Cutie pie’s third birthday
From Laura Elizabeth Pohl on Vimeo. Song “Sweet Darlin’” by She & Him.
More Martina + Ben
Hooray for the recently-engaged couple! Their first set of engagement pictures is here.
Thanksgiving
My niece is still learning how to catch.
Sweet vegetarian turkeys!
Black Friday at Prime Outlets in Williamsburg. My Mom wanted to be one of the first 500 people who showed up in pajamas (and waited in line – we were at the back) in order to receive a voucher for a free gift bag. So we waited from 10 pm until midnight and…..
…..we were the last two people to receive vouchers! I was number 500.
The last six people in line.
Martina + Ben preview
My dear friend Martina and her fiancé Ben got engaged last month! I felt incredibly honored when they asked me to take their engagement pictures. These two were game for pretty much anything during our shoot around downtown Norfolk, Va., on Sunday.
Me: “Ummm…would you mind standing a little closer to the edge of the dock? Yes….a little more….that’s better….”
Martina: “How about I pretend I’m pushing Ben into the river?”
Me: “Perfect!”
I kid, of course. But not by much! More pictures to come soon….
Samantha + John get hitched!
One of the first things you notice about Samantha and John is how much they make each other smile and laugh. We’re talking constant smiles and laughter! This, of course, made it an extra-special joy to photograph their wedding at the gorgeous Tabard Inn in Washington DC yesterday.
Samantha and John are the kind of confident, laid-back people who don’t let much get them down, which is why the rain on their wedding day didn’t bother them. They’re also the kind of people who are up for anything, which is how we ended up riding the carousel on the National Mall on a rainy Saturday afternoon. John walked up to the ticket guy, who looked up and around and said, “Brides always ride free”–as if he’d seen this hundreds of times before. But it was the first time for us and apparently the first time for a couple dozen amused tourists who snapped pictures of Samantha and John. The ride was so much fun! I admit I got dizzy, but it was worth it.
Thanks, Samantha and John, for allowing me to document the start of your marriage! I hope you two have an awesome honeymoon. See you when you return to DC!
Happy 10th anniversary to the Van Der Kims!
For my friends’ 10th wedding anniversary, I shot family portraits for them. What a beautiful bunch!
Women Photojournalists of Washington exhibit during FotoWeek DC
The photographs in this slideshow are part of “Launch,” the Women Photojournalists of Washington‘s 2nd annual juried exhibit. (Can you guess which picture is mine? Hint: it’s kind of a patriotic photograph.) If you’re in the DC area, be sure to come to our opening reception at Honfleur Gallery on Saturday, November 7, right at the start of FotoWeek DC.
Family history: Dad
Last month my parents cleaned out my grandpa’s house in Missouri and found a few sets of my Dad’s childhood clothing in perfect condition. What a dapper kid!
I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll still not be able to blow your (solar) house down
BeauSoleil, the University of Louisiana-Lafayette’s entry into the Solar Decathlon competition in Washington DC
Imagine a completely self-sufficient house strong enough to withstand another Hurricane Katrina. Students at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette did imagine it — and then built it with locally-available materials and solar technology. This year their house — named BeauSoleil, “sunshine” in Cajun French — is part of the Solar Decathlon competition in Washington DC, where it is on display with 19 other 100% solar-run homes built by university students from around the world.
According to a recent survey commissioned by the Solar Energy Industries Association, 92% of Americans think it’s important for the United States to develop solar technologies. About half are currently thinking of adding solar options to their homes or businesses. This means homes like the BeauSoleil potentially have a market in the U.S.
Gretchen Lacombe-Vanicor, the BeauSoleil team project manager, told a crowd waiting to tour the home that every student who helped design BeauSoleil felt a strong, personal attachment to the project: they’re all Louisiana natives and many experienced Katrina. Building a home that would still be standing after a Category 5 hurricane was of tantamount importance to them, she said. Also important? Using locally-available materials, such as cypress wood, running the home on solar power (39 solar panels, to be exact) and creating a home design that reflected Cajun culture’s emphasis on family, friends and food (gumbo, to be exact.)
