Be Photography Blog

Preakness Fun!

2011-05-22T09:59:00.000-07:00

Some of you might have noticed the lack of "editorial month in review" posts on our blog lately - It is not because I have not been shooting the news, as I certainly have - but more due to the fact that I tend to keep up with the facebook page much more so than the blog!

With that said, I know there is a bit of interest every year in Preakness coverage, as it is one of the largest events in the Baltimore area. So I decided to throw some of the winners up ASAP on here! :)

Preakness is an interesting event to cover - as a photographer, I look around to see people I normally shoot with in the DC/Baltimore area. But unlike most DC political events where I often know every other photographer in the room - it seems that only a handful of the Preakness photographers are political photographers from the area.

Additionally, it's interesting to see the various types of people that attend the event. Specifically noticing the stark difference between the people who frequent the infield, and those in the grandstands / corporate tents. After spending some time in the infield, I decided it was probably not in my best interest to be walking amongst a ton of drunk people ready to spill their beers all over multiple thousands of dollars in equipment I was carrying! Additionally the fact that every single one of these drunks wanted to stop in front of my camera and have me take their picture really slowed down my progress thru the infield towards the stage.

In prior years, I've been excited to see the Preakness coordinators head in the correct direction in terms of marketing the event. This year however, Preakness took a turn for the worse with the introduction of "kegasus" - the half man-half horse beer drinking, pot-bellied mascot used to promote the race. For the last few years Preakness had been trying to market the event to families - but this year they decided to go straight back to the college frat party roots. Undoubtedly this decision helped to keep families and kids away from the "grown up" entertainment.

Given the history of the Preakness, in many ways I'd like to see Maryland keep the race as part of it's tradition. However, in many other ways I see how a much nicer facility like Delaware Park would make such a better home for this race!

A horse gets worked out during sunrise at Pimlico racetrack the day before the 136th running of the Preakness Stakes

Trainer TODD PLETCHER walks past the starting gate to watch his horse Dance City's morning workout. At 12-1 odds, Dance City can't be overlooked. But he does lag behind favorite Animal Kingdom, Dialed In and the other Kentucky Derby holdovers in the eyes of the oddsmakers.

Mucho Macho Man during a morning workout one day before the Preakness Stakes. After disappointing in the Kentucky Derby, Mucho Macho Man is listed as 12/1 to win the Preakness.

Trainer NICK ZITO washes off Dialed In after a morning workout one day before the Preakness Stakes. Dialed In is listed as the 9-2 second choice behind 2-1 Derby winner Animal Kingdom. Trainer Nick Zito said "He's got a lot of energy... He is a strong, determined horse, and I am fine with him."

Trainer Dale Romans' Shackleford runs during a morning workout one day prior to the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico

Horses head into the final turn and approach the home strech in the Jim McKay Turf Sprint $50,000 race at Pimlico Racetrack. Ben's Cat ridden by JEREMY ROSE finished 1st followed by SHELDON RUSSELL aboard Local Celebrity and MALCOM FRANKLIN on Super Chunky.

WES SCANTLIN of Puddle of Mudd sings in the infield at Pimlico on Preakness day.

A fan shows off a stylish purple hat while enjoying the races at Pimlico racetrack on the day of the Preakness Stakes.

XAVIER PEREZ aboard No Brakes (left) comes from behind to win the 2nd race of the day at Pimlico Racetrack on the day of the Preakness Stakes

PHIL VASSAR performs on stage at Pimlico Racetrack on Preakness day.

A fan shows off a stylish hat while enjoying the races at Pimlico racetrack on the day of the Preakness Stakes.

JESUS LOPEZ CASTANON leads Shackleford (blue helmet) down the straight away at the start of the 136th running of the Preakness Stakes

JESUS LOPEZ CASTANON leads Shackleford (blue helmet) down the home strech of Pimlico Raceway to win the 136th running of the Preakness Stakes

JESUS LOPEZ CASTANON aboard Shackleford (blue helmet) celebrates after winning the 136th running of the Preakness Stakes

JESUS LOPEZ CASTANON aboard Shackleford celebrates after winning the 136th running of the Preakness Stakes

National Volleyball League player LISA RUTLEDGE spikes a ball against HEATHER LOWE (hat), and TEALLE HUNKUS as teammate ANNETT DAVIS looks on during the final round of play at a NVL match at Pimlico Racetrack on Preakness day.

National Volleyball League player TEALLE HUNKUS spikes a ball against ANNETT DAVIS (left) and LISA RUTLEDGE during the final round of play at a NVL match at Pimlico Racetrack on Preakness day.

National Volleyball League player TEALLE HUNKUS celebrates with teammate HEATHER LOWE (white hat) after winning the final round of play against LISA RUTLEDGE (Red hat), and ANNETT DAVIS at a NVL match at Pimlico Racetrack on Preakness day.

Katy & Bill @ Heritage Hills

2011-03-24T08:59:00.000-07:00

A part of my job that I really enjoy is being able to go to different gorgeous venues on a regular basis. I actually prefer to shoot anything, weddings, corporate events, political events – in a location I’ve never been to before! Seeing a new scene with a fresh eye – it’s like a kid in a candy shop for a photographer – and some locations have a lot more candy than others!

I had heard of Heritage Hills outside of York, PA before, but had never been there to shoot a wedding prior to Bill & Katy’s. I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived to see what I had to work with! A beautiful location on a picture-perfect day! And even better – a super-friendly staff with a fantastic on-site event coordinator!

Here is some shots from Katy and Bill's special day! :)

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Jenny & Jason @ Valley Mansion

2011-02-01T06:22:00.000-08:00

Typically, my wife will forbid me from taking any jobs on July 4th. Aside from being her favorite holiday, it also happens to be our anniversary! But when I told her that a friend of hers that she went to school with was getting married on July 4th and wanted me to shoot her wedding, she was happy to give me up for the day so I could shoot her friend's wedding!

