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Saturday
Aug212010

Elizabeth and John's Wedding - Fox Chase Manor - Manassas, VA

DateSaturday, August 21, 2010 at 11:59PM

Elizabeth and John met at Washington Irving Middle School in Springfield, VA.  They both were in the band and were friends but never dated.  They finally got together when they were both in college.  In between the wedding ceremony and reception we stopped by the middle school and to our surprise some of their friends had decorated a LARGE rock that sits in front of the school ... see the photographs below. 

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Friday
Aug202010

Laura and Christian's Wedding - Army and Navy Club - Washington, DC

DateFriday, August 20, 2010 at 11:17PM

I had the pleasure to photograph Laura and Christian's actual engagement back in June.  You can see some of the photos in my blog.  I met them on May 1, 2010 at Chris and Shelby's wedding.  I was the wedding photographer and Christian was a member of the wedding party.  He pulled me aside at the reception and asked if I was available to photograph him actually proposing to Laura at the Jefferson Memorial.  That was mid-June.  A week later I got a call from Laura to see if I could photograph their wedding on August 20th of this year. 

On the way from the ceremony to the reception we QUICKLY drove by the Jefferson Memorial and took a few photos at the same site where they got engaged.   The reception was at the Army and Navy Club in Washington, DC. 

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Monday
Aug092010

Early Morning Washington DC Engagement Photography

DateMonday, August 9, 2010 at 11:15AM

I recently had the pleasure of doing the engagement photography for Emily and Kevin near the US Capitol.  We started at 6:30AM on Sunday Morning.  Why 6:30AM? There were no tourists, the temperature was in the low 70s, and best of all the light was fantastic.   We had a great time walking around the Capitol. Click on the video below to see some of the photos.

 Washington DC Engagement Photographer National Mall and US Capitol

 

 

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Monday
Aug092010

Family Photography

DateMonday, August 9, 2010 at 10:33AM

A few months ago I wrote an article in this blog about how to improve your home family photography.  One tip was to look for great light inside your home and be ready when the perfect moment arises.  Well my five year old daughter walked into my home office the other day and she had just put on this pretty dress that she was so proud of.  Great light was coming in through my window and hit her face just right.  I grabbed my camera that was sitting next to me and I took this photograph.  This was taken with my Nikon D90 and a Nikon 50MM lens at F2.0. The D90 is not one of my  pro cameras, It is a relatively inexpensive DSLR that I use for my family photography.

 

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Thursday
Aug052010

Washington DC Wedding Ceremony - Lansdowne VA Reception

DateThursday, August 5, 2010 at 10:00PM

The city and the suburbs were the locations for this beautiful wedding.  Did I say it was HOT.  WOW ... it was over 100 degrees and very humid.  The couple, Jeanne and Joseph, wanted to stop by the Capitol on our way out to the wedding reception in Lansdowne, VA and take a few photographs with some DC color.  As the wedding photographer, I am always game if the couple is willing. She is wearing a beautiful wedding dress and he has on a black tuxedo.  If they can stand the heat so can I.  Well, the couple lasted about 10 minutes before we headed back to our air conditioned cars, but we made good use of your few minutes.

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Saturday
Jul312010

Jamie and Sean Engagement Photographs at Meadowlark Park

DateSaturday, July 31, 2010 at 9:45PM

Meadowlark Gardens in Vienna, VA was the site of this engagement photo shoot.  I have done a number of engagement, wedding, and family photo shoots in the park.  It is definitely a hidden gem for nature lovers and photographers.  Jamie and Sean are a very attractive and personable couple.  They were a pleasure to be around and photograph.  I will have the pleasure next June to photograph their wedding in the Bethesda, MD area.

If you live in the Washington, DC area, you know that this summer has been extremely hot and humid.  It was a bit warm, but we did the photo session in the late afternoon and early evening and that kept it reasonably comfortable.   I like to keep moving and keep the photo sessions fun.  I tried to clear my mind of all the other photo sessions that I had done at Meadowlark Gardens and just let the light and compositional elements drive the shoot.  I did, and the photos turned out fresh and better than anything I had photographed their before.

