My Daughter (My Model) Photo Shoot

My daughter, Amanda, was home for holiday break from the University of Virginia.  I was looking to practice some different lighting setups and I thought what better way to do it than to get some beautiful pictures of my daughter while I am working/practicing. 

All the photos were shot in our home and in the woods outside our house.  It was one of those Indian Summer days where the temperature got to 60 degrees.

Posted by VA Photographer - Len Spoden

Engagment Photographs at the Jefferson Memorial

Amanda and Kyle are college students in their senior year at Gallaudet University in Washington DC and are getting married next June and wanted to take some engagement photographs around the Jefferson Memorial. It was late in the afternoon and the sun was low and warm, perfect light for photography.  We stayed long enough so we could get some nice photographs just  as the sun was setting.

Posted by Washington, DC Photographer Len Spoden

Washington DC Wedding - JW Marriott - St Aloysius Gonzaga Church

Maybe I should title this wedding the Notre Dame University / Irish wedding.  The bride and groom are both graduates of Notre Dame University and many of the bridal party members were also alumni of Notre Dame.  They played Michigan that evening so we had to make sure we had things wrapped up in time for the after party reception around the big screen to watch the game. 

This was the first wedding I had photographed at the JW Marriott in Washington, DC.  Their bridal suite was beautiful and made for some very nice  photographs.  The ceremony was held at St Aloysius Church in Washington, DC and from their we went down a few blocks to the US Capitol and the Washington Monument for some nice bridal party photographs. 

Washington DC Wedding

Malini and Anthony were married on a beautiful August weekend in Washington, DC.  As a photographer here in the Washington, DC area, I am always excited about using our beautiful city as a backdrop for some wonderful photographs.  As you can see from some of the photographs, this was a pretty large wedding party.   The couple rented a very nice, air-conditioned, limo / van with plenty of refreshments that drove us around the city and dropping us off at various landmarks such as the US Capitol and Washington Monument.

Malini and Anthony are a wonderful couple and were a pleasure to be around for the day. 

Bethesda, MD Wedding - We Are Penn State

Jamie and Sean got married on June 4th at the Concord-St Andrews United Methodist Church in Bethesda, MD.  Their reception was held at Bretton Woods in Germantown MD. I had the pleasure to shoot their engagement photographs last fall at Meadowlark Gardens in Vienna, VA.  Jamie is a fellow Penn State University Alumni and many of her bridesmaids were sorority sisters.  It was a beautiful wedding on a great spring day in the Washington, DC area. 

Great Couple, Great Family, Great Friends ... Great Wedding!

Family Photography Charity Event

I was asked a couple of months ago by a friend of mine if I could donate my time as a Virginia Family Photographer to take some photos of families who would donate the sitting fee to help a family whose young daughter was undergoing treatment for brain cancer.  We setup shop at the Lyon Park Community Center in Arlington, VA.  I photographed five families over a period of about three hours.  It was a great time and a great cause.  Here are a few photographs from those sessions.

Washington DC / Lincoln Memorial Proposal / Engagement Photo Shoot

This was the second time in a year when I have been asked to photograph the actual proposal ceremony of a couple on the National Mall in Washington, DC.  This time the proposal  was in front of the Lincoln Memorial on New Years Eve.  Kirby got down on one knee at approximately 3:20PM, Lindsey was geniunely shocked and delighted.  SHE SAID YES! 

One of the best things about photographing a proposal in a public place with lots of tourists is to watch their reaction to the engagement/propoal.  After she said yes, we walked around the Lincoln Memorial for about 10 minutes and took a few of the photographs you see below.  A great way to end 2010 and kickoff 2011.

 

   

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Grand Tremont Baltimore MD Wedding Photographs

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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