I visited the BeauSoleil with a friend on Saturday, and while the building and design are beautiful, I wonder how feasible the house is as a mass-produced home. The BeauSoleil website says this home would cost between $120,00o to $150,000. That’s not bad but the house is small at under 800 square feet (per Solar Decathlon rules) and felt even smaller due to inefficient use of space. Despite several windows that faced south, the BeauSoleil was not bright. Even if a potential consumer were incredibly motivated to buy a 100% solar-powered home, the University of Louisiana-Lafayette team would likely have to make a few changes to the house for it to be marketable.
The BeauSoleil and other Solar Decathlon homes will be open for free tours again from Oct. 15-18.
Inside the BeauSoleil
People touring the BeauSoleil look up at the ceiling. My friend Bobbie DiPasquale is in the center of the picture.
Cajun welcome mat
Small flower and herb garden built into the BeauSoleil’s siding
The BeauSoleil reflected in a pool of plants indigenous to Louisiana
Note: A slightly different version of this post also appears on the Planet Forward-George Washington University blog page.
Family History: Mom
Many years ago, my Mom and Sister Chrispina were postulants at a convent in Seoul. Now Sister Chrispina is studying English in Washington DC, not far from my house. “What was my Mom like when she was younger?” I asked her. “Your Mom always said she wanted to fly, like this, with her arms,” said Sister Chrispina. “She wanted to fly all around the world!” It seemed an impossible dream at the time, coming as my Mom did from a poor family in a country still recovering from war. But my Mom has been around the world many times over. So has Sister Chrispina. This past weekend, they met for the first time in seven years. I hope they have many more opportunities to strengthen their friendship while Sister Chrispina is in the United States.
Airports around the world
Shenyang, China
What I love about an airport is knowing I could end up anywhere in the world from there. Sometimes, on my way to my gate, I stop and read the departure monitors. I like imagining where I would travel if I weren’t heading to my current destination: “Buenos Aires would be fun; I’ve never been there. Cleveland would be like another world. Plus I could visit the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame. Oooooh – Singapore! I could visit Sooz and Barry. Well, maybe next year. I should go to my gate now.”
The second thing I love about an airport is watching the people. Before 9/11 kept non-passengers from going to airline gates, I used to hang out at National Airport in Washington DC and watch people walk out of those tubular disembarking hallways and into their loved ones’ arms. Or not. Sometimes people came out, looked around for someone who wasn’t there and walked out to the main terminal halls. Budding writer that I was, I wrote down descriptions of these reunions (or non-reunions) and built short story scenes around what I saw.
In the past couple months I’ve spent a lot of time in airports. Which means I’ve also taken a lot of pictures in airports: the people, the buildings, the atmosphere. Some airports are like art museums, with sculptures and paintings and light displays (I’m thinking Detroit.) Some airports are like shopping malls, with people milling about the duty-free stores, picking out chocolates and perfumes and trinkets they don’t really need (I’m thinking Seoul-Incheon and London Heathrow.) It’s all incredibly fascinating. And so I’ve decided to start a photo essay on airports. Looking at the photographs I’ve posted, it seems that right now I’m interested in the architecture and the color in airports but I don’t really have a theme or an idea where this will lead me. We’ll see.
Detroit, USA
Detroit, USA
Seoul-Incheon, South Korea
Washington DC, USA
Candace and Steve’s wedding in Newport News
This past Saturday I had the pleasure of shooting Candace and Steve’s fantastic wedding in Newport News, Va. It was the first traditional, African-American wedding I’ve ever photographed, but I don’t have any pictures of the broom-jumping ceremony. Or the laughter after the groom’s father’s speech. Or the moment the groom broke down during the vows. It’s OK, though, because I was the designated video shooter. My friend Sean Holder (whom I met on the Project Bangladesh trip) and his second shooter Brandon Cordon did the heavy lifting for still photography. I did manage to squeeze in a few frames, however, so here they are. Enjoy!
