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© Tony Powell. Fulbright/DeJong Engagement. September 30, 2011
© Tony Powell. Fulbright/DeJong Engagement. September 30, 2011
© Tony Powell. Fulbright/DeJong Engagement. September 30, 2011
© Tony Powell. Fulbright/DeJong Engagement. September 30, 2011
Photography and text by Tony Powell
Photo © Tony Powell. Ebong Eka, Lynda Erkiletian, Kate Michael
Photo © Tony Powell
Photo © Tony Powell. Dr. Ayman Hakki, Kate Michael, Christopher Reiter, Juleanna Glover
Photo © Tony Powell
Fans and friends of K Street Kate braved mid-August-in-DC mugginess and jammed into Dr. Ayman Hakki’s new cosmetics spa - Luxxery Express – to commemorate the online magazine’s 4th Anniversary. At the helm of it all? Kate Michael – arbiter of all things DC and one of the best hostesses in town! And those that came to get their drink on weren’t let down in the least!
Photo © Tony Powell
© Tony Powell. Kate Michael, Dannia Hakki
Photo © Tony Powell
© Tony Powell. Makeda Saggau-Sackey
The thirsty were treated to an open vodka bar with an endless list of mixers (many healthy options) and the East Coast debut of select Bordeaux wine, Brut and Rose champagnes by CPC Cellars. Some of those spotted in the crowd: Luxxery CEO Hiba Hakki, Real Housewife of DC Lynda Erkiletian with designer/boyfriend Ebong Eka, Moki Media’s Dannia Hakki, Makeda Saggau-Sackey, Angie Goff, Bianca Angelino Grimaldi, Juleanna Glover and Christopher Reiter, Angela Steever-Diba, Dr. Christine Warnke, on her way to Greece, and Ambassador of Yemen Abdulwahab Al-Hajjri.
Photo © Tony Powell. Hiba Hakki, Angela Steever-Diba
After raising many glasses to Kate and her crew at Luxxery the masses migrated to Mighty Pint for the official after party.
© Tony Powell. Washington Writing Group 1-Year Anniversary Party. CoCo Sala. February 24, 2010
Check out all the photos here!
Washington Writing Group, LLC (WWG) celebrated its first anniversary and re-launch on Tuesday night. Bianca Grimaldi, WWG President and Founder, welcomed clients, close friends, and family to the celebration at trendy Co Co Sala in DC’s Penn Quarter.
© Tony Powell. Washington Writing Group 1-Year Anniversary Party. CoCo Sala. February 24, 2010
© Tony Powell. Washington Writing Group 1-Year Anniversary Party. CoCo Sala. February 24, 2010
© Tony Powell. Washington Writing Group 1-Year Anniversary Party. CoCo Sala. February 24, 2010
While sipping on a specialty cocktail entitled “Writer’s Block”, guests dined on delectable Louisiana crab cakes, truffled mac ‘n’ cheese tarts, beet and goat cheese lollipops, and chicken tandoori sliders.
© Tony Powell. Washington Writing Group 1-Year Anniversary Party. CoCo Sala. February 24, 2010
For dessert, party-goers delighted in Co Co’s signature parfaits of dark chocolate tiramisu and strawberry mascarpone. All departed with chocolate bars engraved with WWG’s logo. From Capitol Hill personalities and local DC and Maryland politicians to public relations giants, nonprofit leaders, and social-scene regulars, the room was buzzing with energy, laughter, and love. Even Grimaldi’s three-year old son reveled in the fun.
© Tony Powell. Washington Writing Group 1-Year Anniversary Party. CoCo Sala. February 24, 2010
© Tony Powell. Washington Writing Group 1-Year Anniversary Party. CoCo Sala. February 24, 2010
© Tony Powell. Washington Writing Group 1-Year Anniversary Party. CoCo Sala. February 24, 2010
© Tony Powell. Washington Writing Group 1-Year Anniversary Party. CoCo Sala. February 24, 2010
WWG, a DC-based writing services firm, serves the technical and development writing needs of nonprofits and businesses. WWG began writing state, federal, and private foundation grants for clients in December 2008. With Tuesday’s relaunch, WWG rolls-out four unique service lines tailored to the specific needs of higher educational institutions, businesses, national and community-based nonprofits (including healthcare delivery organizations), and trade and membership associations. Visit Washington Writing Group at www.washingtonwritinggroup.com.