Now, if you are wondering why we are posting a July 4th wedding on our blog in February -- the answer is simple. - We typically fill our schedule up with work before worrying about updating the blog! But, we tend to be much better at keeping things up to date on our facebook page - www.facebook.com/bephotographyllc so be sure you become a fan on FB! :)

Here are some of the photos from Jenny and Jason's wedding at Valley Mansion - a Martin's property in Hunt Valley.

Jessica & Jonathan @ Mountian Branch

2010-12-17T06:44:00.001-08:00

Having been married at Mountian Branch myself, it is always a pleasure to return to work another Mt. Branch wedding! :) The staff here is excellent! Always a pleasure to work with and everyone is very friendly -- even to the other vendors (which is NOT always the case at other places!). And of course, the food is always wonderful as well! :)

Although about 90% of my couples refuse to see each other prior to the ceremony, I always tell couples that for the 10% of people who dont mind seeing each other before hand, doing so makes the entire day run so much smoother! Being a part of their cocktail hour and wanting to get the posed photos out of the way was important to Jessica & Jonathan, so they happily decided to do all the formals before hand.

A beautiful wedding on a perfect day with a great group of friends - I was honored to be able to capture the day in photos for this couple! :)

Fall Products Shoots

2010-11-02T09:56:00.000-07:00

As you all know, I tend to get around a bit and I'm not one of those photographers that pigeon-hole themselves into one specific category of business and nothing more. Moreover, I really don't understand those photographers who do in fact classify themselves as only a "wedding photographer" or only a "news photographer", and often refuse to shoot anything but their specific category. Although I suspect this has something to do with their personal comfort level in each genre and not wanting to challenge themselves in unfamiliar situations -- however I personally feel that to grow and become better, you MUST constantly challenge yourself in unfamiliar situations!

While most of my blog posts tend to be wedding and news specific, I do shoot a variety of other things as well - however I am also sometimes lackadaisical about posting other shoots for one reason or another.

Here I highlight just some of the product stuff I've been doing over the last few weeks, and is an idea of the type of product work I do year-round!

Eleanor & Andrew @ Silver Swan Bayside

2010-10-13T22:13:00.000-07:00

It's not everyday I get the opprotunity to shoot a wedding with a groom in a kilt! So I was excited to shoot Eleanor and Andrew's wedding, as well as listen to English accents all evening as many relatives from the other side of the pond made their way to Silver Swan Bayside for the wedding!

Silver Swan is a venue that has made some strides recently and undergone a few renovations - the result is a great place, friendly staff and superb sunset pictures! :)

This wedding was in June (yes, we know we are super slow with the blog updates - for quicker photo updates without the fun stories that go along with the weddings, please fan our facebook page!) and it had to be one of the hottest days of the year.

While I have nothing bad to say about Silver Swan Bayside, the lack of shade on the property is one of the venues drawbacks as outdoor weddings can be very hot. But once the sun goes down, it is comfortable, and has a wonderful view!

Getting ready in the house-boat, the bridal party quickly got too hot and was moved into the freezer (literally) to cool off a bit before the start of the ceremony!

Eleanor really spent alot of time and effort in planning her wedding, and it really showed. Eleanor brought many things often overlooked by many venues/coordinators - the lanterns scattered all over the property (and lit at night) was a great touch, as well as the parasols available for guests!

Personally, my favorite part of the wedding was the tree-painting guest book -- such a cool idea! Guests put their finger print as a leaf on the painted tree and signed their names next to their print -- the result is a nice piece of art the bride and groom can put up in their house -- this was such a great idea, I really wish I had done it for my wedding! :)

This wedding was particularly interesting for me as by the time we had made it to the reception, the heat and humidity was certianly getting to me and the 40 pounds of equipment I have on me was not helping matters. Often I get the question from brides, "what do you do if you are sick" - and always my answer is "shoot the wedding, because there is no calling out sick at weddings!" (of course, I have back-up plans for more serious sicknesses)! Unfortunately, this wedding served as a perfect example of my "sick policy" - and the entire wedding went off without anybody (except the site-coordinator) knowing I was under the weather!

Now, if I could just firm up a wedding in the UK now...

Baltimore Charm

2010-09-01T21:48:00.001-07:00

This fall there will be a new sport to watch here in Baltimore as the Lingerie Football League brings its newest franchise, the Baltimore Charm to 1st Mariner Arena! If you are like me, then you are fed up with a good deal of professional sports because you feel that the athletes care more about their paycheck and their personal image than they do about winning or the team. Many have turned to college sports where players hearts seem to be more "in the game" - but I think you may also be able to turn to the LFL to find that dedication to the game, sportsmanship, focus on the team, and passion to win no longer found in most pro sports!

The Charm came to me for their needed head-shots to showcase the team on their website (lflus.com). And the wonderful people at Robert Andrew Salon offered up some space for us to do the shoot on location (by the way - really impressed with this salon - gorgeous place!)

After a few of the girls arrived, it was clear that they have already formed a great bond and sense of camaraderie already during their off-season and pre-season training. It was also clear that they were all super nice and really excited about their first season with the Charm. Throw into the mix a great coaching staff and a professional league and I think we are going to have a fantastic team to watch this year!

For those of you thinking that this is just a bunch of models running around in underwear tossing a football around -- I strongly encourage you to take a look around the LFL's website and get a feel for what this really is. - There is not a doubt these girls are superb athletes -- the good looks just happens to be a part of the package. This is a highly competitive, full contact football league and the Baltimore Charm is a team that surly shows some promise to preform well in their inaugural year.

Here are a couple of the shots that resulted from the first shoot with the team -- I'll probably be at the opener in Philly on Sept 17th and will follow up with some action shots then -- In the meantime, you can find your tickets by clicking here! Get out there and support your Baltimore Charm!

