And then there were 4…

And then there were 4… ~ Raleigh, NC ~ May 6, 2012

Last month, the Jones family grew by one adorable little boy.  I had the pleasure of meeting and photographing the newest member of the family…and since I consider them like family, I was excited to spend the time with my newest little nephew!  We had a little fun with him and here’s what we came up with…

This little one is going places:

And his big brother is making sure he’s prepared to lead him in the right direction…

Absolutely love these two little boys!

Proud daddy…

And a quick peek at our future handyman…

Re-introducing…the Jones Family…

Congratulations!

AKA – ZCO 55th Annual Debutante Cotillion

AKA – ZCO 55th Annual Debutante Cotillion ~ Hilton Alexandria Mark Center ~ April 14, 2012

For the second year in a row, we had the awesome opportunity to provide photography services for The Ivy Foundation of Northern Virginia, Inc, the charitable affiliate of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Zeta Chi Omega Chapter’s 55th Annual Debutante Cotillion.  The theme for the year was A Vision of Elegance – Preparing Emerging Leaders.  These fabulous young ladies – after months of practicing and participating in events such as community service, a retreat, cultural activities and the Mother/Daughter Tea – were presented to society on the evening of April 14, 2012.  As always, the occasion was grand and the young ladies were absolutely elegant!  Take a peek at the evening…

Debutante Ms. Tekau Rayason, who sadly passed on from this life a few weeks before the Cotillion, was presented post-humously at the beginning of the program.  Tekau and her family continue to be in the hearts and minds of the debutantes, escorts, families, committee and chapter.  May she rest in peace.

 

The Foundation Schools – 2012 Benefit

The Foundation Schools – 2012 Benefit ~ University of Maryland ~ April 19, 2012 

“The Foundation Schools provides a highly specialized educational and therapeutic program for children and adolescents in grades 1-12 with emotional disabilities and prepares them to be productive and successful in their future academic and career paths.”  I had the great opportunity to capture their 2012 Benefit – The Art and Soul of Learning.  The Benefit, attended by many supporters, helped to raise monies for all of the great work that they continue to do with wonderful students in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties.  Interested in contributing or want to know more about what they do?  Check them out here:  www.foundationschools.org.

And take a peek at how awesome the 2012 Benefit was…

 

Breakfast at Brittany’s

Breakfast at Brittany’s ~ MD ~ March 31, 2012

I had the pleasure of photographing Brittany and her fiance, Anwar, last fall for their engagement photos:  http://soulfullyspeaking.wordpress.com/2011/09/26/anwar-brittany-engaged/

But, on this last Saturday in March, Brittany’s girlfriends, Marita, Allison and Courtenay, surprised her with a girls’ day out photo session!  This awesome group of ladies has the kind of friendship that goes back through many years of memories and good times.  They were full of laughs and smiles, even at 9 am!  It was a fun session and here are a few of my favorites…

Thanks for a great session, ladies!  Congratulations again Brittany!

CBCF: The Avoice Heritage Celebration Dinner

CBCF:  The Avoice Heritage Celebration Dinner ~ Washington, DC ~ February 15, 2012

We had the great opportunity to capture a wonderful event presented by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.  The third annual Avoice (African American Voices in Congress) Heritage Celebration was held at the Eatonville Restaurant in Washington, DC.  The reception and awards dinner, as communicated by Avoice, “honored organizations for their work in preserving African-American legislative history and for their commitment to cultivating minority civic engagement, public discourse on African-American history, or the preservation of important historic artifacts through philanthropic or programmatic support.”  The awardees for 2012 were:

Distinguished CBC Member Preservation Avoice Heritage Award:  Barbara Jordan Archive Collection 

Distinguished Organization Avoice Heritage Award:  Association for the Study of African-American Life and History (ASALH)

Distinguished Corporation Avoice Heritage Award:  Johnson Publishing Company

Here are some images from the evening…

Dr. Elsie Scott, President & CEO of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, welcoming the guests at the reception:

The Mistress of Ceremony, WUSA 9 Morning Weekday Anchor, Andrea Roane:

Mr. Keith Wright, CBCF Executive Vice President & COO, and his wife:

Dr. Scott and Congresswoman Donna Christensen (USVI):

Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (MD) presented the award for ASALH:

The Avoice Heritage Awards were presented by Congressman Danny K. Davis (IL), Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (MD) and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (TX):

The awards were accepted by:  Mr. Kevin Chappell, Senior Editor at Johnson Publishing Company; Ms. Sylvia Y. Cyrus, Executive Director of ASALH; and Mr. Bernard Forrestor, Archivist/Coordinator of Special Collections at Texas Southern University where the Barbara Jordan Papers are located:

Congratulations to all of this year’s awardees!

