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The official photo blog of J. David Buerk Photography.

Daniel and Jessica: April 12th, 2014

Daniel and Jessica have a love that spans across the globe.

Jessica, who hails from South Africa, met Daniel while she was in the United States as an au pair.  After a wedding in Johannesburg, where Jessica's family and friends were able to join, the couple also held a more relaxed wedding reception in Virginia, where Daniel grew up with his family.

Daniel and Jessica are a fun couple who keep each other, and everyone, on their toes.  These two were a blast to shoot because they thrive off each other's energy, and the jokes just keep coming.  Add in Ella, Jessica's bubbly Maid of Honor (who was my lighting assistant for the day), and you had the makings for an energetic and fun wedding and portrait session.

And here's Ella, my lighting assistant for the evening...  hard at work...

Then things got a little crazy...

At the end of the night, Ella was gracious enough to catch photos of Daniel and Jessica with me.  She had been manning the Polaroid Instax all night, getting a photo of everybody in attendance for the guestbook.  Digital gets close, but I still love the color tones of film best.

Yingling Family Portraits, 2014

For many years I've had the pleasure of working with Rob on many airport events, but this weekend I had the pleasure of photographing him and his family.  It was a beautiful Spring day, with the Cherry Blossoms at their peak.  After a few portraits in front of the family's cherry tree, I took some time to get photos of the kids playing on the swingset and slides - this was fun, because with each swing I would step under the swing's path and snap a photo or two, quickly stepping out of the way before they came back down... a technique I invented on the spot, but I'm sure will come in handy again down the road!

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.