unkonda, thrilled to be back in shela, lamu island, kenya, laughs aboard felice.

i am so excited to announce that the above image was chosen to be included in WPOW’s annual photo exhibition “women by women.” i absolutely love this portrait (and the subject!) and i am so proud to see it on display this week in dc! unkonda is an incredible woman with an exuberant spirit and infectious energy. her magnificent laugh and broad smile are among her best features and just looking at this image makes me so happy! the photo was taken earlier this year off the coast of kenya, but unkonda is currently working with the peace corps in burkina faso. i miss her and her amazing laugh, but i am so proud of the work she is doing and count myself lucky to call her my friend.

the juried show features the work of some of dc’s most notable photographers and i am so honored to be among them! the images are on display during fotoweek at AYN studio in dc from 11/5 – 11/14, with the opening reception on tuesday november 9th. below in an excerpt from WPOW’s event page and you can read more about the show is HERE.

“In association with FotoWeekDC, WPOW: Women Photojournalists of Washington is pleased to announce the opening reception on November 9, 2010 for our annual juried photo exhibition, “Women by Women.” The event is open to the public and a silent print auction will be part of the festivities, the proceeds of which will help WPOW continue our mission to educate the public about the work of women photojournalists. All 16×20 prints will be signed by the photographer.

Images were selected by renowned jurors: New York Times photographer Ruth Fremson, Reuters photographer Larry Downing, and Aperture Books editor Denise Wolff.

The photographers featured in the exhibition are Irene Abdou, Andrea Bruce, Gabriela Bulisova, Mary F. Calvert, Michelle Frankfurter, Alexandra Garcia, Alexis Glenn, Melissa Golden, SERLI, Nikki Kahn, Yanina Manolova, Jenna Isaacson Pfueller, Astrid Riecken, Molly Riley, Jamie Rose, Erin C. Schwartz, Allison Shelley, Vanessa Vick, Sarah L. Voisin, and Jaime Windon.

The prints, which were generously donated by Nations Photo Lab, will also be presented as a national traveling photo exhibition to photojournalism schools.”

i had the most wonderful time visiting my friend holly + her gorgeous family! it’s been years since i’ve seen her — and our early morning family session was a striking change from our old late night karaoke rendezvous! yay for facebook and fantastic friend (re)connections! holly was just as fun + beautiful as ever, and glowing with happiness! and with good reason — she’s head over heels in love with a hunky hubby and darling new baby! little harper is 8 months old and has the cutest personality (and beautiful face!) and i absolutely loved spending the morning with this family!

enjoy!

one very happy little boy at the national arboretum in washington, dc.

i love the national arboretum. it’s an incredible gem in the middle of the city — a vast expanse of refreshing greenery and abundance of shade, it’s the ideal place to spend a summer afternoon! i was very excited to meet dhillon and his family at the arboretum a few weeks ago for a fun family session, grandparents and all! dhillon and his daddy are too cute for words and this little man completely stole my heart with his dapper outfit and *amazing* smile!

enjoy!

jessica, styled to perfection by adrin washington :: ted gibson salon, chevy chase, md.

meg, a child life specialist at children’s hospital, provides support to patients.

children’s national medical center never ceases to amaze me — their stellar team provides exceptional care and service for countless brave little patients that are need medical treatment. along with some of the best doctors in the world, children’s has amazing support staff and specialists that aid in child care. on an average day, 60-80 children have surgical procedures at children’s national medical center. child life specialists are available to provide psychological preparation and emotional support before, during and after procedures. the specialists are outstanding + compassionate people, trained to help children and their families understand and cope with illness, treatment and hospitalization. additionally, child life specialists employ fun therapeutic play with patients that help to de-mystify surgery and make “playing doctor” a true learning experience. watching meg with the patients and their families in the moments leading up to surgery was inspiring — bravo to her and all the amazing people who devote their lives to improving care for sick children!

one-year-old dylan has a scar that symbolizes strength & love, amidst struggle.

just one day after his birth, newborn dylan was diagnosed with congenital heart defect. unable to breathe on his own, he was placed on a ventilator, transferred to another hospital, and underwent angioplasty for his pulmonary valve. for the next three months dylan’s health steadily declined as he faced serious issues, ultimately leading up to open heart surgery. just days following the surgery on his pulmonary artery dylan was doing something he had never done before — smiling. since then, dylan has grown into a happy, healthy, and strong little boy who just celebrated his first birthday — everything his family could ever want for him!

i was honored to be chosen by dylan’s family for a portrait session in collaboration with inspiration through art (formerly the littlest heroes project) — and i absolutely loved meeting all of them! dylan has two amazingly wonderful parents (who are *so* in love and *so* great!) as well as an older sister and brother who simply adore him. dylan was simply delightful — all too happy to oblige for the photo session as long as we let him rub his little feet in the grass! he was super inquisitive and perfectly adorable and i feel very lucky to know him and his story. dylan will need at least one more open heart surgery to replace the deformed pulmonary valve, but hopefully that is many years away! in the meantime, i know this family will be living and loving to the fullest, never taking anything for granted.

enjoy!

earlier this week children’s national medical center hosted a very fun event at united medical center to celebrate the new forthcoming pediatric emergency department — made possible in large part by an amazing $11 million grant from the DC government. the event was a wonderful opportunity to introduce the community to the nurses + staff, and everyone had a great time.