© Tony Powell. Washington Writing Group 1-Year Anniversary Party. CoCo Sala. February 24, 2010
© Tony Powell. Washington Writing Group 1-Year Anniversary Party. CoCo Sala. February 24, 2010
© Tony Powell. Washington Writing Group 1-Year Anniversary Party. CoCo Sala. February 24, 2010
To see all the photos click here!
© Tony Powell. Philippe Cousteau and Kimball Stroud
The Dupont Circle brownstone of Kimball Stroud, DC’s lady about town who knows just about everyone who’s anyone, was the place to be for the first big party of the new decade! I can’t remember a gathering where so many things were dead on; the people, the food, the atmosphere, and the conversations (I know how to keep a secret…or 2.) And did I mention the ART? Every wall was covered with something original and out of the ordinary. My kind of place! When Kimball sends a text asking you over you know it’s going to be a calendar clearing event. Her text specifically said,“no camera, you’re not working,” but seeing as though I keep a camera in my trunk, at all times, and with so many friends there (old and new) I couldn’t resist: Nora Maccoby, Kiki Ryan, Philippe Cousteau, Chris and Susan Koch, Shari and Jason Gold, Jill Straus, David Vennett, Jonathan Capehart, Karen Finney, Jake Stafford, Pamela Sorensen, Ingrid Zimmer, Jessica Yellin, Ray Regan, Nicole Backus, Darren Thomas, Mary Streett, Melissa Torres, Christina Sevilla, YouthAIDS founder Kate Roberts, and on and on. They were still coming in as I was on the way out. James Alefantis and best pal Septime Webre lucked up and got my front-of-the-house parking space!
© Tony Powell. Norah Maccoby and Scott Sanders
© Tony Powell. Melissa Torres
© Tony Powell. Pamela Sorensen and Kate Roberts
© Tony Powell. Tedd Evers and Ingrid Zimmer
© Tony Powell. Karen Finney, Jonathan Capehart, and Susan Koch
© Tony Powell. Jill Straus and Shari Yost Gold
© Tony Powell. Chris Koch
© Tony Powell. Catherine Frels and Jacquelyn Davis
© Tony Powell. Pamela Sorensen and David Vennett
© Tony Powell. Kirsten Good and Diana Davis
© Tony Powell. Jessalynn Medairy. 11.25.09
An unlikely set of circumstances led to my introduction to top-ranked pole dancer and Pole Pressure studio owner Jessalynn Medairy last week which culminated today in one of the most productive and meaningful photo shoots I’ve ever organized. Productive in that Jessalynn has a work ethic similar to mine and meaningful as it proved to be the right time, the right place, and the right person with which to attempt a fully bare-body outdoor shoot. I’m preparing new work for an exhibit, in the new year, of my large-scale photography, and some of these images are prime candidates for the show.
© Tony Powell. Jessalynn Medairy. 11.25.09
We almost didn’t meet. After a long night of shooting for Tiffany & Co. in Tyson’s Corner last Saturday, I remembered that my friend Lani Hay had invited me to Jayne Sandman‘s 30th birthday party at the The Rookery. I really wanted to celebrate with Jayne and also to hear (Lani’s husband) Mark T. Smith, Jay Scott, and (Jayne’s husband) Jeff Dufour‘s rock band, which headlined the B-day bash – but my body was asking to get some sleep. I’m glad that better thinking prevailed.
© Tony Powell. Jessalynn Medairy. 11.25.09
When I arrived, the band was already in high gear and the place was a sea of familiar faces and friends: Holidae Hayes, Winston Lord, Amanda and Curtis Polk, Susanna Quinn, Cindy and Evan Jones, Lindsay Czarniak, Jessica Gibson, Patrick Gavin, Lee Brenner, and Alexe Nowakowski.
