13th Annual Cafritz Awards: Photos and Video

Last week I finished video and photography for the 13th Annual Cafritz Awards for Distinguished DC Government Employees, hosted by the Cafritz Foundation and the Center for Excellence in Public Leadership (CEPL). I’ve been working on production for the Cafritz Awards for several years now, and each year it’s a very rewarding and humbling experience, as some of DC’s finest government employees are recognized for their remarkable contributions to making this city a better place.

This year’s Cafritz Awards ceremony was June 4th, but my end of the process began months earlier right after the winners and finalists were selected, and filming and photography began to document their stories. I photographed headshots of each of the finalists and captured a series of portraits of each of the award winners, both of which were published in the program book. The longest part of the production process was the filming and editing of five short videos for each award winner, documenting the story of their major contributions to the city.

Each of these finalists and winners are inspiring people and serve as true role models to everyone in public service. To learn about their stories, you can view the short films I produced at this link.

Here are some of the portraits used in the Cafritz Awards program book:

13th Annual Cafritz Award Winners and Mr. Calvin Cafritz
Cafritz Award Winner Tonya Faust Mead
Cafritz Award Winner John Thomas
Cafritz Award Winner Beatrice Williar
Cafritz Award Winner Allam Al-Alami
Cafritz Award Winner Natalie Mayers

Here are some shots from the June 4th award ceremony:

Image from the June 4th Cafritz Awards ceremony
Image from the June 4th Cafritz Awards ceremony
Image from the June 4th Cafritz Awards ceremony
Image from the June 4th Cafritz Awards ceremony
Image from the June 4th Cafritz Awards ceremony
Image from the June 4th Cafritz Awards ceremony
Calvin Cafritz, President of the Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation

Some shots of the beautiful program book with my photos that the team at CEPL and their graphic design firm put together:


I've been shooting professionally since 2009—ever since I bought my first DSLR and realized I love making images. Since then, photography has been nothing short of a passion for me. Regardless of what I'm shooting or who I'm shooting it for, it's important to me that my client is satisfied and feels that the photos represent them in the best possible light. Making a photo is a personal experience. That's why I do what it takes to make sure that my subjects' personalities shine through an image—whether it's a portrait, corporate headshot, fashion line, music festival, family photo, or product shot, every image is sincere and true to self. A little more about me: I'm a Californian, born and raised. I grew up in L.A. before moving to the Bay Area to attend undergraduate and graduate school at UC Berkeley. My interests in policy and photography brought me to Washington, DC where I'm currently living and loving it. Outside of photography, I love dark beers and new gadgets. My studio is in the neighborhood of Columbia Heights, near Adams Morgan. I'm always excited to talk about photography and work with new people. If you want to chat or get a price quote, drop me a line through the contact form and let's get started.