Thank you. 2011.

Thank you. 2011.

A heartfelt thank you to all of my clients and willing creative photography subjects – thank you for making 2011 a great year!

And I was Walking in Memphis…

And I was Walking in Memphis… ~ Memphis, TN ~ December 3, 2011

I got the chance to head out to Memphis to visit one of my best friends last month.  Adrienne and I were roomies in college and have been the best of friends ever since.  We have one of those friendships that inevitably, when we are together, something is going to happen that will have us laughing so uncontrollably that our sides, stomachs and cheeks will hurt!  It had been awhile since I’d been out there, so it was great to finally get back.  Along with hanging out, catching up and cracking up…we spent some time walking around.  Adrienne totally supports my photo habit…lol…so she had some places and things she wanted me and Gordon & Parks (yep, that’s the name of my camera and favorite lens…lol) to see.  Not only did I get to capture some good stuff, but she decided to capture me capturing them…you’ll see.  Truly hilarious!  Oh…and about the title…I LOVE Marc Cohn’s “Walking in Memphis”…we couldn’t help but bust out singing it every so often while we were…well, you know…walking in Memphis.  If you haven’t heard it, check it out…you can use it as background music while you’re looking at the images!

 

Anywho…here are some of my favorite shots from the day…

Unfortunately, the famous Arcade Restaurant had just closed when we walked by…gotta go back for the sweet potato pancakes!

And yay!  A cool set of walls with lyrics from a bunch of songs about Memphis…and you guessed it…

The Pyramid Arena…

The Hernando Desoto Bridge I believe…

Beale Street at night…

Adrienne shooting me while I’m shooting the bridge…lol!

And as promised…me in action…ha…

Can’t wait to go back!

Taiya ~ Sweet Sixteen!

Taiya ~ Sweet Sixteen! ~ National Harbor, MD ~ December 30, 2011

Family and friends gathered at the Thai Pavilion at the National Harbor to celebrate Miss Taiya’s sweet sixteen birthday.  With her fresh new hair cut and cute dress on, Taiya was all smiles and the center of the party!  Take a peek at the evening…

Happy birthday Taiya!

Chris + Samia ~ Married!

Chris + Samia ~ Married! ~ MD ~ December 9, 2011

It was a beautiful morning for a wedding.  Clear blue skies, comfortable temperatures and one of the most relaxed brides I’ve ever seen.  I had the opportunity to meet Chris and Samia last year when we did their engagement photos in Alexandria (http://soulfullyspeaking.wordpress.com/2010/11/29/chris-samia-engaged/).  They are a fun couple who seem genuinely at ease and at peace with each other.  So, it was my pleasure to capture Chris and Samia’s beautiful wedding day.  (Make-up: Erica Coates.  Venue:  Dorsey Chapel)

Take a peek into their special day…

 

Congratulations Chris and Samia!

The Young Family

The Young Family ~ MD ~ November 27, 2011

I met up with the Young family the weekend after Thanksgiving for an afternoon at the park.  It was an interesting day filled with laughter, excitement and even heroics…more to come!

Soooo…they say if you love something, let it go, right?  Well, little Cullen really loves his Thomas the Train.  So much so that he was willing to let it go and uh…let it fly…into the water way below!  It was almost in slow motion and we watched (in amazement) the Train land in the water.  We, and all the other onlookers, peered over the railing figured it a lost cause.  But, wait!  Daddy to the rescue!  He hopped over and down and proceeded to rescue the sinking toy from the water.  (Only for Cullen to continue to throw it to other various places…lol!)  Nonetheless, it was truly an awesome thing to see.  Parents, never forget, you’ll always be the first heroes in your kids’ lives…

 What a great day!