I spied an attractive blonde woman hanging out with Sharon Yang and something about her seemed special…but I didn’t know what. I later discover that she was none other than Sharon’s pole dance teacher, Jessalynn Medairy, among the top 12 pole dancers in the US for 2009 and in the top 15 for 2010.
© Tony Powell. Jessalynn Medairy. 11.25.09
The woman has NO inhibitions – and that distinction shone through, lending the resulting images we created an immediacy that only authenticity can provide. She IS her art and, at least for the 4 hours we were together, we breathed as one. I can’t remember a time when I was more in sync with the person in front of my lens than with Jessalynn. Shooting started early in the afternoon – indoors at the Carriage House Studio, home of the DC Photographers Coop – near 9th and O Sts. The 9.5 foot tension-based pole she brought with her was securely erected within minutes – snugly fitting between floor and ceiling, providing the necessary support for the myriad moves she executed over and over again.
As luck would have it the rain stopped as soon as we finished in the studio so we headed over to Rock Creek Park to a secluded area near The Nature Center. We were able to get in a hundred shots of what I really wanted to shoot: the bare form in space, outdoors, in nature. We erected her portable stage and 10 foot pole right there in the middle of the woods. My strobes were being powered outside by one of two sine wave inverters that I own, which gives me roughly 300-400 full power bursts of light with as many lights as needed, attached. The only disadvantage of working with an inverter is not being able to use the modeling light on a strobe head for any length of time, as the battery will deplete quickly or worse yet, the inverter can become damaged.
© Tony Powell. Jessalynn Medairy. 11.25.09
An additional sign of support from the Universe came in the form of the Sun – it showed it’s face the second I was set up and ready to take my first shot. That bit of Sun changed everything for the better so the portable lighting was repositioned to allow the Sun to be my rim light. We’ve planned our second shoot together once she returns from an International pole dance tour of England and France.
She’s heading to Europe today for a week of competitions, teaching, and workshops. A dancer, choreographer, and teacher of dance myself, I found the newness of her very specific movement style intriguing, forever expanding my limited conception of movement and portraiture.
© Tony Powell. Juelles Chester. 11.23.09
You never know who you’ll meet or where it might lead when staying open to all possibilities! Choreographer and dancer Kate Jordan invited me to the most recent open house at the Carriage House Studio, just before Halloween. The loosely knit group of photographers (pros and hobbyists) that comprise the DC Photographers Co-Op come together there once a month to share ideas and also to work with a variety of models, in the studio, and throughout the adjacent alleyways in the historic Logan Circle corridor of DC.
© Tony Powell. Juelles Chester. 11.23.09
© Tony Powell. Erica Dudley a.k.a. Model Keka. 11.23.09
The models that night a few weeks ago were dancers on loan from Kate’s dance company – they also rehearse there as part of an exchange. The stylist was a newbie seamstress and Booshie Design founder, Ginger Carlin – she only started sewing a year ago. What I first noticed about her was an overabundance of energy – she bounced around from model to model adjusting clothing (all her designs), applying makeup, and touching up tresses of hair, here and there. A veritable one stop shop for models, she seemed like an ideal partner for a photo shoot.
© Tony Powell. Vanja Simovic.11.23.09
© Tony Powell. Juelles Chester. 11.23.09
We hit it off right away. A casting call went out and we had 3 great new faces with which to work – Vanja Simovic, Juelles Chester, and Erica Dudley a.k.a. Model Keka. Makeup artist Carl Ray, Hairstylist Shannon Greene, and my photo assistant Kevin Smoot, rounded out the team.
© Tony Powell. Erica Dudley a.k.a. Model Keka. 11.23.09
Fast forward to the day before yesterday! Our grand plan for an all-day shoot at the Carousel, the Hall of Mirrors, and the Spanish Ballroom in Glen Echo Park came to a screeching halt when Mother Nature showed us her plans for the course of the day! The steady downpour of rain forced us inside and thanks to Ginger we were able to get the Carriage House studio on short notice. After a long day of shooting and some homemade chicken and steak fajitas back at Ginger’s Q Street crash pad we were ready for round 2! But where? Still raining, Ginger, model Juelles, and I drove all over NW DC looking for a quirky indoor location. A gas station? Safeway? The nightclub Heaven and Hell? Tryst? At midnight I finally decided to try the lobby of the Donovan House on Thomas Circle. After a series of emails and phone calls to the director of PR and Marketing, we got the green light. The PR director remembered my name from the summer when I would come up to shoot parties on the roof by the pool each week.
