Thursday, April 24, 2014

Robert & Jingjing { A Sneak Peek During the Blossom Peak}

As the sun came to life {setting the blossoms aglow}

The snow has been routinely falling quite densely up through March here in Virginia. The cold nipping at more than our noses and most of us, down here are DONE with winter! No Joke. This particular winter has lasted longer than I could ever imagine. It also appears that my once thick New England blood has thinned out a bit since moving to this more "mild" climate some 12 years ago.

In all my 12 years in the DC metro area, I have never encountered a winter like the one we had this year. Only in 2009 did we suffer a winter somewhat comparable. But, as I look out my window right now in writing this, I see some signs of a spring sun trying to make some promises, let's hope he keeps them. Things are beginning to warm up, albeit a but late in the game.

Onto another note,  my film days of photography have long since passed. I no longer have studio access with a darkroom. Working digitally has allowed me to forego this necessity, my guest bathroom now serves its true purpose- a necessary room for guests and not an improvised darkroom. No more harsh chemicals to crack my skin and age my hands by years (yes, I was bad about using gloves, *tisk *tisk), on the light side of this, my son was born with all ten fingers and toes, a very good sign that my toxicity exposure was not nearly as bad as I had imagined!

Okay, now onto the important stuff, I AM BLOGGING AGAIN. My son is older now and I am finding "slightly" more time to set aside and write blogs. This time with more intent and focus on my wedding work, session work, commercial editorial and post production work. I will also be discussing my various artwork; commercial, illustration, design, and my passion; wildlife conservation art.

Today's blog however, is a sneak peak of a recent engagement shoot Glass Eyed Pony Photography held just on the outskirts of the Washington DC Tidal Basin during Peak Bloom! Robert and Jingjing officially got engaged on January 4, 2013 on the Bei Hai Lake in Beijing. The engagement shoot was done in April 2014 because they were looking forward to capturing the Cherry Blossoms!

I guess we could call it a {sneak peek during the peak} and it was fun! Iryna and I made it down to the East Potomac Golf Course at 6am and began scouting and watching the sunrise over the river. It was gorgeous, however even at that early hour, people were all about, mostly runners and other fitness gurus.

{Blossoms lifting their heads towards the sun}

A lot of photographers avoid the Tidal Basin during peak tourist season due to the sheer amount of people flooding the area. In hindsight many couples end up wishing they had chosen a more exclusive and private area where not so many strangers end up showing up in their shots. Its hard to to avoid a flood of tourists during the peak season and there is bound to be great images photographed only to discover a human figure in the background dressed in wild tie-dye or worse.

Also, what a lot of photographers don't realize is that you need to procure a permit to shoot in the Tidal Basin with clients during the peak tourist season and if you intend to shoot within or around the monuments regardless of it being a tourist season. It can take 1-6 weeks to obtain permits, so please remember to plan for that when schedule shoots. There are photographers who are willing to risk going in without a permit but please err on caution, you will get cited and or hit with a fine which is not good for business and let's not forget, it will be embarrassing for both you, your business, and your clients. Please keep that in mind when shooting in certain areas within DC or other locations where there may be a need to seek proper permits and permissions.

We met with our clients Robert and Jingjing just outside of the Tidal Basin to work with the blooming cherry blossoms in that area. I am also happy to mention that we were recommended to Robert and Jingjing by the talented Stephanie Dasch of Diamond Events and Weddings.

{Now Enjoy}
The sneak peek during the peak...more images to come!

We let Robert and Jingjing loosen up and have some fun!


I wanted to get the white snowy blooms and the monument in the background and by golly I was going to stop traffic and move cars to get the shot I wanted!

Blossom all around and blossom blur only made these smiles more than just smiles :)

Black and white with the Potomac and part of the cityscape in the background!
 

I like the black and white and the color version equally!
 

The color version, the snowy blossoms give a fairytale feel!

Robert really wanted to climb a cherry blossom and he made it happen!

Diamonds and Blossoms have a lot in common!

Diamonds and Blossoms- nature creates beautiful art!

I personally love seeing the open candidness of couples once they get comfortable being in front of the camera! This really gives you a peek into their personalities.

Promises and Love

Stay tuned for more......