Nicole & Jason @ Lansdowne Resort

2010-07-28T20:32:00.000-07:00

Traveling to VA for this one, I started out the day pretty early to account for traffic of course. Having never been to Lansdowne before, I was very excited to shoot at a new location. Sometimes brides I meet with seem to think that if a photographer has not been to a location before, that they are at a disadvantage to photographers who have been to these locations (this specifically happens with destination weddings) - however, this couldn't be further from the truth! Give any photographer just a minute or two to walk around the grounds of any new location and he or she should be able to come up with shot ideas -- in fact, I prefer shooting at a new location that I've never shot before! There is something about seeing a place with a "fresh" eye that just doesn't happen when you are working the same scenes week in and week out! -- This is of course a great advantage news photographers have over traditional "wedding photographers" - Everyday I shoot in new, challenging scenes in the news world, where as much of my competition in the wedding world only shoots weddings at the same worn out locations week after week. - Throw them into a new location where they are not sure how the light is going to bounce around and often they are out of their zone and cant operate as well! -

but I digress -- Lansdowne was gorgeous and so were Nicole and Jason! - Beautiful day + beautiful couple + a beautiful location = One very happy photographer! :)

The day went off without a hitch - and I did have a couple "firsts" at this wedding I've never run into before -- besides the new location!

-- One of my firsts involved a long conversation with the father of the groom, who told me a story about his wedding photographer whom he "wouldn't hesitate to run my car into him" if he saw him to this day! -- And then he politely told me that my photos better come out well! :) -- in a nice "I'm joking, but I'm serious" way! :) haha! No worries I told him, and alas, I was very happy with the results. -- I am very happy however that this first conversation like this happened after I have been shooting weddings for 5 years, and not at one of my first weddings -- he may have put some pressure on me and might have scared me in my earlier years!

Another one of my firsts -- bird poop on the bride's dress! --- Seriously...?

I guess at some point during the ceremony or while we were doing the posed family shots we noticed it and had to take a little break to try to clean it off.... it made for a unique event I've never seen up until this point in all the weddings I've shot!!

As for Lansdowne, - the staff was great, and I really couldn't say one bad thing about the place ..... other than the crazy cat that tried to attack me as I left the building!

Congrats Nicole & Jason!

Scott & Katherine @ Evergreen

2010-06-29T20:41:00.000-07:00

For me, May 1st seems like it was years ago as it marked the beginning of an absurdly busy month for me! May started with perfect weather (not too hot like it ended) for Scott & Katherine's wedding day!

To start, I arrived at the hotel early and while waiting in the Lobby for Katherine to let me know I could come up to the room, I was confronted by a burly looking woman who asked a million questions about who I was, and why I was there and telling me I couldnt take pictures. Of course, these situations happen usually when I am shooting news events - not weddings - so I was caught off guard a bit - but none-the-less turned into defensive mode telling the lady I'm in a public area and can take pictures of whatever I want and publish them where ever I want. -- not that I had any intention of publishing any photos I shot that day -- but just to argue the principle. -- Seeing as she was getting nowhere with me (and at this point our voices are raised a bit) - she backs off and goes to complain to someone else. - A few minutes later, another woman comes up, this time a bit less aggressive in her questioning and explains to me that there is an "alternative life-style" (read:fetish) festival going on in the hotel, and that if their member's pictures get out, it will ruin families, lives, etc. (read: these people are cheating on their husbands/wives and don't want anyone finding out).

An interesting start to a wedding, that's for sure! - I assured the lady that I couldn't possibly care any less about their fetish festival, and that if they don't want their members in photos, then their members should stay clear of the lobby while I shoot my bridal party. -- I also find out that most of the guests of the wedding also happen to be staying in the same hotel, so I'm sure there are many more fun stories from the wedding guests. - I heard about a couple very interesting elevator rides!! lol!

Moving on, the bridal party comes down and Katherine and Scott see each other for the first time and then we are out of there!! -- And I think we are all very happy to be getting away from that hotel at that point! :)

The rest of the day -- perfect! - We head to Evergreen to do some photos around the grounds prior to the ceremony -- such a beautiful location! After a few quick formals with the bridal party and some bride and groom shots, we are in a hurry to get to the church so we are off! - Some more formals prior to the wedding (love it when couples do this, it saves so much time afterwards!) and then right into the ceremony!

The reception took place at the Evergreen Carriage House - a beautiful old building which at one time looked to be used as a stable. My wife being a big horse girl would have loved it!!

One point worth noting for anyone thinking about planning an event at Evergreen - there did seem to be some animosity amongst the museum staff at Evergreen who did not seem to like us walking the grounds of the main house to take photos when the couple had only rented out the carriage house and not the main house. -- While they didn't say anything to me directly, I did get the impression they may have let Katherine know their feelings - which of course, I think is absurd given that there was no event at the main house and the no-doubt hefty price tag the couple paid to rent the Carriage House! The wedding staff (note- different than museum staff) at Evergreen however was excellent! :)

Scott and Katherine had a live band as opposed to a DJ - and while all venues simply do not have the room for a live band, it worked well here! Not to mention - Live bands are amazing!! They really get the party going like no DJ can do (sorry DJ's)!

Scott & Katherine - another amazing wedding from my point of view - fantastic group of friends who are not afraid to party (which is really what makes a wedding in my opinion!)! -- I couldn't ask for a better job than to be shooting weddings like this! :)

Kim & Collin @ Renaissance Harbor Place

2010-06-17T11:29:00.000-07:00

Kim and Collin started off the Spring wedding season this year for me and it was a great day! Starting with getting ready at the Renaissance, we all hopped into a limo-bus for the trip to the ceremony at the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and then we had some extra time built in specifically to run around town and take photos after the ceremony! As a photographer of course, I LOVE when clients do this because it means we can get out of the normal "wedding scene" and go to some spots that have special meaning to the Bride and Groom, or we can just bounce around to get some not so everyday wedding shots!