Click here to view and purchase all the photos!!
© Tony Powell
© Tony Powell
© Tony Powell
© Tony Powell
© Tony Powell
For Politico coverage click here!
My good friends- DC Film Commissioner Kathy Hollinger, far right, and Kimball Stroud, threw me the best birthday party I can remember! Fifty or so friends came out to Cafe Milano to help me celebrate last week in style!!! Thanks Kathy and Kimball!
Art Soiree presents a perfect way to end the FotoWeek DC in an elegant and memorable fashion.
Join us Sunday, November 15th at 7pm for the most unique event in the city
“THROUGH THE EYES OF MEN”
You are invited to an exclusive photo-exhibition featuring five most esteemed local male photographers at a brand new, upscale and sophisticated venue – The Reserve – latest addition to the DC Restaurant and Lounge Scene. The Reserve is the perfect place for a casual yet elegant evening of dining, wining and lounging in an industrial, modern two level loft-like space. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to see Women’s Beauty through the lens of these prestigious photographers, savor great wines from around the world and delight in complimentary food samples from Chef De Pue.
We are proud to present:
5 photographers 5 personalities 5 passions 5 imaginations 5 techniques
HISHAM IBRAHIM
TONY POWELL
SERGIU ODAINIC
JERRY R. HARKE
ANTHONY BRICE
Our Art Soiree is all about exhibiting exceptional art in a unique setting for ONE NIGHT AND ONE NIGHT ONLY. This time you’ll be able to meet and interact with the photographers and appreciate their work. Come early to groove to new beats from DJ MOVA and continue into the night with DJ ODAINIQ.
Courtney Caldwell. Georgetown. October 22, 2009. All images © Tony Powell
To see the entire photostream click here!
© Tony Powell. October 22, 2009
© Tony Powell. October 22, 2009
© Tony Powell. October 22, 2009
© Tony Powell. October 22, 2009
© Tony Powell. October 22, 2009
© Tony Powell. October 22, 2009
Samantha Craig. October 21, 2009. Northwest Washington, DC & National Harbor Waterfront, MD
Makeup by Carl Ray
© Tony Powell. Samantha Craig. 10.21.09
© Tony Powell. Samantha Craig. 10.21.09
© Tony Powell. Samantha Craig. 10.21.09
© Tony Powell. Samantha Craig. 10.21.09
© Tony Powell. Samantha Craig. 10.21.09
© Tony Powell. Samantha Craig. 10.21.09
© Tony Powell. Samantha Craig. 10.21.09
Click here to see the entire photo shoot!
© Tony Powell. Carrie Miller. 9th & G Sts., NW. October 10, 2009
Shortly before photographing Barack Obama and Lady Gaga for Washington Life Magazine on Saturday, Carrie Miller and I were able to squeeze in our first photo shoot together. I’d seen her a few times with lawyer and night-lifer John Burns, while I was shooting over the summer at the W Hotel, but I never had a chance to introduce myself. I decided to ask her to shoot with me when I saw her again this past Thursday night at the grand re-opening of the W. My instincts were dead on. Carrie is one of the most naturally gifted models I’ve worked with to date. I normally leave a shoot with a handful of usable images but the portfolio Carrie and I created Saturday yielded dozens.
© Tony Powell. Carrie Miller. Chinatown. October 10, 2009
© Tony Powell. Carrie Miller. Chinatown. October 10, 2009
© Tony Powell. Carrie Miller. Dupont Circle, NW. October 10, 2009. Clothing by Terra Boutique
Little did I know that time was of the essence if we were to make this work. She was heading back to school at USC Sunday night, so when I got the call on Friday that she could only shoot Saturday, I had to scramble to make it work. And work it did!