 

 

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Thursday
Jul292010

Executive Environmental Portraits / Photographs

DateThursday, July 29, 2010 at 9:14PM

I have a number of clients that frequently need portraits of their executives.  Many of the executives are in town for a meeting and I need to catch up with them between meetings at the office location.  Environmental executive photographs are extremely popular.  Usually it is a new location that I am not familiar with or it is a location where I have done a number of photo shoots.  The two executive portraits below are for two different clients that I photographed over the last couple of weeks in Reston, VA and Herndon, VA.  I was familiar with both these locations and the trick was to keep the photographs fresh and not looking like they were taken by the same photographer at the same location in the same way as all the other portraits that I had taken. 

For the woman executive I used the natural light that was coming in the front lobby of this Herndon, VA office building and had her sit down in the lobby chair.  I used the lit wall as a nice backdrop.  Together with her wonderful smile, I got a very nice photograph.

The male executive was over six feet six inches tall.  I had a stool but I still didn't like the perspective that I was shooting him.  I had taken a number of photos in this lobby in Reston, VA but with nobody this tall.  I found myself shooting upwards and I couldn't seem to avoid the Exit signs and other distracting elements in the background.  I looked around and had him sit down in this small area by map in the lobby.  It was my favorite photograph of the day. 

 

Posted by Washington, DC and Reston, VA Photographer - Len Spoden

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Tuesday
Jul202010

Executive Environmental Portraits / Photographs

DateTuesday, July 20, 2010 at 8:48PM

Many companies are breaking away from the standard executive portrait with a studio background and asking me to do more executive environmental photographs on-site.  What is fun about these photography shoots is that they tend to be very interactive and fun.  The executive gets to loosen up a bit as we walk around the office to take new photographs in different environments and I get to have fun looking for interesting areas to take executive photographs.  The photographs below were taken at a local company in Reston, VA.  As you can see, we took one photo inside using a conference room wall as a background and then we went outside where we found a nice flowered tree that served as a great backdrop. 

 

 

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Saturday
Jul102010

Monaco Hotel Wedding - Washington DC

DateSaturday, July 10, 2010 at 9:27AM

The Monaco Hotel in Washington, DC was the location of Abby and Bryan's wedding reception.  They also wanted to take advantage of the sites of Washington for their wedding photography.  So we went to the US Capitol and took some fun wedding photographs of the wedding couple and their LARGE wedding party. There were 20 people in their wedding party.  As a wedding photographer it can be a real challenge to keep everyone focused and having fun, but this wedding party was great ... they were lots of fun and always willing to try something fun and different. 

The Monaco Hotel is really beautiful.  It is located just down the street from the Verizon Center in Washington, DC.  The spiral staircase and beautiful ballroom really made for some great photographs. 

Abby's mom is a fellow photographer, so there is a lot of pressure when you know the mother of the bride is going to be looking at your work with a very critical eye.  She was kind enough to post a nice comment on my blog ... here it is:

"As a fellow photographer and the mother of the bride, I have to doff my cap to Len for the over-the-top job he did at our Abby's wedding.He is a class act; he unobtrusively melded into any situation he was in, and deftly arranged the different groupings of folks in a way that had everyone looking great. Len and his assistant captured wonderful candid portraits of so many of our guests, in flash lighting which was soft and natural. I now have the difficult job of not selecting every image in this gallery."

 

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Tuesday
Jul062010

Executive Portraits - Fairfax Chamber of Commerce

DateTuesday, July 6, 2010 at 10:25AM

I recently had the opportunity to photograph the staff of the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce in Vienna, VA / Tysons Corner, VA.  Jim Corcoran is the newly hired CEO for the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce.   I have known Jim for over 24 years when we were neighbors in Rosemont, PA, outside of Philadelphia. 

Jim wanted new portraits of his staff for their website and other marketing materials.  I went onsite at their Vienna, VA location and setup a portrait studio in one of their conference rooms. 

