for the 3rd year in a row, i was honored to photograph the national marine sanctuary foundation leadership awards dinner at the famed ronald reagan building + international trade center in DC. the event, held annually during capitol hill ocean week, honors top leaders in marine conservation and draws the most notable oceanographers, explorers and activists in the field.

master of ceremonies boyd matson of national geographic fame, once again entertained guests and introduced speakers dr. jane lubchenco, jason patlis, dan basta, jean-michel cousteau + bob talbot – all of whom reflected on issues related to the current state of our oceans, especially in light of the recent and devastating oil spill in the gulf.

this year’s award recipients were as impressive as ever - congresswoman lois capps + congresswoman ileana ros-lehtinen, co-chairs of the national marine sanctuary caucus, received the 2010 leadership award in recognition of their support of the national marine sanctuaries. julie packard, executive director of the monterey bay aquarium, was honored with this year’s lifetime achievement award for her commitment to ocean sustainability + leadership in marine conservation over the past three decades. and steve kroll, from the thunder bay national marine sanctuary, was named national volunteer of the year.

additionally, the evening celebrated the 10th anniversary of the national marine sanctuary foundation as well as the 100th anniversary of jacques-yves cousteau‘s birth – with special presentations by the cousteau family + a “red-cap” tribute to the amazing french captain, naval officer, explorer, ecologist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author and researcher of the underwater world!

for more about the leadership awards dinner, capitol hill ocean week, and the national marine sanctuary, visit their website, follow them on twitter or become a fan on facebook!

“her deepness” dr. sylvia earle.

director of NOAA’s national marine sanctuaries systems, dan basta.

national marine sanctuary foundation president, jason patlis.

jan + philippe cousteau, jr.

my first crocheted cumberbund!

leadership award recipients congresswoman lois capps + ileana ros-lehtinen.

julie packard accepting her lifetime achievement award from jason patlis.

boyd matson + dr. jane lubchenco.

jean-michel cousteau.

the amazing nominees for volunteer of the year.

signed copy of jacques-yves cousteau’s the silent world.

the 2010 children’s ball :: andrew w. mellon auditorium – washington, dc.

this weekend children’s national medical center hosted their annual signature gala at the andrew w. mellon auditorium in washington, dc. the 2010 arabian nights children’s ball delighted over 700 guests with an incredible evening of food, wine, dancing, and fundraising!

the evening’s personable host, bret baier, anchor of special report with bret baier on fox news channel, welcomed guests and introduced edwin zechman, jr - president + CEO of children’s national medical center who thanked the event’s sponsor, washington area lexus dealers. the evening’s presenters also included dr. kurt newman and joseph e. robert who again recognized the amazing $150M gift from the government of abu dhabi with a special presentation to omar al shamsi, deputy chief of mission for the sheikh zayed institute for pediatric surgical innovation.

norah o’donnell, chief washington correspondent, MSNBC, co-hosted a live (and lively!) auction with bret baier, followed by the music from the outstanding mood swings band, dancing + an after hours lounge with dj d-mac.

the children’s ball was absolutely fantastic and i’m so thrilled to continue working with the incredible team at children’s national medical center, as well as the amazing philanthropists that give to such a worthy cause.

my great friend + amazing photographer jessi ringer was also there covering the evening – you can check out her work here.

enjoy!

thursday night i swung by hotel dupont to snap some photos of one of my favorite clients – ted gibson! it is almost impossible to find anyone that exudes as much good energy as ted gibson and everyone was in the absolute best spirits for his gorgeous dinner party co-hosted by mary amons, founder of the district sample sale and labels for love.

enjoy!

ted gibson + mary amons.

ted gibson + michaele salahi.

paul wharton + jason backe.

the beautiful catherine ommanney.

omarosa manigault-stallworth + paul wharton.

ted gibson.

hela spa + ted gibson salon :: chevy chase, md.