© Tony Powell. Carrie Miller. Chinatown. October 10, 2009
© Tony Powell. Carrie Miller. 9th & G Sts., NW. October 10, 2009
I didn’t want to try to round up a few assistants in a day so I decided to shoot before and during the “golden hour” – the hour after the sun has risen above the horizon line or the hour just before the sun dips below it – a time of day when the shadows cast by the sun are least harsh. With the help of her boyfriend John, I was able to shoot, guerilla style, at a few different locations around DC.
© Tony Powell. Carrie Miller. 9th & G Sts., NW. October 10, 2009
© Tony Powell. Carrie Miller. Dupont Circle, NW. October 10, 2009
Backgrounds exist everywhere. Training the eye to make use of any location and deciding how to light it is the great challenge. The process of creating an image is as rewarding, if not more so than the image itself. The only way to surmount a new obstacle is to take a chance at thinking or doing something in a different way. I’d never grow in understanding if I always did what I’ve always done. Instead of canceling the shoot when it started to rain lightly, I went with it, taking advantage of the even, overcast lighting produced by the thick overhead clouds – the greatest of all softboxes….and it’s free! With a set of brand new White Lightnings and my new Canon 5D, we set out to create something that was never there before.
Check out all the photos here !
Lindsay Kin wearing a vintage Bob Mackie © Tony Powell
Sunday’s fashion shoot at Meridian Hill Park and later – 35th & Reservoir in Georgetown – was like a dream come true. I never really thought I’d be able to assemble a first-rate group of hair and makeup artists, or work with models and designers that I admire without having deep pockets or Leibovitz as a last name. But with lots of honest hard work and plenty of gentle begging I was able to do just that.
Andrew Paterini wearing Andrew Nowell and Stefanie Ball in a gown by Carmen Marc Valvo © Tony Powell
Stefanie Ball and Andrew Paterini © Tony Powell
With my website launching on my birthday – November 14th – I needed one more photo shoot to complete my fashion gallery (for the time being) in time for the launch. My good friends Susanna Quinn and Lily Mazahery were gracious enough to lend me current and vintage couture dresses from their personal collections just for this photo shoot. With dresses by Vera Wang, Nicole Miller, Bob Mackie, and Carmen Marc Valvo, I was entrusted with clothing worth tens of thousands of dollars.
Lindsay Kin, Brooke Monahan, and Courtney Caldwell © Tony Powell
The hair and makeup team for this shoot were all new to me but it felt like we’ve been together from the start.
Lindsay Kin wearing Nicole Miller, Andrew Paterini, and Brooke Monahan in vintage Vera Wang © Tony Powell
I saw Shana Janelle Swain‘s makeup before I ever met her, at a fashion show I photographed at K Street Lounge over the summer. Eduardo Bravo is a very popular hairstylist in Georgetown, and hair & makeup artist Myken Garcia was introduced to me by styling wunderkind James Cornwell backstage after the Fashion Fights Poverty (FFP) runway show last Friday night! One of the most talented and kind people I know, clothing stylist Anais de Viel Castel, agreed to help me bring the clothes to life. We started at Washington Life at the exact same time 3 years ago and have been friends ever since!
Crystal Hannon wearing a dress by Studio D Maxsi © Tony Powell
Two other meaningful things happened that night, at FFP. When I saw through my lens, model Lindsay Kin, walk down that runway in the Chinese Ballroom of the Mayflower Hotel, I knew right away I had to work with her. She was wearing clothes by Studio D Maxsi, and as soon as that set was over I left my camera (something I never do) to race back to meet both model and designer before being swallowed up by the next wave of outfits and models to go out on the runway. I had been waiting to meet the right model to wear the red Bob Mackie dress that leads this posting. When I met Lindsay I knew she was the one. She was kind enough to oblige and I can say that never has an idea in my mind been so easily transferred to the real World. I almost didn’t go the runway show that night…the organizers were very busy and I didn’t know if I had place from which to shoot. That’s the beauty of staying open, of moving towards fear, not running away from it. I went that night despite the fear I wouldn’t have a place to get a good shot. It turns out that FFP founders Sylvie Luanghy and Kadrieka Maiden not only had a place for me, it was the best center spot in the house…and I almost stayed at home.