“it’s wise to be well” focused on educating parents through information on children’s health, from identifying flu symptoms and ear infections, to basic injury prevention, healthy eating + exercise practices, as well as free car seat checks! the tents were set up in the hospital parking lot, alongside the community farmers’ market, complete with balloons, awesome music, snacks, great give-a-aways, and face painting for the kids! as always, i had a great time documenting another fabulously fun event for children’s national medical center – enjoy!

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susan + jim :: married! park hyatt — washington, dc

susan + jim are married!

i absolutely *love* this couple! i was so very excited to see them — they live in detroit so i hadn’t seen them in over a year! i’ve been looking forward to their wedding all season for so many reasons — first of all, they are awesome, totally in love, and a super cool couple. susan + jim both have great energy and i connected strongly with them the moment we met. jim designs cars (how sweet is that?) and they both have a great appreciation for art + design, so they focused on lots of unique + personal details an i knew it was going to be gorgeous! also, photography was very important to them and i was honored that they chose me to document their day! they also chose one of my favorite dj’s of all time — the incredible ninja-tastic, breakdancing dan huynh — who completely rocked the party like no other!

and in fact, the entire day was wonderful — from the pre-wedding excitement to the very last dance, i was completely captivated by susan + jim’s classy and charismatic aura. they seemed to completely float through the day, receiving the love and well wishes from family + friends who were so happy to celebrate with them. there wasn’t a moment when i didn’t feel incredibly privileged to be capturing the love at this wedding — and the crazy dance party that followed was pretty awesome too! i have to say my jaw literally dropped when i entered the ballroom at the park hyatt before the reception — it was beyond stunning. the colors, the lights, the unreal centerpieces — brilliant.

susan + jim :: simply put, you rock. i loved being part of your day — your wedding was outstanding! i hope your alaskan honeymoon was perfect + amazing — we have to compare stories when i get back from vancouver island! XO!

enjoy!

LOVE this next one!

…and because every groom needs a secret service entourage…

courtney + drew :: married! house of sweden — washington, dc

* * * * *

holy roly, me, oh my, you’re the apple of my eye
girl, i’ve never loved one like you

man, oh man, you’re my best friend, i scream it to the nothingness
there ain’t nothin’ that i need

well, hot & heavy, pumpkin pie, chocolate candy, jesus christ
there ain’t nothin’ please me more than you

ahh, home
let me come home
home is wherever i’m with you

* * * * *

i’ve always thought that the song people select for their first dance is a kind of window into their relationship — it says a lot about who they are as a couple, what’s important to them, and how they see love, life and each other. courtney + drew danced to home, by edward sharp & the magnetic zeros, and i have to say i haven’t been so moved by a song in very a long time. the lyrics are so honest and meaningful and the tune itself is absolutely irresistible — i heard it for the first time that night and now i listen to it at least once a day (along with the entire album) because it’s simply beautiful.

courtney + drew embody the kind of love that sharp sings about —  a solid, true connection to your best friend, a love that puts you at peace and at home no matter where you are. and, really, that’s pretty amazing, just like courtney + drew. i can’t even express how lucky i feel to have been part of their day, witnessing their love, capturing their laughter, and getting to see them surrounded by their family + friends.

the absolutely fabulous house of sweden in dc was the ideal setting for such a fabulous affair. rooftop cocktails overlooking the georgetown waterfront at sunset kicked off the festivities, which continued through the night with fantastic toasts, amazing food, great music, and a little dancing!

enjoy!

adel + max are engaged! i am *so* happy they asked me to photograph them in and around their neighborhood in dc! we met at meridian hill park (a favorite of mine for its striking architecture!) and i fell in love with both of them immediately. they are so cute and so happy and so absolutely perfect together! i loved getting to know them and learning about their relationship and wedding plans! technically we already met at a wedding i shot last may — they are good friends with one of my all-time favorite couples kathleen + jerry — so fun!

i had a great time with them wandering down random alleys and shooting at some of their fave spots along U street, but by far the coolest part was visiting the temple community garden where adel has a gorgeous plot! she grows flowers and vegetables alongside other dc residents behind the scottish rite temple — an absolute hidden gem! such a neat idea, and an amazing spot to shoot! love!

adel + max — you rock!

enjoy!