last night hela spa + ted gibson salon celebrated their grand opening at their chevy chase location! i was thrilled to document the evening – i’ve watched hela grow and change, having the pleasure of working with them for the last two years, starting at their lovely georgetown spa. meeting ted gibson and his talented team has been fantastic (for photography and for my hair!) and i feel very lucky to count them among my wonderful clients!

a stunning pink carpet lined the entrance to the salon and guests were greeted with an espresso bar, moet rose champagne + delicious cuisine. conversation + laughter flowed as guests mingled and toured the salon. it was a fantastic event and i think i speak for everyone in the dc when i say we are ecstatic to welcome ted gibson + his team and excited for their partnership with hela!

enjoy!

ted gibson + jason backe with a few of their gorgeous dc clients!

rachael schwartz + andrea rodgers.

i *love* ted gibson!

konstantia mamada with stylist extraordinaire neven radovic.

tareq + michaela salahi, showcased vino from their oasis winery.

ted gibson + jason backe – so good to have your talented team in dc!

*  *  *  *  *

hela: new location! – 1.15.09

hela + ted gibson: partners! – 1.25.09

ted gibson: dc photo shoot! – 4.11.09

i had the pleasure of photographing the fabulous ted gibson this morning! ted gibson is ridiculously talented, super stylish and incredibly sweet.  he is one of the most sought-after editorial, runway, and celebrity hair stylists in the business. his work has appeared in publications such as vogue, harper’s bazaar, and rolling stone, and caters to clients like angelina jolie, anne hathaway and debra messing. in addition to two gorgeous salons – flatiron in NYC and ted gibson salon in chevy chase – he offers an amazing line of luxurious hair products. (i’m obsessed with my new glimmering gold shampoo!)

i met up with the team at the chevy chase location for some quick shots! learn more about the hela + ted gibson salon in chevy chase HERE.

once again i had the pleasure of photographing the actor jason l brandt – this time on the sunny streets of los angeles. we first met on a snowy afternoon at the sundance film festival earlier this year…i learned that actors are so expressive that one shoot could bring about so many different looks, so many different aspects of his personality.

i really enjoy portrait sessions like this…i relish the opportunity to work closely with people and learn about them. it’s an incredible experience to try and figure out who they are and then capture that in the photos.

jason has so many different looks, and i really think i was able to capture so much of his personality in the photos, particularly these moody shots from the end of the day, late in the afternoon…

i was so excited to attend the opening weekend performance of the lost plays of tennessee williams at the davidson/valentini theatre in hollywood a few weeks ago. my good friend and fantastic actor jason l brandt was part of the incredibly talented cast which performed three of williams’ recently discovered, one-act plays: mister paradise, the palooka, and tell sad stories of the deaths of queens. all three performances were stellar – compelling stories portrayed so vividly by the actors. following the performance, i photographed a few of the highlights of each play – it was a fabulous experience! thank you to the cast + crew: BRAVO!

the palooka:

mr. paradise:

and tell sad stories of the deaths of queens:

jason l brandt is an LA-based actor that i met earlier this year at the sundance festival in park city…we did some impromtu headshots one afternoon and had a great time. actors really intrigue me, and it was very cool to chat with jason and try to capture his personality…i love the images that came out of this shoot and i can’t wait to work with him again. he’s currently in on a play opening this weekend in LA – the lost works of tennessee williams – and i’m heading out there and hope to get some more great shots of this incredibly talented (and wonderfully photogenic!) rising actor.

jill stevenson is an incredibly talented woman.
she is a phenomenal musician, a soulful singer, and a true artist.
i had the absolute pleasure of meeting her, photographing her, and listening to her perform live at sundance this year. going back over the images from our spontaneous photoshoot at the sundance house i remember what a delight she was and how honored i feel to have met her.

* check out this great article by eric pudalov, featuring jill – CLICK here. *

sven kamm with the stars of GO HOME POGUE MAHON: adam campell + ryan cartwright.