Courtney Caldwell © Tony Powell
Andrew Paterini © Tony Powell
The first installment in an ongoing gallery of images designed to challenge my eye to find form in any surrounding.
Donovan House Rooftop – Sunday afternoon, September 13, 2009
© Tony Powell
© Tony Powell
© Tony Powell
© Tony Powell
© Tony Powell
© Tony Powell
To view or purchase photos from the fashion show click here. To view or purchase Adult Swim photos click here
SyLene Swimwear Models © Tony Powell
Each Sunday, throughout the summer, the rooftop of the Liaison Hotel on Capitol Hill plays host to Adult Swim, one of the most popular weekly pool parties in DC. I hadn’t been until this past Sunday when I was asked to photograph the Courage Cup fashion show by my friend Andrea Rodgers. The show, which took place during the height of Adult Swim, featured the Washington Wizards’ dancers as models, bling courtesy of Elizabeth Mandros Miller’s Mystique Fine Jewelers, and swimwear designs by syLene.
© Tony Powell
The emcee was none other than our very own arbiter of style, Paul Wharton, who brought his reality show camera crew along for the ride. The hardest part of taking digital pictures of constantly changing subjects, in direct sunlight, is not being able to clearly see the LCD monitor on the back of the camera. Without the ability to accurately gauge exposure I was forced to rely on a combination of experience and luck, and hope for the best. The “runway” shots turned out very well, however, 3/4 ths of the way through the show I spied a better vantage point – far away from the other photographers, and one that would place the sun directly behind me. By the time I moved my gear to the other side of the pool only three models were left to walk but what a difference a new point of view makes – frames 78-112.
© Tony Powell
After breaking down my equipment I had a chance to do a little schmoozing: Model Katie Rost with her boyfriend Xavier Eccleston, new to the scene Little Black Blog creator Quinn Woodward Pu in the pool most of the afternoon with pal Mariam Shahla Assadian, and a long overdue tête-à-tête with Joelle Myers. What a simple pleasure it was to relax for a few minutes on a couch with Joelle, Paul, Katie, Xavier, and M. Nicole Siobal. It’s been a non-stop week of shooting in a dozen different locations. Practice makes better! I look forward to the start of the social season and the parties I shoot for Washington Life Magazine, the work that’s closest to my heart.
Andrea Rodgers, Paul Wharton, and Katie Rost © Tony Powell
© Tony Powell
© Tony Powell
© Tony Powell
© Tony Powell
Mystique Fine Jewelers photo © Tony Powell
Click here to see all the photos!
Nupur Gupta, Christina Martin, and Casey Olson © Tony Powell
Dancer Mallory Terry © Tony Powell
The last time I was at Josephine I had the privilege of covering the pre-Inaugural “Black Door” party for Washington Life Magazine, the event’s exclusive media partner. It was a celebrity-laden evening that I’ll never forget. Last night’s 8th Annual White Nights party, was also, in its own unique way, a night to remember.
Two locations were chosen: first stop-the rooftop of Donovan House and then on to Josephine Lounge until the wee hours. The heavy downpour of rain all afternoon didn’t stop the brave from venturing out for the first leg of the activities. Very rarely do I lend my name to an event, but the cause was a very good one – raising awareness and money to support the efforts of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Having smoked heavily at one point in my life I feel blessed today that it’s no longer the huge burden it once was.
Seyhan Duru and Casey Olson © Tony Powell
White Nights originator Seyhan Duru, one of DC’s most visible DJ’s, told me how he attended the very first “White” party thrown by, then, Puff Daddy, in the Hamptons. Arriving back in DC he appropriated the theme and began a tradition that’s now in its 8th year. Every square inch of real estate was taken up last night by white-clad revelers dancing and drinking the night away. I was introduced to sugar-free Red Bull last night by Seyhan. Where have you been all my life? As a host committee we were able to get 700 to RSVP with, at least, 500 in and out of Josephine alone. I’d only planned to take a few shots but the atmosphere was so charged with energy I couldn’t put down my camera. Click here to see all the photos!
