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The official photo blog of J. David Buerk Photography.

Katie's Cars and Coffee: April 19th, 2014

A lovely, pre-Easter day at Katie's!  Last weekend I was unfortunately unable to attend, due to four consecutive photoshoots - what an insane weekend!  It was nice to just relax and spot some cars today.  There was an amazing turnout, with the weather finally warmed back up for good.

There is no piano because it's not a Marina.

This blog post has been republished onto Oppositelock by J. David Buerk.  For the full set of photos, view the album at his Facebook Page. All photography is by J. David Buerk, and is copyrighted All Rights Reserved.

Etihad at Children's National: Dream a Little Dream

This past Friday, April 11th, Etihad Airways, alongside several other partners, unveiled the Etihad Airways Room at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington DC.  Etihad Airways’ Chief People and Performance Officer Ray Gammell was joined by UAE Ambassador to the United States, His Excellency Yousef Al Otaiba, President and Chief Executive Officer of Children’s National, Kurt Newman, MD, and Fox News anchor Bret Baier, a member of the Children’s Hospital Foundation Board.

The unveiling took place in Children's National's Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation after a tour of the Cardiac ICU, where Etihad Airways also gave funding for additional hospital rooms.

The Etihad Airways "Flying Nannies" also flew in to Children's National, paying a visit to entertain some of the hospital's young patients.  Each Etihad flight has an onboard "Flying Nanny" available to help entertain children during the flight.  Nannies are specially trained and certified by Norland, and have a busy bag for children.  Kids can enjoy coloring, origami, face paining, and even more with the Etihad Flying Nannies.

Due to patient confidentiality, I am only able to release Etihad's Official Press Release photograph I took of the Flying Nannies.

The events in the morning were only a precursor to Children's National's annual "Dream a Little Dream" Fundraiser Ball at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, DC, that evening.  Almost 1,000 guests, including National Security Adviser, Susan Rice (D), Chicago Mayor, Rahm Emanuel (D), and the Saudi Ambassador to the US, Adel Al Jubeir, and other congressmen, senators, and celebrities, were welcomed by video introductions from Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, and First Lady Michelle Obama.  Speakers included Kurt Newman, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Children’s National, House Majority Leader, Eric Cantor (R), and His Excellency Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the United States.  The glamorous evening began with dinner, personally cooked by Wolfgang Puck himself.

After dinner, the fundraising auction began.  Bret Baier, anchor for Fox News Channel and member of the Children’s Hospital Foundation Board, conducted the auction with the help of Norah O’Donnell, co-anchor of CBS This Morning.

The auction was kicked off with a black labrador puppy - the only description was "AWWWW!!!"  Other auction items included Two Diamond First Class tickets on Etihad Airways, tickets to the Kennedy Center Honors, and tickets to tapings of American Idol and The Voice.

All auction proceeds went directly to Children's National.

Another item auctioned was a Lorraine Schwartz bracelet, necklace, and earrings, designed for and worn by Beyoncé.  The jewelry was co-designed by Jozlyn Miller, a 12 year old patient of Children's, who modeled and was on hand to help Bret Baier conduct the auction.

Upon winning the jewelry, Jho Low surprised Jozlyn by asking her to keep and enjoy the jewelry, and also donated an additional $100,000 to Children's National on top of the jewelry's purchase price.

The evening concluded with a surprise performance by singer and actress Jennifer Hudson, which I was unfortunately unable to photograph due to licensing agreements with Ritz-Carlton.

Overall, the fundraising event raised a record $10.7 million, all of which directly benefits Children's National.

This was the fifth time I have photographed for Etihad Airways, and it is always nice to catch up with some familiar faces I have come to know over the past year.  I have photographed Regina and Jekaterina at every Etihad event I have attended to-date.  It's so great having friends and fans all over the globe!

My photography has been used for press release, and has been featured in several news outlets.  I have been informed that The Washington Diplomat is also writing a story featuring my photography, due out next week.

March, 2014 GEM Awardees

This morning's GEM Award Ceremony recognized three selfless acts of kindness taking place at Dulles this March.  This is Zandra Carmichael and Karen Brody.

Chris Browne, Dulles' Airport Manager, also recognized Bob O'Roark, presenting him with a framed print of my photo of Dulles' Main Terminal.  Bob has been at Dulles for 49 years; almost from Dulles' beginning.  Congratulations Bob on many years of service!

Travelers Aid at Washington Dulles International Airport also celebrated National Volunteer Week this week.

Matt and Amber: The Proposal

Matt's plans to propose to Amber has been in the works for quite some time.  Since Matt lives in DC, and Amber in Alabama, the two frequently travel to spend time with one another; proposing at the airport, where they have spent so much time in order to see each other, only seemed fitting.  The inspiration came to Matt as an aircraft flew low overheard at work one day; Matt's plan began to take shape when he sent an email to Dulles Airport asking for help to surprise Amber at her arrival gate.

Thanks to some wonderful individuals at Dulles, a small team quickly formed, as everyone, myself included, was eager to help Matt blow Amber away.  As Amber boarded her flight from Alabama, Matt was being escorted through Dulles' security and taken to the B Concourse AeroTrain station to get the surprise set up.

See the full photo set here, using the password provided by Matt and Amber.

As a boombox was set up blasting Matt and Amber's favorite Jason Aldean song, a small crowd of spectators began to gather to watch the upcoming proposal.