To start, we stopped at their home and had to take some photos with their dog!! (Love that they included their dog on their wedding day!!) Then, since Kim & Colin both just so happen to work for the Baltimore Ravens (No, I didnt shoot their wedding in exchange for tickets) - we headed off to Raven's Stadium to take some photos where they first met - on the 20 yard line, and all around the stadium!! As soon as we wrapped up there, off to Federal Hill and then on to the reception!!

Staying true to Baltimore, Kim & Collin had a great looking Charm City Cake's (Duff - from TV) - cake in the shape of their home, with their dog out front -- it was great!

One of the highlights at the reception that sticks out in my mind is the all out brawl these 2 had when smashing cake in each other's face.... they both ended up on the floor! :) it was great!!

Here are some of the highlights from the day! :) Enjoy!

Jessica & Ed @ Pier 5 Baltimore Basilica

2010-05-20T22:24:00.000-07:00

Jessica and Ed married in December, and as most of you recall - we had a very snowy winter this year! Luckily, this was not one of those weekends where we got a ton of snow - but there was a dusting expected in the area - which made for a perfect backdrop as the larger flakes started to fall right after the ceremony! :)

Jessica and Ed wed at the Baltimore Basilica - a church I was very excited to shoot in since it is a beautiful building! However, my excitement to shoot in the church turned into photographic frustration upon entering, as I was assigned a guard to watch me the entire time and was told with the exception of the processional, I had to stay not only behind the congregation -- but behind a good 30-40 empty rows behind the congregation for the entire time! -- and what could I do - I had a guard literally following me!

It was an interesting experience simply because I have never had a church be so unaccommodating when it comes to a photography -- and I've shot in a lot of churches with all kinds of strange rules!! :)

But, the building is beautiful, and served as a great place to shoot after the ceremony for the formals and as a great back drop for some bride and groom shots as well!

Jess and Ed had a bit of time between their ceremony and reception, so I hopped right onto the trolley with them and their bridal party and we went around town taking photos! - The most important stop being a trip to Claddagh's Pub where the couple met!! :)

I love when brides open their minds to shots outside of the box like this! - Not only for the fact that it is simply a bar where the 2 met - but any stop for photos outside of the typical church scene can produce some excellent shots that will give some variety to the photos from your wedding day! - I always encourage brides to literally drive the route from the ceremony to reception location and if you see some spots along the way that you think might yield some cool photos - plan on making a quick stop with your photographer!! :)

Once we were done bouncing around town for photos, it was on to Pier 5 hotel, where I must say, I am completely impressed with the staff... they were excellent! Everyone, even staff not working the wedding is very nice and helpful! -- I loved working here and cant wait to return! :)

Jess and Ed had no shortage of fun friends and the party got kicked off right away with an outstanding DJ (who at Pier 5 is literally above the dance floor)!

Here are a handful of the shots throughout the day!

Editorial Month in Review

2010-05-17T21:28:00.000-07:00

Although my coverage of news as of recent has dropped significantly due to the fact that it is Spring time and I am in the middle of my busiest year ever with weddings - I still manage to make it down to DC to cover events on occasion during this busy time of year.

This past weekend was Preakness, an event I thoroughly enjoyed covering last year as I was blessed with a mid-day wedding on Preakness day and was able to make it up to Baltimore in time to cover Rachel Alexandra's win over the boys last year. This year, as with most years - I was not able to make it to any event on a Saturday in May that was not a wedding! Instead I got to spend the weekend with a couple great couples as they got married - but I'll tell you more about that in future blogs.

Just a few news shots for this entry - I did enjoy shooting the "banker man" swallowing up tourists (actors) outside of Union Station -- I love any opportunity for political photographer not to be simply the standard talking-head shots we have grown so accustomed to.

However, the politicians decided to take advantage of the beautiful spring weather in DC, and did a handful of press conferences outside -- which offered a different backdrop for which to shoot the talking heads! -- again, enjoyable! :)

Finally, I close it out with a few shots from a lecture given by Abraham Verghese at John's Hopkins. - This was a unique opportunity to sit in on a lecture given to the Doctors at John's Hopkins. As a patient of the hospital myself, it was great to here Dr. Verghese focus on the importance of human interaction, listening to the patients, and actually examining them, as opposed to simply looking at each patient "on paper" - by charts and test results, etc. The idea was to encourage doctors to have a relationship with their patient, instead of treating their patient like a number. -- Again, very nice to hear someone jamming this into the Doctors heads at Hopkins - where it is very easy to simply treat all patients as numbers!

Enjoy the photos - more wedding blogs to follow!

Washington, D.C. - April 28th, 2010: Consumers Union advocates perform a skit in which "Banker Man" ate tourists outside of Capitol Hill. Advocates wanted to deliver the message that banks should stop “feasting” on consumers with outrageous fees and hidden costs and encourage Congress to pass financial reform now.
(Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Washington, D.C. - April 28th, 2010: Congresswoman GABRIELLE GIFFORDS of Arizona during a press conference where members of Congress called on the President to secure the border with the National Guard. (Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Washington, D.C. - April 28th, 2010: A man holds a sign during a press conference where democratic members of Congress denounced Arizona's new immigration law (Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Washington, D.C. - April 28th, 2010: Senate Majority Leader HARRY REID (D-Nevada) looks on as Senator SHERROD BROWN (D-Ohio) speaks at a press conference discussing how Wall Street reform will protect seniors from predatory lending and safeguard retirement savings. (Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Baltimore, MD - April 27th, 2010: Professor for the Theory and Practice of Medicine at the Stanford University and Author ABRAHAM VERGHESE, MD, MACP gives a lecture at the John's Hopkins University. (Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Baltimore, MD - April 27th, 2010: Johns Hopkins University President RON DANIELS during a luncheon at the John's Hopkins University. (Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Baltimore, MD - April 27th, 2010: Doctor, Professor, and Author, PETER PRONOVOST, MD, PhD, attends a luncheon and lecture at John's Hopkins University. (Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Cara & Neil @ 1840's Ballroom

2010-05-07T11:59:00.000-07:00

Those of you who follow our facebook page might notice that our blogs on weddings tend to lag behind a bit from our facebook "preview" albums. - So you may notice some of the same pictures that you have seen on facebook. This is because we shoot way more weddings than I can possible keep up with enough to write a blog on each one of them! Plus in our "preview albums on facebook, we really cant go into any detail about the wedding itself, so consider these postings a "closer look".

