The official photo blog of J. David Buerk Photography.
Toward the end of Summer 2022 I hiked Sleepy Creek Wildlife Management Area’s Devil’s Nose in Hedgesville, West Virginia. It’s certainly not the longest, tallest, or most intensive hikes I’ve ever embarked upon, but it leads to a panoramic outcropping of rock with views of the mountains all around. The hike starts with a stream crossing, and zags up the mountain carrying you past each layer of forest ecology.
I was lucky enough to be rewarded with a few pictures of myself on the hike.
For the four years it was on, and the several years of reruns we got to enjoy, I always loved watching Discovery’s Oddities TV show, which followed the staff and antics of patrons of the Obscura Antiques & Oddities shoppe in Manhattan’s East Village. I have a love of antiques, and the grim and spooky and offbeat, and I’ve sadly never been able to make it to Obscura Antiques & Oddities (which has since closed their NYC location and shifted to online-only after the COVID-19 pandemic) so naturally when I heard about the World Oddities Expo, I made sure not to miss it!
The World Oddities Expo is apparently not the only oddities expo on the scene, but it was the first I heard about, and is one of two that visit semi-locally. The event itself wasn’t quite what I expected based on the website, but I was still very pleased - the WOE is more of a flea market than anything else. But when the vendors are offering posed taxidermy, embalming supplies, obsolete medical instruments, steampunk treasures, and relics of the spooky and supernatural, of course I’m in love.
See a few photos of some of the offerings - out of respect, I didn’t photograph everything I saw. At the end of the day, I had picked up a witchy gift for one of my best friends, an emerald green pinned butterfly in a frame for my own wall, and some smaller specimens in vials - the beginning of a collection I hope to slowly grow.
The World Oddities Expo visits the Baltimore-DC region at least once a year, and in 2025 will be here twice, and this isn’t counting other similar expos with many of the same vendors - I sadly was busy the day of 2024’s expo, but can’t wait to add to my collection in 2025!
I’m admittedly a bit behind in sharing updates on many of my recent projects, and the last session I shared was Madonna and Rubin’s Fall Portrait Session when the leaves were in peak color; I think it’s fitting that the next update (and first post of 2023) is also with Madonna and Rubin as Spring sets in.
Spring brings bright colors, so what better way to celebrate the announcement that Madonna and Rubin are now expecting a baby girl this Summer! We had a blast being artistic with colored smoke bombs, and the pairing cannot be more excited to welcome their new baby girl into the world. She even has a pair of baby Crocs awaiting her to go adventuring with her excited and loving parents!
This was everyone’s first time playing with smoke bombs, and I have to say, religiously checking the weather was key and instrumental in ensuring the pictures came out as great as they did. This day still had a bit more wind than I had wanted, but March is traditionally a rainy, windy month, so you do the best you can. The smoke bombs were cooperative for the most part, but they weren’t without a few bloopers.
You might remember Madonna and Rubin from their spectacular travel themed engagement at the Dulles Airport gate where they met, or more recently Donna’s graduation portraits from George Mason University (Go Patriots!). This Fall they took a stroll with me through Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria, Virginia to take in the Autumn colors at their peak and occasionally cuddle up (or get in a leaf fight after carrying one another). The sun made for an unseasonably warm day, but it fit the feeling, because it’s clear just spending a few moments with Rubin and Donna that they both married their best friend.
As the sun set, and we were just a few short days from Halloween, Rubin got spoopy on the return hike.
It had been a relaxing day, and I’d once again lived up to Rubin’s famous quote about me: “I’m pretty sure David’s face just looks like a camera.”
On Halloween two years ago I captured family photos of Latoya and her kids playing in the Fall leaves; little did I know this session would lead to capturing Shawn pop the question.
A few months ago I got a message on Instagram… that was automatically thrown to the abyss of my Spam folder. It wasn’t for several weeks while blocking the latest batch of scambots that I finally saw it, and immediately responded (NOTE: If you’re reading this and want to reach me, emailing me is the most reliable way to contact me). Shawn had seen the Fall family photos I’d shot in 2020 and kept me in mind, and now he was forming a plan to ask Latoya to marry him. After a bit of brainstorming we got a plan in place, and now the hard part was just keeping cool until it was time.
The day of, Shawn played it super cool, but in truth his adrenaline was pumping with eagerness; like me, Shawn loves cars, and spends a lot of time at racetracks photographing events, so to keep his cover deep he even posted on Instagram and even called Latoya from an active (loud) racetrack so she wouldn’t even consider him being in the area. Latoya’s family had been organized by an insider to gather at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens for family portraits which they haven’t had in years - nobody knew what they were about to witness.
I met with Shawn at the garden an hour before everyone else started arriving to walk him through the plan on-site and get him planted in his hiding spot a short sprint around the corner from where I’d stage pictures. Leaving him to lay low and relax, I returned to the Visitor’s Center to welcome family as they began arriving. Latoya was one of the first to arrive, and while waiting was even asking me about my wedding photography and camera straps, “for a friend;” I played it cool and answered earnestly, but inside was smirking, “a ‘friend’ hmm?”
Once everyone was gathered, I lead the group of 15 down to the pond bridge for small groupings before the full group photo at a later location; this was exactly to plan, and also wasn’t untrue. At the bridge, I asked what group wanted to go first on the bridge, and Latoya immediately volunteered herself and the kids; she was making my job easier than she knew.
After a few photos of Latoya with the kids, I suggested we get some solos as well, and gave our insider a nod to give Shawn the signal he was up. As I was “adjusting settings” and “framing up the shot” I captured Shawn sneak up and even get down on one knee behind Latoya without her noticing; when I prompted her to change posing, she spotted Shawn with a scream of shock and disbelief. You can see how utterly surprised she was when she looks back at me (and her family equally as surprised watching over my shoulder) as if to say, “is this really happening?!?!?”
Needless to say, she said yes!
After wrapping up with some family photos, Latoya and Shawn took a small tour of the botanical gardens walking on clouds after becoming engaged.