Posted by Washington, DC / Virginia Photographer - Len Spoden

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Saturday
Jun262010

Winchester VA Wedding - Catherine and Marcus

DateSaturday, June 26, 2010 at 8:39AM

It has been a hot summer for Washington, DC area weddings.  I was thinking that Winchester, VA, which is out near the Shanendoah Mountains, would be a bit cooler.  It was a bit cooler, but not much.  The wedding ceremony was outside at The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester, VA.  The area that the ceremony was held was a beautiful tree lined area that provided shade for the guests and the light breeze kept everyone very comfortable. 

As you can see from the photographs, the gardens around the museum provided for some great photo opportunniteis.  I have been blessed over my wedding photographer career with great couples.  Catherine and Marcus were no exception. 

The wedding reception was held at the George Washington Hotel in Winchester, VA.  This is a beautiful, old, historic hotel that was restored a few years ago.  Many of the guests were from out of town, so the hotel provided a great place for guests to stay after the reception.

Amy VanMeter was the event planner and did an excellent job making sure that the day went smoothly.

 

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Saturday
Jun192010

Engagement at the Jefferson Memorial

DateSaturday, June 19, 2010 at 7:15AM

This was the first time that I ever photographed a proposal of marriage.  Christian came up to me about six weeks ago when I was photographing a wedding that he was at and wanted to see if I would be interested in photographing him proposing to his girlfriend at the Jefferson Memorial some time in June.  We planned it out to meet around 1PM and I would try to hang around and be as discreet as possible as he and his girlfriend came up the Jefferson Memorial steps.  It worked out great.  I saw them coming up the stairs and I circled around  like a tourist and got into position for the big moment.  Christian also had a trumpet player come and play a couple of songs... very romantic. 

Everything happened as planned and best of all she said YES.  She  was definitely surprised.  They were supposed to be going to a Nats game in one of the luxury boxes so they were very nicely dressed.  So congratulations to Laura and Christian on their engagement.  It was fun and a privilege to be able to photograph the engagement.

Posted by Washington, DC Photographer - Len Spoden

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Saturday
Jun122010

Whitehall Manor Wedding

DateSaturday, June 12, 2010 at 6:47AM

I have photographed a number of weddings at Whitehall Manor.  It is a beautiful location with a large estate with trees surrounded by mountains and trees.  All but one of the wedding ceremonies that I photographed here have been outside.  This wedding was supposed to be outside as well.  It was around 90 degrees and very humid when I arrived at 4PM.  The ceremony was scheduled to begin at 6PM.  At around 5PM the skies let loose and when had quite the thunderstorm.  Between the dampness and the heat and humidity, it was decided to bring the wedding ceremony inside.  They did a great job getting the reception room transformed for the ceremony and the ceremony came off great and the guests were cool and dry (and so was the photographer).

The rains did let up long enough for the bridal party to take some nice photographs on the grounds.

The family and friends were great.  They were on the dance floor having a great time dancing to the live band.  Danny Wuerffel,  the 1996 Heisman Trophy winner, is the bride's cousin and was the officiant for the ceremony.  He  seemed like a great person with a wonderful family. 

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Sunday
May302010

Rockville MD Wedding

DateSunday, May 30, 2010 at 5:55PM

I was the wedding photographer for Judy and Dan's wedding at the Rockville MD Hilton. It was a beautiful wedding that was filled with great emotion and joy.  Judy and Dan are a great couple with wonderful families and friends. 

The wedding ceremony was held in the hotel's eight story atrium.  It had a beautiful long staircase that went from the hotel's lobby down to the tree filled ground floor where the ceremony took place.  A nice setting to take some great wedding photographs. 

Judy's dress was magnificent, and the bride, as you can see from the photographs, was beautiful.  They had a great wedding party that was more than glad to accommodate some of my crazy wedding party photograph ideas.

The live band did a good job at mixing up the music and keeping the wedding party alive.  Dan and Judy surprised us all, even the wedding photographer, by having the groom leap over the bride after the first dance.  Luckily I was in the right position and got the shot of the flying groom.