Cara and Neil were expecting a cold, rainy day for their wedding and got exactly that. The week prior to the wedding, my wife called me and told me that she thinks she heard this weekend's bride on the radio. It turns out Cara had called in and was very worried about the weather for her wedding - and really wanted nice weather so we could spend lots of time outside shooting photos!

Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate, but that didn't mean that I had couldn't provide them with nice pictures outside.... even if it was pouring down a very, very cold rain!! :)

Cara and Neil got married at St. Ignatius Church. Judging by the outside, I never would have known this was a church, as it lacked a very traditional church look - but on the inside -- wow! Probably one of the most beautiful churches that I have ever shot in!! The Basilica is nice as well, but they don't let photographers move around at all - so St. Ignatius instantly went to the top of my favorites list! :)

After a beautiful ceremony, we braved the cold rain and shot outside for a bit - and then onto the reception!

Cara and Neil went with one of my recommendations for a DJ - and Carly & Jim from Dance Master's did an outstanding job!

As always, 1840's staff was wonderful to deal with as well, and the night was full of partying as Cara and Neil have such a great group of friends!! :)

So glad that the most wonderful people in the world continuously let me in on the biggest day's of their lives to capture photos!! I love what I do! :)

Editorial Month in Review

2010-04-20T11:06:00.000-07:00

Wedding season, and quite a bit of product work has taken me away from the editorial work for a little bit recently, but I have managed to catch a few recent events - here were the highlights from my batch...

Washington, D.C. - March 3rd, 2010: President BARACK OBAMA looks to his teleprompter as he addresses the nation in the East Room of the White House. Obama spoke about the need for congress to move forward quickly in the health insurance reform debate.

(Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Washington, D.C. - March 3rd, 2010: Members of Congress gather in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol during a memorial service held in honor of the late Rep. John Murtha who passed away Feb 8th.

(Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

March 10th, 2010 - Washington, District of Columbia, USA - President BARACK OBAMA and Haitian President RENÉ PRÉVAL shake hands after speaking to the press in the Rose Garden following their meeting. President Preval thanked the United States for the hundreds of millions of dollars in aid provided since his country’s ruinous earthquake Jan.12.
(Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

March 10th, 2010 - Washington, District of Columbia, USA - President BARACK OBAMA and Haitian President RENÉ PRÉVAL wave after speaking to the press in the Rose Garden following their meeting. President Preval thanked the United States for the hundreds of millions of dollars in aid provided since his country’s ruinous earthquake Jan.12.

(Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Washington, D.C. - March 16th, 2010: President and CEO of VeriSign MARK MCLAUGHLIN speaks at a 25th Anniversary .COM forum. The internet celebrates a landmark event on the 15th March 2010, as it’s the 25th anniversary of the day the first dot-com domain was registered.

(Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Washington, D.C. - April 14th, 2010: Attorney General ERIC HOLDER testifies before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on "Oversight of the U.S. Department of Justice". Holder was asked tough questions regarding the situation in Guantanamo and his treatment of enemy combatants as US Citizens.

(Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Washington, D.C. - April 15th, 2010: A Talon 4 robot climbs the steps inside the Rayburn House office building as part of the displays represented at the The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International during National Robotics Week. (Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Washington, D.C. - April 15th, 2010: US Supreme Court Justice STEPHEN BREYER cathes up on some sleep during a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government hearing regarding the "FY2011 Budget Request for the U.S. Supreme Court."

(Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Washington, D.C. - April 15th, 2010: US Supreme Court Justice CLARENCE THOMAS testifies before a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government hearing regarding the "FY2011 Budget Request for the U.S. Supreme Court."

(Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Washington, D.C. - April 15th, 2010: JOHN POTTER, postmaster general and CEO of the United States Postal Service testifies before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Potter explained that the US Postal Service is in serious financial trouble and told the committee that "... current projections show that we will risk running out of cash in early fiscal year 2011." (Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Kristen & Bayne @ Oxen Hill Manor

2010-03-09T12:46:00.000-08:00

Marking my first full wedding back after surgery, I brought my wife along to Kristen and Bayne's wedding so she could watch me just in case I over-exerted myself post-op! Luckily, she didn't need to catch me, but I did rely on her all day for support - and in retrospect, I don't think I was physically 100% ready to be shooting a wedding again -- but too late now! :)

But if there was a wedding to come back to - it was Kristen and Bayne's! All weddings are fun, but every once in a while, you get just a wonderful group of people together, and everyone is in such a great mood, it really makes for an outstanding wedding - and reminds me of why I love my job! :)

At the first sight of Oxen Hill Manor, I started hoping that the light would last long enough to give us some time to take bride and groom shots around the grounds - after all, it's gorgeous! - But unfortunately, the light lasted just barely long enough for the ceremony before we had to head inside for the rest of the night.

But that didn't seem to matter to Kristen & Bayne - after all, a wedding is about having a big celebration with your friends and family - not about taking pictures (although sometimes I wish it could be!)!

The photographer in me wanted to shoot all day with Kristen & Bayne here, but the reason most of my clients hire me is because they want nice photos, while also not being bugged for photo-ops all day - so it's always a tricky balance for me - especially when I'm confronted with gorgeous locations like this one!

On to the party - it was a beautiful wedding with a wonderful group of friends and family, and one heck of a fun party! I think you can really tell the best weddings are when the guests (and the photographer) leave the wedding wanting more! -- Congrats Kristen & Bayne!