The plan was for Amber to come down the escalator and spot Matt at the base, before she turned to board the AeroTrain.

Dulles was specifically tracking Amber's flight.  While she was in the air, Matt left her a text to be received when she touched down; he made her think he might even be late to pick her up... sneaky sneaky!

As time passed waiting for Amber's flight, Matt was interviewed, and left a personal message for Amber.  The entire event was filmed from multiple angles, made stealthily possible thanks to iPhones and iPads.

The airport had individuals at Amber's gate tracking the flight, who were in constant communication with me.  As I received updates, I relayed them to Matt.  He was doing fine until I informed him that her flight's arrival was slightly delayed; that's when the butterflies fluttered...

...but those butterflies turned to anticipation when her flight was on the ground, and he received a text from her.

As soon as she exited the aircraft, several airport representatives began tailing Amber and relaying updates to my earpiece.  The airport is a huge place, with many routes to take leading to the same location.  Airport representatives tracked Amber's movements throughout the terminal, and indicated to me when I should cue Matt at the escalator.

We even had individuals standing by to divert her in the event she tried to take the elevator, or take the walkback tunnel.  Luckily, none of those plans had to be pursued!

It was at this time that I received rapid updates - As Amber approached the escalator, I got my first momentary glimpse of her from my hiding spot in a stairwell.

After a few moments losing line of sight, she appeared as she descended the escalator.  I motioned for Matt to come out from his hiding spot, and the plan unfolded...

...but Amber was too busy texting about how their Jason Aldean song "was randomly playing at the airport."  She was so distracted, she almost walked right past Matt!

This next photo is something really special - it's the very last moment before Matt proposes to Amber.  Matt's hand is in his pocket, pulling out the ring.  She is so caught up with Matt, she doesn't realize she is on camera.

The rest requires no words...

And from that moment forward, their lives were forever changed.

Matt then presented Amber with a T Shirt welcoming her to his family, and shared chocolate and champagne.

As Matt and Amber descended to the AeroTrain, the newly engaged couple was welcomed with cheering and ovation by passengers and employees alike.

Even back at Baggage Claim, Amber was still in shock.

After collecting Amber's bag, it was time for Matt and Amber to depart Dulles and enjoy their first night as an engaged couple.

To top it all off, Fox News in both Washington, DC, and Dothan, Alabama caught and reported the engagement story, featuring my photography!  Check out the clip of Fox 5 News (Washington, DC) below!

Thank you, to Kenny at Fox 5 News, for kindly contacting me regarding this story!

The National Cherry Blossom Festival at Dulles

In April of 2012, Washington Dulles International Airport celebrated the National Cherry Blossom Festival by lighting up the historic Main Terminal Building in pink uplighting throughout DC's Spring celebration's three week duration.  This new tradition has been reignited in 2014, made notable by the ongoing restoration work to the airport's original Air Traffic Control Tower, obscured by scaffolding similar to the Washington Monument in 2013.

I shot the pink illuminated Terminal in 2012, and again this year from the same position, plus a few new spots by request.  But first, I got some spectacular shots as the sun set.  This image is the closest I have come to date to getting the stereotypical jet-silhouette-against-the-sun shot I have wanted since I began shooting... and it is of a very suitable aircraft - Lufthansa's 747-8i, which I covered its inaugural flight in 2012 as well.

While this location isn't a good spot to view aircraft movements, it is the best publicly accessible overlook of the airport's Main Terminal and ramps, which has made it a well known staple to local photo / aviation enthusiasts.

The sun finally set, and the lights gradually blanketed the Main Terminal in a soft pink.  The effect is achieved with large plastic color gels covering the 5000K up-lights alongside the Departures Level guardrail.  In 2012, the first year anything like this was even attempted, the pink effect was plagued by melting gels, however this year higher quality gels are being used, and heat is a problem of the past, with the added benefit of a richer pink color than previously.

Does any of this sound familiar, you photographers out there?

These next two are the official Press Release photos.  You can see spots in the first photo which look like dead pixels, but they are actually aircraft on approach.

As I walked along the Departures Level to get close-up photos from beneath the Terminal, I coincidentally ran into TCO Moore, who I previously photographed last month.  Here is the portrait I shot for his recent Going the Extra Mile Award, which I apparently forgot to blog.

Like most press photos, the photos were needed short-notice, so I hand delivered them the next morning while taking care of a few other things at Dulles.  While there the next day, I stopped by MWAA's Shop 1, where maintenance continually takes place behind the scenes to keep Dulles' fleet of Plane Mates and Mobile Lounges operating and serving passengers.  This is an unseen side of Dulles, but it is vital to the airports ongoing function.

Since the AeroTrain's opening in 2010, Mobile Lounge need and use has dropped dramatically, however there are some functions for which these fascinating behemoths are still required.  All arriving international passengers are transported to the International Arrivals Building for customs processing via Plane Mate, and there are a number of concourse areas which are not serviced by the AeroTrain, so Mobile Lounges are still utilized.  Additionally, Plane Mates are used to transport passengers to and from aircraft parked on hardstands.

While Plane Mates are colloquially known as Mobile Lounges, at Dulles, Mobile Lounge typically refers only to the Bud Lounges original and unique to the airport, which have driver cabs on both the front and back, whereas Plane Mate refers only to the lounges as seen below, easily distinguished by the extendable canopy, and "shark fins" which house the screw-lifts to raise and lower the lounge's height.