 

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Saturday
May292010

On Location Portrait Photography

DateSaturday, May 29, 2010 at 11:54AM

When doing on location portrait photography in the Washington, DC area, you are quite often confronted with a lot of security concerns.  This was the case when a local University ask that I photograph one of their alumni on location at the NOAA  Satellite Operations Control Center (SOCC) at Suitland, MD.  We had acquired all the necessary permissions ahead of time, but we were challenged, as we should have been, by the local security personnel.  I was allowed to photograph in one direction only because the building behind us was not allowed to be photographed.  So I made sure I had my back to that building at all times.

After it was all said and done, we had a great time during the photo shoot and the photographs came out great.


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Saturday
May292010

Grand Tremont Baltimore MD Wedding Photographs 

DateSaturday, May 29, 2010 at 11:07AM

This was the first time that I had photographed a wedding at the Grand Tremont in Baltimore, MD. What a magnificent location / hotel to photograph a wedding.  Even though Sarah and Nathan live in the Washington, DC / Northern VA area, they chose to have their wedding in Baltimore.  Once you see the venue you can understand why. 

I had the pleasure of being their engagement photographer.  We took a couple of hours and walked  around the Washington, DC National Mall area.  So I knew that Sarah and Nathan were a great couple and would be fun to be around on their wedding day. 

My assistant and I got to the venue a little early to scout the location.  Between the Grand Tremont and the church next door, there were plenty of great places to take some wedding photographs of the couple and their wedding party.  The room that the ceremony was in was wonderfully lit by large windows on the one side. 

Washington, DC wedding photographers don't get up to Baltimore very often, but this is one of the best venues I have seen for wedding photography.  Even if you live in Washington, DC, the Grand Tremont may be worth a look for your wedding.

 

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Friday
May282010

Reston VA Executive Portraits / Headshots

DateFriday, May 28, 2010 at 9:56AM

As an environmental portrait photographer I quite often get asked to take pictures of  a group of executives at their office location.  The client wants unique photographs that don't have the typical canvas background.  And BTW you have about 15 to 20 minutes with each executive.  Having never scene the office before you have to hope that there is something interesting that you can use as backdrops other than a plain wall, and if  there is  a plain wall, you have to make it look interesting.

So I went to a local business here in Reston, VA to do four executive photographs in about an hour.  I got there an hour early to scout the building and test lighting.   As usual there was the mixture of tungsten, florescent, and daylight all over the place, so I had to figure how to filter my lights to match the environment.  That day was sunny and 90 degrees, so outside would be too harsh.  At the end of the day I was able to find a lot of natural light coming through windows that looked great, and I used my lights as fill. 

The other variable you never know about is the mood of the executives.  It was at the end of the day and they can be  tired and ready to go home.  These guys  were great.  They were all very cooperative and we had a lot of fun with the photographs.   Having fun is probably the  single most important key to getting great executive portraits / headshots.   I was contracted to do four executives, but there were two additional executives there who needed their photographs taken as well.  I was having fun, we were in a groove, so I had no problem taking their photographs.

Posted by Washington, DC Photographer - Len Spoden

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Monday
May102010

Fairfax VA Wedding - Shelby and Chris

DateMonday, May 10, 2010 at 12:13PM

I had the pleasure of being Shelby and Chris's engagement photographer. We spent a couple of hours around the Washington, DC National Mall and monuments taking some great photographs of the two of them with the majestic memorials and monuments surrounding them. So I knew they were going to be a great wedding couple to photograph. They and their friends and family were great to be around all day.
   
My assistant and I started around Noon taking getting ready photos of the wedding party at the Arlington, VA Hilton. When we arrived the bridesmaids were ready to go, but the groomsman were still in their shorts drinking a few sodas while watching the Kentucky Derby telecast. Guys have it easy compared to the women when it comes to getting ready. But I prefer when the wedding party isn't ready. It is hard to take getting ready photographs if everyone is all dressed and ready to go when your arrive. Fortunately, the bride was still getting ready and that made for some great photographs. The wedding party road out to the Church, St. Leo the Great in Fairfax, VA, in style in a long white limousine.
  