Pink expolosion at Yemi Hanbok factory in Yanji, China
I’ve already posted several photos of the hanbok dyeing room at Yemi Hanbok in China, but here are a few more from that shoot. The wonderful window light and beautiful color hypontized me. It was like a fluorescent cotton candy machine exploded over half the room. I felt like I was in a cartoon, though in a cartoon I wouldn’t have to worry about becoming pink myself (you know, pink is not my favorite color at all). And I imagine a cartoon wouldn’t have such poor ventilation and toxic fumes. I never felt so jealous of a person wearing a gas mask. I wasn’t there to do a story on working conditions – and honestly, this factory is probably 100 times safer and cleaner and brighter than most factories in the world – but boy did I want a fan in there for this woman who dyes fabric all day, six days a week.
Massage by Marissa Gandelman
If you live in DC and you need a massage then you really should consider getting a massage from my friend Marissa. Everyone I’ve recommended to her has loved her. Marissa’s professional, caring and most of all, knowledgeable. And until the end of September, she’s offering 60-minute package specials.
These are some photographs I shot for her website earlier this year. I had a fun afternoon photographing three models in the beautiful window light of Marissa’s massage studio. Ahhh….revisiting these pictures makes me want a massage.
Dancing somewhere between Jingpohu and Yanji, China
Everyone jostled their way out of the bus and spread out in an empty dirt parking lot in the waning twilight. The bus driver cranked up a CD of dance music. I suddenly realized all the Yaemi Hanbok employees were going to dance. And this after a four-hour bus ride to Jingpohu (a national park in Heilongjiang province) that started at 4am and 10 hours spent walking and hiking and wandering and eating and playing. Even Yaemi Hanbok founder Ryu Sung-ok in her pink company t-shirt joined the dance. I thought this was some spontaneous exertion but Johanna found out the factory workers start their work day with 30 minutes of dancing whenever possible, led by the girl above wearing white. Although I’m sure something like this wouldn’t fly in the US, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Certainly, it was an interesting way to end a company picnic.
From fashion factory to farm in Yanji, China
Sometimes you start your day interviewing a Korean fashion designer in her factory and you end your day picking corn and hot peppers with her at her small farm about an hour outside the city. Johanna and I spent a full and fun day with Ryu Sung-ok but the full report will have to wait until later. I need to go to sleep because we’re getting up at 2:45 am to join Ryu and her employees on a very early picnic. We’re still not quite sure why this outing starts before sunrise. It should be interesting!
Yanji Church
While out for a walk today I happened upon Yanji Church, which was fined $7500 by the Chinese government in 2005 for harboring North Korean refugees. I didn’t come here to find North Korea refugee-related stories but they seem to find me anyway.
Back to school: Columbus Collegiate Academy
Columbus Collegiate Academy in Ohio holds classes in the Seventh Avenue Community Baptist Church. (I like this photograph but I see it as an almost; should I crop out the boy on the right? I wish I’d taken this photograph just one-quarter of a second earlier! I want more of the cross, less of the boy. Ahhh….)
Vivi and Giovanni in National Airport
There I was, about to eat a fig bar before catching my flight to Boston at Reagan National Airport in DC, when a couple asked me to photograph them with their iPhone. Giovanni was heading to Miami. Maybe Vivi was going with him? I don’t remember. I do remember their lovely meeting story (I collect them, after all) but I won’t share it here because I don’t have permission. Vivi and Giovanni exuded happiness and playfulness and love and optimism. They were just so fun to photograph! I’m glad we crossed paths for a few minutes on Friday. Bonus realization from this impromptu shoot: National Airport is a fantastic location for engagement and wedding pictures.
(Above: That's me photographing while snowshoeing through a snowstorm. Picture by