Category Archives: Strobist

Natalie, Greg, and their kids are regulars.  I have been visiting them every few months for over two years.  Usually on a Sunday.  Each visit starts around 9am with a pancake breakfast, prepared lovingly by Greg while I break out my gear and start shooting….whatever.   Between shutter presses, I hear about what’s new with them.  I catch them up on whats new with me.  Occasionally my girlfriend comes along to hang out, have some pancakes, and assist me.  Sometimes, like this Sunday, we take a field trip.   And I just keep shooting.  It turns out to be kind of a Day in the Life of their family (completed in 2 hours).  And its just a LOT of fun.  After photographing them so often, we’ve entered the realm when it just gets really good: the children know me and are always ready and willing to play, I spend almost no time thinking about my gear, I already know where the best light can be found.  There are no nerves in the entire home.  I can be creative.  And they can be their beautiful selves.  I hope that it shows.

…and a visual shout out to the very capable assistant!

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  • Demet

    They already have a baby girl with teeth! Wow! I don’t know them but I feel like I do. And Serene is always so dang stylish, even in her casual assistant clothes. Love the gloves.

I was able to go home for the Thanksgiving holiday and had a chance to see a bunch of family.   My niece Jordan, who I thought was actually shy…is NOT!  She never got tired of posing for the camera, losing to me at thumb wrestling, or being the only clue-giver in charades.  It was great to see my uncle Kenneth, who is 60 but looks all of 45.  And my grandparents reminded me that they met when they were just weeks old (they were neighbors).   I think they can count the time that they’ve been apart in their entire lives in months.  I also finally built in some extra time during the drive to my mom’s house to photograph some of the great scenery along the way.  As sleepy as the town of Deale, MD is, it can also be absolutely beautiful.

Mom’s

Uncle Kenneth & Jordan

Jordan struggled to keep the camera/grip/flash steady and got a pretty nice shot in the process.

Granddad, still as sharp as a tack.  We can always count on him to stay out on the porch until we turn the corner onto Gwynns Falls.  I love that he has all the signs of a grandfather: belt + suspenders, zip-up sweater, eyeglasses in the shirt pocket (and a cell phone).

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  • Big Rob

    I love this man….

  • Georgette Varner-Haynes

    Awesome, Dana. Love this!

Last weekend, I was fortunate enough to attend the 2010 ADCOLOR Awards in Miami as one of the photographers for the weekend.  In a word, WOW!  What an amazing event!  ADCOLOR, an industry consortium founded in 2005, is the brainchild of Tiffany R. Warren (see her with award show host Soledad O’Brien in the final image below).  The consortium promotes and celebrates the efforts of diverse role models and leaders in the marketing, advertising, and media industries.  I have known about ADCOLOR since 2008 when my good friend, Akintayo Adewole, became the music director for the organization.  But I really had no idea of how wonderful this event would be.  There is such an amazingly motivated group of people, mostly volunteers, who plan and orchestrate the show each fall.  This year’s all-star honoree was none other than Queen Latifah.  Also in the house were Dwyane Wade and Alonzo Mourning.  Some of my favorite moments:

Coltrane Curtis’ award speech.  Hilarious and touching.

The afterparty on the yacht hosted by DJ Irie and Kid Capri.  Amazing.

Interrupting a D.Wade tweet to ask him to look at me for the image below.  He likes his phone time.

Spending time with Akintayo as we indulge our respective passions.

Becoming a member of the ADCOLOR family.

I was completely blown away by what Tiffany and her organization have been able to create in a few short years.  Congratulations, ADCOLOR, on a fantastic awards weekend.  And thank you.

Coltrane Curtis (award speech)

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Shauna takes fitness seriously.  Both hers and that of the hundreds of rabid fans of Hip-Hop Cycle, her insanely popular spinning class.  While she finishes up her PhD at Johns Hopkins, she tortures (ahem, teaches) her east coast devotees at Baltimore’s best gym, Merritt Athletic club.  But when she visits home, the West Coast faithful get a chance to take her class at the Equinox Palo Alto location….if they can get there early enough.  This week, Shauna was good enough to commandeer a classroom so that I could experiment with some techniques I’d been wanting to try.  And hopefully get some nice shots.

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  • Kent

    Being an old school photographer that goes way back before digital was even a possibility on anyone’s mind, I find your photography wonderful and refreshing. So often the photography being produced today is just about what can I do with it after I’ve snapped some picture. You have an excellent mix of pre-visualization with enough digital post to add a wow factor without it becoming the whole purpose of the image. I love your work!

  • Ali

    I love these – ESP. The NYC street shot. Bio , machine, concrete all ensnarled w colors and heat. Really good.