It was pretty hot for May 1st, it was close to 90 degrees and humid. So we looked for some shady spots outside the church to do wedding party photographs. We made sure we kept the photograpy light and fun and do it fast so everybody could get back inside to the air conditioning. As a Virginia Wedding Photographer I have seen a lot of Churches in Northern VA. This was my first time at St. Leos. It was a big, beautiful, and bright church. A great location for wedding photography. The balcony allowed my assistant to take some photos from high and behind the main aisle as the bride and her father came down the aisle.

The wedding reception was the the Hilton Hotel in Arlington, VA near the Balston, VA area. I have photographed weddings here before. The tables were nicely decorated, and the dance floor was plenty big!!! The DJs did a great job of keeping the reception moving. One thing I liked is that these DJs didn't feel the need to turn off the lights to get people to dance. I always complain to the DJs that when they make the dance floor completely dark it makes life tough for a wedding photographer. I was there until the last dance at 10PM. Most of the guests were still around even at this late hour, so you know it was a great wedding reception.

 

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Wednesday
Apr282010

Washington DC / US Capitol Engagement Photography - Diana and Martin

DateWednesday, April 28, 2010 at 7:13PM

I had the pleasure to spend a couple of hours with a delightful couple, Diana and Martin, taking their engagement photographs about and around the US Capitol in Washington, DC.  I have taken a lot of engagement photographs in Washington, DC, but mostly around the Jefferson Memorial, and Washington Monument areas.  As a Washington, DC engagement photographer, this was the first time that I used the US Capitol as the backdrop from my engagement photographs. 

We started out over at the east side of the US Capitol where we took pictures around the newly renovated visitors entrance.  We got lucky that we were not surrounded by tourists.  We then walked around to the west side, taking pictures along the way.  I like to keep these engagement photo shoots moving and make sure we are having fun with the photography.  We covered a lot of ground and ended up with over 60 great photographs.

The couple is planning a wedding next spring in Diana's hometown in New Jersey.

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Thursday
Apr152010

Meadowlark Gardens for Family, Wedding, Engagement Photography

DateThursday, April 15, 2010 at 11:12AM

Meadowlark gardens in Vienna, VA houses 95 acres of ornamental display gardens and unique native plant collections, including more than twenty varieties of cherry trees, irises, peonies, azaleas, lilacs, an extensive shade garden, native wildflowers, and an interactive children's garden. The grounds contain 3 1/2 miles of paved walking trails, three lakes, three gazebos, a picnic area, and an historic log cabin. 

I was scouting it out for a family photography session I was planning to do there.  Depending on the time of the year, the plants and flowers can look quite different and you never have know exactly what is  going to be in bloom.  I have looked around the Washington, DC area, and other than the National Mall area with the US Capitol, Washington Monument, etc, there isn't a better place in the Washington DC, Northern VA, or Maryland area to take photographs. 

Posted by Washington DC Photographers Len Spoden Photography, LLC

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Len Spoden is a professional photographer / photojournalist based out of the Washington, DC Metropolitan area. Len is available for hire for portrait, commercial, editorial, architectural, food, people, family, engagement, wedding, advertising and corporate photography. 

The Washington DC metropolitan area includes the following areas:

Virginia Photographer, Maryland Photographer, Georgetown Photographer, Alexandria VA Photographer VA Photographer, Arlington VA Photographer, Fairfax  County VA Photographer, Loudoun County VA Photographer, Leesburg VA Photographer, Ashburn VA Photographer, Dulles VA Photographer, Reston VA Photographer, Herndon VA Photographer, VA, Great Falls Photographer VA , McLean VA Photographer, Tysons Corner VA Photographer, Springfield VA Photographer, Manassas  VA Photographer, Prince William County Virginia Photographer, Woodbridge VA Photographer, Bethesda MD Photographer , Montgomery County Maryland Photographer, Chevy Chase MD Photographer, Potomac MD Photographer, Rockville MD Photographer, Takoma Park MD Photographer, Silver Spring MD Photographer, On Location Photographer,  Outdoors Photographer, Environmental Photographer.