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2010-03-08T08:48:00.001-08:00

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Editorial -- Month(s) in review....?

2010-03-05T10:13:00.000-08:00

I know all my posts typically start out by making excuses as to why we have not updated the blog as much as we would have liked.... so I dont want to break the trend here! -

We experienced a much busier than normal winter with a ton of January weddings, and a huge bridal show which lead to multiple meetings every day of the week! - Plus after a slight lul in the news cycle, things have picked up again. Then came the snow, and after shoveling blizzard after blizzard I just didnt have the energy to blog! And would you believe it, now here we are in March!!

I'm writting this the day before our spring wedding season starts, and it is on track to be our busiest year ever! Thank you to all the previous clients who continue to send business our way by telling their friends and family about us!! - We could not have done it with out you!

With that said, we should have plenty of ammo for more frequent blog postings -- if we can just get around to logging in and writting them that is! :)

But for now, here is some of the news I managed to cover over the last month or 2 in between my meetings and the shoveling! :)

January 20th, 2010 - Washington, District of Columbia, USA - TARAQ SALAHI and MICHAELE SALAHI, who managed to attend portions of a White House State Dinner without proper clearance testify before the House Homeland Security Committee. The Salahi's were subpoenaed to testify but repeatedly refused to answer any questions asked by the committee.

(Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

January 20th, 2010 - Washington, District of Columbia, USA - CEO of ExxonMobil REX TILLERSON and Founder of XTO Energy Inc. BOB SIMPSON testify before the House Energy and Environment Subcommittee hearing focusing on the proposed merger between ExxonMobil and XTO and it's impact on US Energy markets.

(Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

February 1st, 2010 - Washington, District of Columbia, USA - President BARACK OBAMA walks into the Grand Foyer of the White House as he prepares to give remarks about his fiscal year 2011 budget.

(Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

February 1st, 2010 - Washington, District of Columbia, USA - President BARACK OBAMA delivers remarks about his proposed FY 2011 budget in the Grand Foyer of the White House.

(Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

February 2nd, 2010 - Washington, District of Columbia, USA - Treasury Secretary TIMOTHY GEITHNER is heckled by Code Pink Protestors as he prepares to give testimony about the President's proposed FY2011 budget.

(Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

February 2nd, 2010 - Washington, District of Columbia, USA - Treasury Secretary TIMOTHY GEITHNER gives testimony about the President's proposed FY2011 budget.

　(Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

February 24th, 2010 - Washington, District of Columbia, USA -Toyota President and CEO AIKO TOYODA testifies at a congressional hearing on the Toyota Gas Pedal recall. Due to reports of malfunctioning gas pedals, Toyota had to recall millions of cars.

(Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Mary & Josh @ Chincoteague Virginia

2010-01-12T17:36:00.000-08:00

Mary and Josh are good friends of ours who's wedding I was planning on shooting in September this year. As many of you already know - I had open heart surgery August 28th, which for the most part put me out of commission for my September and October weddings. So I was rather upset when one of the weddings I would not be able to shoot was the wedding of my wife's best friend since elementary school!

Be that as it may, having gone thru open heart surgery once prior in my life, I knew what was involved with recovery, and I did not think that I would even be able to attend Mary's wedding just three weeks after surgery. I figured I would take things easy and see how it goes, and if I was feeling up to it I hoped to attend the wedding as a guest - but certainly wouldn’t be shooting anything!

Well, recovery went better than expected and I was tired of sitting around resting and needed to try to push my boundaries! I was able to attend the wedding -- but I'm not one to attend a wedding and not be taking photos! So with the help of my wife holding gear and making sure I didn’t over-extend myself - I was able to capture these photos for Mary & Josh at their windy beach wedding in Chincoteague!

Of course, I would have loved to have done much more for these two - but I think I had reached the bounds of what my body could handle at that point in my recovery, and needless to say - I slept very well that evening! :)

Mary always wanted a beach wedding and invited just a small group of friends and family down to Chincoteague to be a part of their ceremony. The weather did not cooperate well as there was a heavy, steady wind on the beach all day long --- but at least it didn’t rain! :)

Chincoteague is such a quaint little town and I am personally a big fan of beach weddings, as I think they lean themselves to gorgeous photos! -- While I wish I could have been feeling 100% and not have been limited by certain positions I could not physically get into yet and all because of my recovery -- I'm pretty happy that I was able to shoot anything at all at this wedding!! :)

And another point about this beautiful wedding -- All the guests stayed at the Comfort Inn in Chincoteague...... which has BY FAR - the very BEST, most COMFORTABLE beds in the entire world!! --- It is a perfect combination of a wonderful mattress and luxurious mattress pad! And while they know what mattresses they use.... they do not sell, or know the mattress pads that they use -- I would have bought 10 of them on the spot!

Renee & David @ Silver Swan Bayside

2009-12-28T09:07:00.000-08:00

Renee & David was one of the last weddings I shot before I headed in for open heart surgery at the end of August. For a summer that for the most part was fairly cool compared to our recent summers in the DC/Baltimore metro areas, this day however, was a scorcher!!

Silver Swan Bayside had a friendly staff and a nice location just over the bay bridge on the water, however the major down-side to this facility from a photographers point of view was the lack of shade... anywhere! With that said however, once the sun begins to set and the heat of the day subsides, it does provide for a beautiful backdrop, and wonderful atmosphere!

Editorial Month In Review

2009-12-24T05:52:00.000-08:00

The only things that were talked about these last 2 months were health-care and the White House party crashers. Unfortunately, the health-care issue does not really open itself to many great still photographs -- so for the most part I have not covered much of it. -- Possibly a mistake on my end, but the same talking head-shots of pelosi and reid just don't inspire me too much -- not to mention much of the photo ops surrounding health-care seem to have been day-of planning and not on any schedules I see the night before.

