A.E.LANDES PHOTOBLOG

With the dog, our pack of Surly Bikes, Washington as our backdrop, and an open schedule, we set out to photograph Stephanie and Justin doing the things the love together. Steph came packing with a lot of ideas and amazingly cut out banners and signs, and we got to play with them all. Bright winter sun and a warm breeze made the shooting a lot of fun, as we were able to work with shadows, silhouettes, and lighting that wouldn’t be there if it were cloudy. We shot all morning and early afternoon, and enjoyed some Bloody Marys over a late lunch to make the day complete.

Kendra and Mike – what a fun couple! We headed down to Georgetown’s Waterfront and hung out under the bridges. Lots of graffiti and bright clouds made the spring colors around the happy couple really *pop* with life… The post-processing was a real joy as well, as each photo had lots of colors and contrast to bring out in the final images. I will be photographing Kendra and Mike’s wedding later next month, and we had a great time goofing off and getting great images, so I am sure that their wedding is going to be amazing.

Check out Kendra and Mike’s Engagement Session Gallery here.

I was recruited a few months ago to photograph the Beautiful You Conference being held in Washington, DC. Among other things, it is predominantly about ending human trafficking both here and abroad – such a great mission! Simone volunteered to be the shining face for the conference’s promotional images, and with the help of a great makeup and support staff, the images came out better than any of us expected. Her looks are magical, and despite the Arctic temperatures, we got the sparklers lit and had some fun posing in the streets. Enjoy the gallery!

Check out Simone’s Portraits for the 2011 Beautiful You Conference!

I had the pleasure of recently photographing the great people at West Arete Computing in State College, PA. The parameters were simple – they were looking for straightforward photos of everyone with three different backgrounds, and with a slight duo-tone color treatment to match their new company website in development and correspondence. I kept everything fairly tight in composition, so they would look great viewed at a smaller size.

Here is a link to see the rest of West Arete’s Company Portraits.

Salsa the Dog loves Freeze Thaw’s new BPA-free waterbottles! I recently got done photographing the crew at Freeze Thaw Cycles showing off their new threads and gear, and we got some really great photos despite Arctic temperatures and my frozen trigger finger! I guess it wasn’t so bad… Jordyn and Clay braved it in cycling shorts. I always find an excuse to check out their amazing shop in downtown State College. So much bike-bling and bike-knowledge, it’s hard to stay focused.

Check out the Freeze Thaw’s Product Gallery here.

Oh my! Christmas at the Willard Hotel in DC is in a class of its own. After photographing the Beautiful You’s Christmas Tea at one of Willard’s ballrooms, a few friends and I headed down to the lobby for some shots using the fleeting afternoon light. Big and bright, the horizontal columns of sunshine gave us some interesting shapes and highlights among the lavish decor. Even though I was mentally exhausted, we got some really nice shots – these ladies know how to work it. I was especially happy with the silhouette – a bit dark/mysterious, but I love Ashlynn’s pose.

Check out the rest of the Gallery of the DC Ladies at the Willard Hotel.

Melissa and Joe have it down – between running marathons and Joe’s healthy mountain bike obsession, they have two beautiful kids that made my job as a photographer very easy. We set out on the National Mall and just had some fun in the bright, fall leaves surrounding the WWII Memorial and checking out the bridged island nearby. The sun and leaves played so well with the family, it was a chore picking out the very best photos from our session. Enjoy the gallery of images!

Here is Melissa and Joe’s Fall Family Portrait Gallery.

I flipped out when I found out these two were just dating, but to find out that Matt dropped the knee and put a ring on Roxanne made my week. I met Matt and Roxanne separately at two very different times of my life, and I never would have thought that they would meet and eventually get married. Matt shares my love of Rwanda and cycling, and Roxanne is one of those fun people who brightens your day. Needless to say, their engagement pictures share a lot about their personalities and love for each other.

Here is a link to Roxanne and Matt’s Engagement Gallery.

Bright sun and an ‘unsprung’ field turned into a great setting for shooting some portraits of a long-time friend, Kate. Don’t be fooled – we did have to break out the reflector to lighten up some shadows, but really sometimes you just have to go with what you have for weather and settings. We just needed a few nice professional shots, and then we moved onto a bit more spontaneous poses.

Check out Kate’s Portrait Session here!

Paul contacted me with a fairly unusual (and hugely creative!) way of proposing to his now fiance, Audrey. After photographing them, some surprise pictures around Eastern Market and formal shots of them around the snowed-in monuments were then assembled into a small book and finalized by Paul. The hand-picked collection ended with a picture of Paul knelt down with a beautiful ring… Let me tell you, Paul set the standard high for proposal ideas.

Check out some of their images here: Audrey and Paul’s Proposal Photobook.