by Jason Dixson -

Jessica and Tim’s Engagement

When Jessica and Tim approached me a few weeks ago about photographing their wedding and engagement photos I was both honored and excited!

We decided that an outdoor shoot (before summer got its heatwave on) was ideal for the engagement shoot. The engagement shoot took place at Kalorama Park (which has special significance for them) and the Spanish Steps just west of Dupont. There was even an awesome mural that Jess and Tim found near Kalorama Park that really made the photos pop!

These two are such a fun and easy going couple! I think the photos really reflect their personalities and their desire to have relaxed, casual portraits taken. I had a blast photographing them both—they were natural with the camera and provided comic relief the entire time!

by Jason Dixson -

Sneak Peak: Photo shoot with Saphonia

My awesome friend Saphonia is in town from NYC and yesterday we took some shots for our portfolios. Lucky for me she’s extremely photogenic—the pictures practically took themselves!

There are plenty of other shots, but for now here’s a sneak peak.

The shots were taken around 6:30pm, which is usually a little too early in the afternoon for this time of year, with the sun still high in the sky. Fortunately it was slightly overcast and the ambient light was perfect (we didn’t have to worry about harsh lighting). Depending on the shot, I used a combination of multiple strobes or just a single stobe through a shoot through umbrella.

by Jason Dixson -

Portraits of the 2012 Cafritz Award Winners

Tonight is the award ceremony for the 2012 Cafritz Awards for Distinguished DC Government Employees, administered by the George Washington University Center for Excellence in Public Leadership.  I’ve spent the better part of the last month filming and editing interviews with the award winners and their colleagues at a variety of venues including a high school, public library, office building, public recreation center, and fire house.

The experience was incredibly rewarding, with the countless hours filming and editing resulting in five short films focused on the amazing work of these DC public servants.  Their stories are an inspiration and illustrate the amazing things that are done in the municipal government every day.

For me, one of the coolest aspects of the project was photographing their portraits for the award ceremony materials and website.  With their work places differing so much, it gave me a (sometimes challenging) opportunity to do something interesting with them in their workplace.  Below is a small sample of the shots that I took.  They really range depending on the environment.  Mixing off-camera flash with ambient light led to some dramatic shots (José at the bottom is a good example of this).

I’ll post the videos of interviews once they play at the ceremony tonight, but for now enjoy the portraits.

Christopher Holmes, Sergeant, District of Columbia Fire and EMS Department

 

Tameka Borges (and daughter), Recreation Specialist, DC Parks and Recreation

 

Marcia Harrington, Supervisory Education Specialist, DC Public Library Adult Literacy Resource Center

 

Jerry Crayton, Dean of Students, Cardozo Senior High School

 

José Colón, IT Software & GIS Manager, District Department of Transportation

 

by Jason Dixson -

Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Memorial Day Gathering in DC

Happy Memorial Day, especially to those who have served to protect our nation’s freedoms.  Yesterday was the Rolling Thunder 25th Anniversary “Ride for Freedom.”  Hundreds of thousands of bikers/veterans gathered at 7am at the Pentagon parking lots and revved up their engines at 12 noon, riding to the Vietnam War/Korean War Memorial area to pay tribute to the fallen or missing in action, and to connect with comrades old and new.

The hogs were loud and the sun was blaring, that that didn’t stop the masses from gathering along Washington Blvd, the Memorial Bridge, and the National Mall to welcome the seemingly endless procession of motorcyclists/veterans.

Speaking to a number of biker-veterans as well as observing from a distance, this was clearly a very emotional day for many, but still a day of joy and celebration as the organization is a close knit brotherhood.  I struck a conversation with two biker-veterans (both in their 50’s or 60’s) that were walking together and asked them how long they had known each other, given that one was from North Carolina and the other was from Arizona.  They responded that they had just met that day, and that it was common for folks to meet for the first time at a Rolling Thunder gathering and feel a strong bond, just as if they had known each other their whole lives.

This camaraderie truly came across as everyone was friendly as could be—Especially as I asked them if I could photograph their bikes, cuts (the vests they wear), or just them.

Learn more about Rolling Thunder and their commitment to raise awareness around prisoners of war and soldiers missing in action.

 

by Jason Dixson -

Business of Fashion Networking Event

Yesterday was the Business of Fashion Networking Event at The Rooftop Rockville, hosted by Red Hue Boutique.  It was a lot of fun and the models were pretty fabulous, as were the designs.  Everyone really had a great time and there needs to be more fantastic events like this one.  Great job to all the models, Red Hue, Joel Castillo, and everyone else who put the event on!

Below are a few shots from the evening, but more shots can be seen on the Facebook album for the event!