That leaves us with the White House party crashers .... Well, I was at the White House for the official state visit by the Indian PM, but had other plans and didn't see too many big notable names on the guest list anyway so opted not to cover the guest arrivals.

Big mistake on my part for how much press this story has been getting! -- but an entire night of searching google trying to find out who the people I took pictures of were and why they were important didn't appeal to me after spending all day at the White House to begin with! --- but in retrospect, it would have been the most profitable part of the day for me! grrrr....

So then the crashers were invited to testify on Capitol Hill. I wake up that day, start heading down to cover it, and as I get about half-way thru my sometimes 2 hour commute -- I hear on the radio that they are not going to show. -- turn around and come home!

The same thing happened again later for another Capitol Hill hearing, except this one had been postponed -- I must start checking the schedule in the AM before I leave!! Anyway, the crashers are supposed to be subpoenaed to Capitol Hill now, and there seems to be a big cover up over the White House Social Secretary's lack of work that day as she herself wanted to be a guest at the party more than wanting to take responsibility for her job.

-- No worries though, she's a long-time Obama family friend, so I'm certain her job will be safe .... as for the Secret Service members involved...... probably not so lucky!

Other than those two items -- nothing else seems to be going on in DC right now!

Washington, D.C. - November 3rd, 2009: Swedish Prime Minister FREDRIK REINFELDT meets with Senator JOHN KERRY.
(Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Washington, D.C. - November 3rd, 2009: National Football League (NFL) Commissioner ROGER GOODELL testifies on Capitol Hill during a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on Sports Anti-Doping Programs.
(Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Washington, D.C. - November 9th, 2009: Israeli Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU speaks at the 2009 General Assembly of The Jewish Federations of North America.
(Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Washington, D.C. - November 16th, 2009: CEO of Nissan Motor Company CARLOS GHOSN came together with other business leaders to form the Electrification Coalition. The Coalition was formed to promote the policies and actions that will facilitate the deployment of electric vehicles on a mass scale.
(Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Washington, D.C. - November 16th, 2009: US Senator BYRON DORGAN (D-NV) came together with other business leaders to form the Electrification Coalition. The Coalition was formed to promote the policies and actions that will facilitate the deployment of electric vehicles on a mass scale.
(Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Washington, D.C. - November 19th, 2009: JUAN ZARATE, former deputy assistant to the President George W. Bush and former deputy national security advisor for combating terrorism, and current senior advisor for the Transnational Threats Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies answers questions before a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee discussing a preliminary assessment of the Fort Hood attack. (Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Washington, D.C. - November 19th, 2009: BRIAN JENKINS, senior advisor at the RAND Corporation answers questions before a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee discussing a preliminary assessment of the Fort Hood attack. (Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Washington, D.C. - November 19th, 2009: Senator JOE LIEBERMAN , chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee headed a hearing discussing a preliminary assessment of the Fort Hood attack. (Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Washington, D.C. - November 19th, 2009: A sign promoting World Toilet Day sits outside the US Capitol. 2.5 billion people worldwide are without access to proper sanitation, and the goal of Water Advocates is to bring awareness to about the lack of proper sanitation world wide. (Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Washington, D.C. - November 19th, 2009: ARI SINGH, stands outside of the Capitol promoting World Toilet Day. 2.5 billion people worldwide are without access to proper sanitation, and the goal of Water Advocates is to bring awareness to about the lack of proper sanitation world wide. (Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Washington, D.C. - November 24th, 2009: President BARACK OBAMA welcomes Indian Prime Minister MANMOMAN SINGH to the White House. Singh will join President Obama at the first official state dinner of Obama's administration tonight.
(Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

November 24th, 2009 - Washington, District of Columbia, USA - President BARACK OBAMA holds a joint press availability with Indian Prime Minister MANMOMAN SINGH in the East Room of the White House. (Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Snow Day with our Kids!

2009-12-21T15:06:00.000-08:00

Since our kids are the 4 legged kind - my wife insists that I spend the day playing with these two crazy animals in the snow and taking pictures of them this weekend when we enjoyed a good bit of snow before Christmas!! :)

As you can tell from the pictures - these two have plenty of play in them! :)

Angela & James @ Hotel Morgan West Virginia

2009-12-01T18:55:00.000-08:00

Looking over the blogs recently, I noticed we have not been keeping up with the wedding issues as we should be! I know this one is going back a bit - to July to be specific, but I really wanted to include a blog on Angela and James' wedding! Traveling to West Virginia for this one, there was a ton of WVU Mountaineers pride here, which made for one heck of a fun wedding!

The college town of Morgantown was taken over by Angela and James both WVU alum! The church was a unique one, with balconies on both the right and left sides of the church - giving me a bit more access than I am used to having, which was very nice! Although rain was threatening, it held off long enough to get all the outside shots we needed before heading to the gorgeous Hotel Morgan.

Of course, I do have to give a lot of credit to Angela here as she is not shy at all in front of the camera!! Her excitement about the photos, and the ability to pose, and change her expression around endlessly reminded me more of the days I spent shooting models in New York than shooting a wedding -- which only helped make the pictures wonderful! :) - Thank you Angela!

Throw a rowdy group into the Hotel Morgan along with a live band, and the reception was just superb!! And of course, ending the night with "Country Roads" was only fitting! :)

Shooting this wedding only reinforces my love for shooting at an entirely new place -- I simply love shooting some place that I have never shot before! :)

As for the Hotel Morgan -- only wonderful things to say about the service and staff there as well! :)

Fall Cleaning

2009-11-07T07:27:00.001-08:00

It's time to clean things up for winter.... Most people are probably more familiar with "spring cleaning" but I take the opportunity whenever the wedding, product, and news cycle allow me to, because in no time things will be crazy again!

Part of the fall cleaning for us is consolidating our files and ensuring we are only backing up the files we need to back up. So we go thru the system, deleting all the photos that didn't make the cut, and making sure the photos that did make the cut are being backed up off-site.

