Tag: "Featured"

Jack Taylor's Toyota, the best of the best

Jack Taylor’s Toyota, the best of the best

There are two things in life that I have never looked forward to doing. One is having a root canal and the other is purchasing a car. Today I chose to do them both. Hmmm, sounds like a bad idea.  Well the root canal was exactly what you would think it was (no fun).  The dentist kept telling me to relax and I had to remind her that relax and dentist are not anywhere close in the dictionary.

An hour after leaving the dentist I was at a familiar location, Alexandria Toyota.   For the last 150,000 plus miles I had been getting my Toyota 4Runner serviced there.  George Queen had been my service manager for years.  Because of my trust in him, I trust Alexandria Toyota.   Because of extensive damage to my 4Runner during the blizard of 2010 it was time to get a new vehicle.   After speaking to George he referred me to Mack Alsobrooks.   My first choice was to purchase a Camry.  But after a long conversation and a thorough analysis by Mack I also started to look at a Prius.   That evening I looked at a few Prius & realized that they were comfortable & spacious & environmentally friendly.   The next day I came back to Alexandria Toyota to ask some questions & I met Gus the used car manager – he gave me the keys to the Prius for a test run.  My experience was so exciting that I decided to take the day off.   Later that day I picked my wife up from work & spent about 15 minutes with Mack and 20 minutes with Aaron Verothai their financial services manager.  I  then drove away with my new car.   What an incredible experience with not spenting hours waiting at a dealership to purchase a car.  What a car, what an experience & what a dealership!

Feb 21, 2010 | 0 comments View Post
One flake at a time

One flake at a time

Blizzard of 2010

Thursday, February 4th I took a trip to Costco knowing that there was going to be a snow event.  And no I was not in Costco because of Super Bowl Sunday, (even though in retrospect that would have been a great idea).  On Friday February 5th I went to work around 9am but actually was not scheduled.  At approximately 11am I saw the 1st set of flurries, and at 2:30pm left for home in Prince George’s County, Maryland.  The drive was uneventful but the traffic was heavy.

The reason for all this preparation was the the news was reporting a “major event” heading our way.   At 9pm I drove in some of the worst conditions I have experienced to pick my daughter up from Metro.  There must have been 40 mph wind and horizontal snow fall.  We got home safely following a plow truck.

For the next several hours we watched as the storm pounded us with wind and snow.  Trees snapped and fell.

On TV we watched reporters brave the elements to give us updates.  Major highways were closed, citizens were asked not to drive unless it was necessary.

When all was said and done, we got about 3 feet of heavy snow, and with transit, both rail and bus interrupted, 300,000 homes in the metro area with no power as workers struggle to restore power.

Now it is dig out time. Okay over the next 24hrs it will be dig out time. Okay after the Super Bowl.

Feb 07, 2010 | 0 comments View Post
ThinkTankPhoto - my best choice

ThinkTankPhoto – my best choice

Be ready “Before the Moment”

That is the tag line for Think Tank Photo, and it is very accurate.  As a professional photographer I am always looking for the best gear.  Something to make my life easy and comfortable.  But in the camera carrying bag arena there are so many choices.  So many good choices I must admit, but very few great choices.  Thinktankphoto creates great choices for the professional photographer.

Thinktankphoto is a true think tank.  They offer the best in backpacks, computer cases, belt packs, rain covers, rolling camera bags and accessories that work for any situation – they are the Ritz Carlton of camera gear.

Why Thinktankphoto:

  • Built by photographers for photographers
  • Great design
  • Protects gear
  • Makes gear accessible quickly

Mission Statement:
Think Tank Photo is a group of designers and professional photographers focused on studying how photographers work, and developing inventive new carrying solutions to meet their needs. By focusing on “speed” and “accessibility,” we prepare photographers to Be Ready “Before The Moment,” allowing them to document those historic moments that reflect their personal visions and artistic talents. For some companies, it is only about the product. For us, it is more: It is about supporting photographers doing their job. If we can design products that help photographers travel easier, take pictures faster, and organize their gear more efficiently, then we will have accomplished something beyond the bags themselves.

Hooray for the photographer, we get a chance to win.

Feb 07, 2010 | 0 comments View Post
The President's Cup

The President’s Cup

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to know what has to be done and do it.  On one spring day I received a call from an event planner.  This planner knew that I had perfected the art of creating group photos and knew that I would be very interested in photographing the Presidents Cup.   The President Cup was established in 1994 to have the best of the United States male golfers against an International Team representing the rest of the world less Europe.