Casey Pauo, Maria Smith, John Dunsford, Tanya Sabel, Austen Shearer © Tony Powell
Check out all the photos at www.tonypowell.smugmug.com
© Tony Powell
I can’t thank model and friend Andrew Paterini enough for inviting me to last night’s Walish Gooshe fashion show at K Street Lounge. Not only did it provide an opportunity for me to practice my craft but it was also a chance to meet a host of new models to work with, from Model Mayhem, a “Facebook-type” website for the fashion industry. Two photo shoots are already lined up. Runway shooting is both challenging and rewarding…it’s a living form of photography, one with many elements that need attention at any given time: lighting, model’s expression, when to trip the shutter, exposure, movement of the clothing, etc. The task at hand last night was made all the more difficult with the discovery that there would be no additional “hot” lighting for the runway show. With no extra lighting, I would have to use flash – once again the 580 EX II flash and Quantum Slim Compact battery pack saved the day. Not ideal, however…using a flash at a fashion show is like playing Stravinsky on a toy piano. It works but there is a loss of integrity and also the odds of getting many usable images decrease. Why? I was surrounded by other photographers also using flash and whenever any two go off at exactly the same time, both flashes cancel each other out. You have to shoot more to get more usable photos. When a show is brightly lit and I can stop motion with a high shutter speed instead of a flash, the number of photos from which to choose greatly increases.
Models with Walish Gooshe © Tony Powell
© Tony Powell
© Tony Powell
© Tony Powell
Models © Tony Powell
© Tony Powell
Check out all the photos at www.tonypowell.smugmug.com
Kamari Wheeler, Makeda Saggau-Sackey, Rhiannon Day
I met up with my model muse Rhiannon Day at Spot Lounge in Dupont Circle on Friday night to help Makeda Saggau-Sackey celebrate the second anniversary of her fashion blog The Glamazon Diaries. I’d not been to Spot yet but heard a lot about it since it opened last month so I was looking forward to seeing if it lived up to the hype. Not as large as I thought it would be, Spot did provide, however, a feast for the eyes, with its well thought out details and figurative “blue” decor. The over-sized female torso in the men’s room was an interesting touch. Nightclub denizens Courtney Caldwell and Jaclyn Gower held court at the bar surrounded by a hive of guys all vying for their attention. Paul Wharton was there and then suddenly he wasn’t and finally got a few minutes face time in with Kamari Wheeler. I now realize that I was talking with Stephanie Green, of Green and Glover, without knowing it, and Becky Lee was like a one-woman tornado, dancing her way through the crowded throng. DJ Seyhan Duru kept the pace upbeat with a masterly mix of current and older tunes that provided a drop-cloth for some dirty dancing. The pictures took themselves.
Sharon Dougherty © Tony Powell July 29, 2009
The best thing about the newly renovated Hotel Washington is it’s panoramic view of Downtown Washington, DC from the top floor Sky Terrace. No other view like it. PERIOD! When I ran into Sharon Dougherty on my way into the KEENfest warm-up party Wednesday night, I asked her for an impromptu photo session. The sun was just right and Sharon couldn’t have been more of a good sport. We had to weave through dozens of patrons on the jam-packed roof terrace to get to a far corner spot I knew about from a few years ago when I photographed the President of the Greater Washington Board of Trade there for their Annual Report. The view of the Washington Monument is particularly evocative from that vantage point. Thanks Sharon!
Sharon Dougherty © Tony Powell July 29, 2009
There are very few people that throw parties like Rima Al-Sabah. This Kuwaiti Sheika, wife of Ambassador Salem Al-Sabah, always delivers a good time. Yesterday’s baby shower thrown for Michelle Fenty, wife of Washington, DC mayor Adrian Fenty, was a who’s who of the ladies who lunch set. Every so often I don’t really need a note pad because I know just about everyone in the room. It was like that. The list of heavyweights included Alma Powell, Lady Sheinwald, Barbara Harrison, Ann Hand, Mary Ourisman, Grace Bender, and Kathleen Matthews.
