wind few weeks and emotions were the same ... and through it all I had my trusty Holga by my side.
I feel lucky that on each of those trips I was able to created two of my new favorite Holga images.
I often have a hard time putting words to why a particular image moves me, and in the end it comes down to the emotion that gets triggered when I look at the photo.

Though I find myself house bound (for the most part) since my crazy knee dislocation that happened just over a month ago, I now have the gift of time to be able to look through the photos of 2009 and happily, I have rediscovered some true gems!
I am longing to be out and about with my Holga, but for now as I recover and heal, I am letting some of my favorite images remind me of the excitement and pure adrenalin rush there is still to be had in the monthw ahead in 2010!

So here you will find a few of my new favorites as well as some rediscovered images from the end of 2009.



NYC - double exposure with camera flipped upside down


Kayaking on the Chesapeake - double exposure


New Orleans - split image double exposure


Lucketts VA - triple exposure

Lucketts VA iron fencing


New favorite #1 rusting gears SweetBriar dairy - double exposure


New Orleans/Lucketts VA split image


New favorite #2 - sunset beach, SC


Sunset at Sunset Beach, SC - 15 second exposure

Holga Photography Winner - Best In Show - Washington DC Holga Photographer

Just before the Christmas holiday I received a surprising email in my inbox.
I got the delightful news that my Holga image "Oyster Baskets" had been chosen to be a part of Photomedia Center's newest photography show, HolgaShow 3.0.
Not only that, but the image had also been given the title "Best In Show"!!!

I could not have been more surprised or more delighted!! What a wonderful Christmas gift.
I was also excited to learn that all the images chosen to be a part of this show were going to be exhibited online.
You can view the incredible work from some very talented photographer's at the Photomedia website. www.photomediacenter.org

I was beyond humbled when I got to see such inspired work from so many great artists.

A HUGE heartfelt thank you to everyone at Photomedia Center who voted for my image.


Photomedia Center Winner - Best In Show 2009

Oyster baskets

Washington DC {Winter GTG - Surprise Engagement Session}

It's not often that you get the chance to see an proposal happen right before your eyes!
That's exactly what happened to four photographers and friends last night at Sonoma Restaurant in DC.

We had our dear friend and very talented photographer, Shawn Reeder in visiting from CA and planned a whole day in DC visiting museums, eating great food and shooting around the city. We went from the National Gallery of Art to the National Portrait Gallery, and then met up with some more folks for a delicious dinner at Sonoma on Capitol Hill.

We were told by our hostess that a couple at the corner booth were there tonight because it was where they had their first date and the groom wanted to propose to his soon to be bride, at the very table were they shared that special night.
Little did they know that only a few tables away were 4 wedding photographers on the edges of their seats with excitement watching intently for the big moment, cameras ready.
Suddenly I perked up because I saw him on one knee and almost jumped out of my seat, whispering (maybe too loudly), "It's happening!!!!"
Everyone pulled out their cameras and stealthily photographed her saying, "Yes"!

It was so fun to be able to see the proposal happen, and we decide to pass on the word that we
were there, and would love to take them outside in the newly fallen snow to give them an engagement photo session.
They were so excited to hear that all four of us wanted to give them a fun experience of having an engagement shoot just minutes after the actual proposal, and even sent us over a bottle of delicious Prosecco!

After we had all finished out amazing meal and delicious dessert, we made our introductions, gave big hugs, and shared such infectious excitement with one another. That excitement carried over into an almost hour long shoot, starting in the restaurant and ending on the snowy streets of DC.

It was such a memorable experience for all of us, and a night I won't soon forget.
A BIG congrats to the happy couple, you guys made our night.

Jessica Del Vecchio, Kip Pierson, Sarah Hodzic and Shawn Reeder with the
newly engaged couple!

Holga Series {Liz and Niq's Oxon Hill Manor Wedding}

I am excited to finally be catching up on blog posts! Before leaving for New Orleans a few weeks ago, I had the great honor of photographing Liz and Niq's wedding at Oxon Hill Manor in Maryland. If you haven't seen the full blog post you can check that out here!

One of the many reason Liz and Niq's wedding was crazy exciting for me was that, per their request, I was to use my Holga camera during the wedding day to shoot as I saw fit.
This request made be giddy with wedding day photography glee. I love when an artistic vision between client and photographer matches up. There is a lot I love about being able to document weddings for my clients, one of which is the opportunity to create artistic images that not only create a snap shot of a moment in time, but maybe just maybe a piece of art that will also evoke an emotional response when viewed, by my clients, their friend and family and so on..

So with that being said, here are my favorite Holga shots from Liz and Niq's uber fabulous wedding day...

Madelyn and Will {Sneak Peek Indianola Mississippi Wedding}

Madelyn and Will were married two Saturdays ago in Indianola Mississippi, at the BB King Museum.
I can't wait to share their story with you, but in the mean time... here a just a few favorites from the day.

Stay tuned for more great Mississippi wedding photos!

Holga Palooza Winner - 1st Place! - Nothern VA Photogrpher

I am so excited that I had to share the news on my blog...

On my first day in NOLA for Pictage's Partner Conference, I am sitting at a delicious Lebanese restaurant with my old friend Dawn catching up after 3 years and suddenly my blackberry buzzes. I check the incoming message and to my complete and utter surprise I see an email letting me know that they have announced the winners for the Holga Palooza contest that I entered a month ago (now I thought I didn't win anything because they were suppose to have announced the winners by 10/30 via email if you won, and no email did appear on the 30th or 31st).
I slowly scroll down the email reading the winners names with much anticipation, and suddenly I see... Sarah Hodzic - 1st Place in the inspiration category!!!!
WHAT!?!?!?
I almost came off my chair...all I kept saying was, "I can't believe it, I can't believe it!"
I think the people next to us thought I was having some sort of seizure.

I have been grinning from ear to ear since the news for many reasons.
First, I have never ever won anything in my life, much less anything that meant so much to me.
Second, winning first place for photography, a huge passion passion of mine, is quite a boost of confidence for me. Putting ones art work out in the world is a very scary experience.
I know that many many people aren't going to like what I create and that's OK. I also know that in order to keep creating art, we as artists have to remember that it doesn't matter how the world feels about our work.. but man, it sure does feel amazing when you get positive acknowledgment.
Third, I feel like this 1st place win could not have come at a more fortuitous time.
I am down in NOLA with almost 500 photographers attending a conference about growing our passion, artistry and businesses, and I can't think of any place better to celebrate this news.
I would not have even considered entering a contest let alone moving forward with my Holga work if it wasn't for the constant support of my photography community.

So, a very very big and heartfelt thank you to everyone out there who loves my Holga work, and also to those who don't. I grow from hearing both the praise and the criticism (though the praise feels better).
I am over the moon today, and so happy to be able to share this win with all of you!

Winning Image

My favorite image from the Mississippi Holga series.
A double exposure with a sepia tone makes the clouds look like smoke rising from the crosses.

My image - Oyster Baskets also took best in show for the Photomedia Center Holga 3.0 Show
For more info, click HERE.