This event took place at the Robert Trent Golf Club in Prince William County, Va.

Preparation for this high profile event was very important so about a week prior to the event I took a trip to the golf club and I discovered that from the vantage point that I was asked to create this photo I would be shooting into a window in which the sun backlight the subjects, and I would have no way to control it’s intensity.  So I had a long conversation with the meeting planner and the PGA and talked them into putting up a backdrop.  Without that backdrop I would not have had no control of the finished product.

On the day of the event 2 assistants and I approached the location and found thousands of people and hundreds of security.  After going through that gauntlet of security we finally arrived to the room where we needed to set up for the photograph. As we were assembling the lights President Bill Clinton entered the room. President Clinton went to greet a gentleman in the far part of the room which I found out later was the Ambassador to Venezuela.  Two minutes later President Clinton came over to us and introduced himself to my staff and myself.  President Clinton asked us what we were there for and I told him, a few minutes later we were watching him on the big screen with the players. What a wow.

About 45 minutes after seeing President Clinton on the big screen we started to hear the lobby area start to get busy and realized that the players were on the way.  Then in the next 10 minutes, Davis Love III, Tiger Woods, Greg Norman and both awaited instructions from us and the rest is history. The only thing missing in the photo is President Clinton, he had to get to the White House.  The actual photo took about 3 minutes after the first photo was taken.

The players of the PGA were such class act to work with.

Jan 30, 2010 | 0 comments View Post
Photographing NYC @ Christmas

Photographing NYC @ Christmas

It’s always fun to have an excuse to visit the Big Apple – New York City.  Better yet when you can incorporate business with a bit of pleasure.  This particular time I was selected to photograph a group of prestige Doctor’s who themselves were visiting from other countries which made it even more interesting.  Aside from being a professional photographer I also enjoy meeting and talking to people – guess you could say I’m a “people person” – makes my job easy – plus it makes everyone comfortable as well and within an hour of great conversation we all blended very nicely.

What a more perfect time to be in New York during the Christmas season when it sparkles – a spectacular site to see.

Great photo opportunities and jaw dropping views of the glittering Manhattan Skyline. Enjoy nighttime views and ambiance of Times Square, Chinatown, Greenwich Village, SoHo, Little Italy, Manhattan Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge and Lower East Side.  Don’t forget Rockefeller Center with the Tree – a mountain of branches covered with miles of lights.  The Empire State Building is another measurement stick to see before the holidays are over with the top three tiers brightly lit in red and green.  The window decorations are another amazing thing to see – as I strolled along 5th Avenue that brisk evening I thought to myself what a way to get into the holiday spirit!

A bonus for me is to always stop by one of the many vendors for one of my favorite foods – the knish.   I make it a ritual to bring home many & store in the freezer.  Only in New York do I find the best!

My accommodations were clean & comfortable but oh so small!!!  Good thing it was only myself because you certainly could not pass anyone within the confines of the room.   I laughed to myself.  It was smaller than a shoe box, but NYC is a place where one spends no time in a hotel room and lots of time taking photos.

Jan 25, 2010 | 0 comments View Post
MLB - Rookies of sandlot baseball

MLB – Rookies of sandlot baseball

About 13 years ago I was sitting in the restaurant of L’Enfant Plaza Hotel in Washington, DC when I received a call from Lansdowne Resort to find out if it would be possible to come to their location (50 miles away) to take a group photo of 150 MajorLeague Baseball players.   I needed to be there for the photo in 2 hours and the client wanted the images back in 48 hours.  Well that day I happened to have in my car everything that I needed.  (There is something to be said about being prepared.)  I was experienced with photographing  groups before but 150 was a bit larger then in the past so I called an assistant and we arrived on location in time enough to set up lights and get prepared prior to our 2 hour deadline.   I learned something that day which has been a blessing to me and that is how to control a large group.  I cut my teeth on Major League Baseball.

Well somehow we got it done, photos in 24 hours not 48 and have created a 13 year relationship with MLB.

Even though the photos appear the same every year, each poses it unique challenges.  This year one the participants thought is was more important to text during the shoot than it was to pay attention to instructions.

Well  this is the class of 2010.

Jan 25, 2010 | 0 comments View Post