Very similarly to cleaning up your house/room/boat, etc. - we come across some things that we spend a little time looking at and reminiscing. Today, I came across these photos... still on the wall in my office, but how often do I look up there.... I spend much more time looking at the computer screen!! :)

- Summer 2002I convinced my parents that I needed to take photography class my junior year of college and that they needed to buy me some gear! :) The day I got that nikon 35mm, a good friend of mine decided he had to get the same thing (although he was not taking a photography class) - he had a pattern of getting whatever the latest thing I decided to blow my money on, so that I couldn't "one-up" him.

That night, we went out on the town, anxious to use our new cameras, tripods, bags, and all the other accessories that made us "look" like photographers. Walking around the monuments that night, we heard Boyz II Men in the distance, apparently putting on a concert that I had no knowledge of -- this of course made me quite upset considering Boyz II Men were and still are my favorite band! So we continued walking around the DC Tidal basin shooting whatever we came across. We came home with a bunch of images, this was one of them. That friend of mine later passed away in a car accident and this picture serves as an excellent reminder of all the wonderful times we spent together.

- 9/11/2002 - That same friend of mine and I, basking in our newly found fame amongst our friends as photographers (because we spent a decent amount of money on equipment and accessories) -- decided that we would try to shoot some of the events one year after 9/11. Of course, living in Arlington, we had plenty of opportunities to shoot all kinds of remembrance ceremonies. Plus, I needed to shoot something for my first assignment in Photo 101!!

So off we went, parking fairly close and unpacking all of our gear (so we would really look like photographers) - Not really knowing what we would need, but taking it all "just in case". Until one "real" photographer walked past us as we were unloading from the car and said "your not going to need all that guys... just bring your cameras". So of course we acted like we were just taking inventory, and put the majority of stuff back in the car and walked to the event.

It was a 9/11 remembrance ceremony in Gateway Park in Roslyn (Arlington for those of you who don't know). We shot the entire event, which is where I got the main shot of the large flag blowing in the wind with the word "Remember" below it on a large backdrop. Later, we ran around the grounds of the Pentagon looking for shots. After a good deal of shooting, we then walked back to our cars - I happened to notice a funeral going on in Arlington Cemetery and snapped a few shots of it from where I was parked. That served as the inset shot on the flag.

I turned this in as my first assignment in Photo 101 and I was hooked from there.

If my memory serves me right, these were taken in Spring/Summer of 2003 (even though it says copyright 2004 on it) once my photography skills were improved a bit by Photo 101 (Thanks Kristen - my first photo teacher). From the same area where the remembrance photo was taken, Gateway park served as a great spot to watch an incoming thunderstorm before it started pouring! :)

I knew I had something good when I picked up the prints from Ritz (yeah, I'm not upset to see those film days done with!) and the lady who handed them to me told me there were some really great shots in there and asked me if I did this for a living!!

From the beginning I was hooked, and now that one moment where I said "oh sure, I'll take photo 101, it should be easy and it will make my parents buy me a nice camera for school." -- has now turned into a career that I absolutely love and wouldn't trade for anything in the world! :)

Where have we been?

2009-11-05T09:17:00.000-08:00

It's a happy day - we are slowly catching up with the work that has piled up during the busy season, and I personally am about 80% recovered from surgery in August! Add to that, I've finally had a few minutes to update the blog, AND - we found out today that Be Photography was selected by The Knot.com to receive one of their 2010 Best of Weddings Awards for Photographers!

So our apologies go out to our blog followers who have not seen any updates in a while, but I have returned to shooting and I do plan catch up on the blog entries! :)

Here are a handful of news assignments shot recently - unfortunately, the news cycle has been stalled on health-care and not too much else seems to be going on right now! However, it is a welcome stall as the wedding season during September and October is huge and we have had a ton of weddings to cover and a lot of post-production work to catch up on, in addition to a busy time of year for product work as well!

Enjoy these shots and I hope to follow up with a blog shortly highlighting some of the recent weddings! :)

October 6th, 2009 - Washington, District of Columbia, USA - Boston Symphony Orchestra violist MARK LUDWIG plays at a ceremony honoring The Dali Lama. The Tibetan spiritual leader received a human rights award in memory of the late Rep. Tom Lantos of California at the U.S. Capitol.
(Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

October 6th, 2009 - Washington, District of Columbia, USA - The Dali Lama received a human rights award in memory of the late Rep. Tom Lantos of California and met with US lawmakers Tuesday during his visit to Washington. President Barack Obama was set to meet with The Dali Lama during his visit, but recently decided to delay their meeting until he has the opportunity to meet with China's President Hu Jintao.
(Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Washington, D.C. - October23rd, 2009: First Lady MICHELLE OBAMA greets guests at an event in the east garden of the White House in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
(Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

Washington, D.C. - November 3rd, 2009: Swedish Prime Minister FREDRIK REINFELDT meets with Senator JOHN KERRY.
(Credit Image: © James Berglie/ZUMA Press)

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I'll also throw in some of the product work we've been doing lately...

An Update on James

2009-08-24T21:25:00.001-07:00

Hello to all my my faithful blog followers - I know you all exist based on the feedback I get in person - although you all rarely take advantage of the comment feature on here! :)

As many of you probably know (thru our facebook page) - I am scheduled to have open heart surgery on Friday and will be out of commission for some time afterwards.

Luckily, the awesome photographers we have working with us will be covering all of the scheduled events during the next month or so, and I hope that this extra time sitting at home recovering will give me inspiration needed to create some nice features for the website!

I've got a handful of ideas going around my head and I cant wait to start working on them as I am recovering!!

I apologize in advance for delayed e-mail response times and delayed message return times during this process - We will have someone handling our phones and e-mail's, and I plan on returning to being able to handle the office work in 2-3 weeks, and back to shooting in 4-6!

If you are not already following us on facebook, feel free to friend BePhotography Baltimore!

See you guys in a couple weeks! :)