Why oh why do my very favorite TV shows always end after just one or two seasons?  First, it was Dark Angel, then I discovered Eli Lilly, and then…Heroes was so good, how could they possibly have ended it after only one season???  And now!  I started watching John Doe, and that last episode was just oh so good, I search for season 2, and alas, it’s nowhere to be found…  Am I the only one who loves these TV shows???  So, so sad…

Anyway, as you can tell from my lack of blog posts this week, I have been BUSY!!!  I’ve photographed several important corporate events this week, one of which was a very cool Cirque du Soleil-style awards/all-star event, plus did an executive portrait for a CEO at a local public relations firm, and bright and early tomorrow morning, I’m doing executive portraits for four people from the leadership team of a local tech start-up.

And, in addition to booking weddings for 2011 and 2012, I am already booking portrait photography (newborn and family) sessions for both this spring and summer, as families and parents-to-be are wanting to make sure I’ll be available for them during wedding season!  So this is your chance too!  Don’t forget about my Be-My-Valentine portrait photography package promotion – between now and Valentine’s Day, book any of my portrait photography packages, and receive an additional $100 in complimentary luster and metallic prints!  Hurry!!!  There’s only ten days left!

And finally, I wanted to share with you a few new publications I’ve got.  The first is a full-page photograph of our very own Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC, published in Dan Brown’s bestselling book, The Lost Symbol: Special Illustrated Edition (available from Doubleday; isbn: 978-0-385-53382-9).  The second photograph below is from Burkina Faso, West Africa, and has been published in a textbook called Masters of Media: The News Never Stops from Heinemann Raintree Publishing.  To Doubleday and Raintree, thanks for sending these over to me!

In the town of Djibo in northern Burkina Faso, a Fulani wedding has taken place. Friends and family of the bride carry gifts and possessions – pots and pans, blankets, textiles, decorative flowers, and other items – from the bride’s home to her new home with her husband. Surprisingly, many of these gifts are not destined for the bride or groom, but will be parceled out to wedding guests and relatives of the groom upon arrival.

View more images of Burkina Faso, West Africa here.

So I’m a little more than 1/3 of the way through processing the images from my November 2010 trip to Burkina Faso, West Africa.  My goal is to pretty much finish processing – including captioning and keywording – by the end of the month, but this is a pretty ambitious target, so we’ll see how it goes!  I do have an incentive, though…  I’ve been invited to give a presentation to the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) DC Chapter on January 11, 2011, and I’d like to present images from this Burkina trip (see invitation below).  The editing part is OK, but I have to say…captioning and keywording is TEDIOUS and BORING!!!  In fact, captioning and keywording might even be – to me anyway – the very worst part of being a professional photographer!  Ahhh, it’s a good thing the good outweighs the bad by far!

Here’s one of my favorite images from yesterday’s batch of edits.  It’s taken in the Fulani village of Jolooga, about 40-45 km north of the town of Djibo in the province of Soum in the north.  A girl sits on a traditional bed in a house made of handwoven straw mats supported by thin sticks of wood.  Additional straw mats serve as a mattress.  The Fulani are traditionally nomadic pastoralists, crisscrossing the Sahel season after season, year after year, in search of fresh water and green pastures.  This house can be disassembled at will, the mats rolled up and loaded onto camel or donkey cart, and reassembled at a new location.  This is a dry season house.  When the rains come, the decorative mats will be stored safely away from water, and a different kind of straw house built.

See more Burkina Faso, West Africa photography here.

Here’s the announcement from the ASMP about the January 11th event.  Feel free to come by – and let me know if you can – you’re invited!

ASMPDC presents

8×10: Eight ASMPDC Members for Ten Minutes Each

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Join us for our most popular program: 8×10, where eight of our fellow ASMPDC members have 10 minutes each to present the work of their choice—a recent assignment, a completed commercial job, a personal project, or a series of images that resonates with them. Don’t miss this lively evening from a diverse group of our fellow photographers as they show us their approach to the craft and business of making great images.

Irene Abdou is a travel, lifestyle, and documentary photographer. Irene’s background is in humanitarian aid and international development, working for the Peace Corps, American Red Cross, Population Services International, and Counterpart International in Africa and Asia.

Johnny Bivera is a widely published photojournalist with over 20 years experience capturing images throughout the world covering both combat and humanitarian missions. Johnny owns Visual Media One, a documentary and commercial multimedia production company.

Brianne Bland is from Vancouver, British Columbia, and moved to Washington, DC 13 years ago to dance for the Washington Ballet. Recently retired, Brianne now spends her time photographing dance and weddings. She is a photography student.

Robin Burkett is a fine art on-location pet photographer. Robin was voted one of the “Best Pet Portrait Artists” by Washingtonian Magazine, was a 2009 Tails Readers Choice Award winner, and has been mentioned in Daily Candy.

Xiaomei Chen chose a camera over a Ph.D. scholarship in 2006. With her background in anthropology, mass communication, and education, Xiaomei is a contract photographer for The Washington Post and freelances as a photographer and writer for Travel Business, located in Guangzhou, China.

Roger Foley is an award-winning garden and landscape architecture photographer with over 30 years of experience. Roger is the sole photographer for 10 book projects, and his work can be found in hundreds of other books.

Eli Meir Kaplan is an editorial photographer specializing in portraiture, photojournalism, and multimedia. Eli produced his first video, a battle between He-Man and Skeletor, at the age of 4 and has spent most of his time behind a camera ever since. (BTW, Skeletor lost.)

Jesse Snyder has been assisting and photographing in the DC area for 11 years. Jesse specializes in architecture, portraiture, and classic British cars. He received his BFA from College for Creative Studies.

WHEN: Tuesday, January 11
6:30 PM Refreshments
7:00 PM Program

WHERE: American University
Mary Graydon Center
Wechsler Theater, 3rd Floor
4400 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC

FEE: ASMP Members: $10
Non-members: $15
Students w/ID: $5
Pay now online.

I came home from New Orleans in August with an idea.  A stolen idea.  From the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.  The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New Orleans has the most awsomest bed I have ever ever slept on.  It was so soft.  So fluffy.  So comfortable.  One evening, I lifted up the bed sheets to peek at the mattress.  And I made a wonderful discovery.  It’s not the mattress that was so soft and fluffy.  It was the extra comforter sandwiched between the mattress and the bedsheet.  After getting home from Burkina Faso a few days ago, I searched in the closet and came up with an extra comforter of our own.  Today, we have a most awsomest bed too.

This is my last New Orleans photo story post.  This is where I spent my last morning in New Orleans.  The Garden District.  Classified as a National Historic Landmark, the Garden District is known for historic southern mansions.  In fact, this collection of mansions may be the best preserved in the United States.

The staircase above is my favorite image of the day.  It’s the exterior staircase of my favorite house in the Garden District (below).  Although this house may not be the largest or fanciest, I love the cute little windows poking out from the top of the house and the two symmetrical staircases curving outward along the front.  These southern mansions all have double staircases because men and women were not supposed to walk the same stairs.

Originally the post-civil war mansion of a prominent Louisiana sugar planter, the mansion at 2343 Prytania Street (below) is now the Louise S. McGee School.  Designed by Architect James Freret in 1872, the building reflects the influence of the “Ecole des Beaux Arts” in France.

Here’s a gallery of all New Orleans photos.

Well, after five weeks of wandering the dusty roads of Burkina Faso, West Africa, we are finally back in the good ol’ U.S. of A!  You know, I did miss home.  We had a great time, but five weeks is pretty darn long.  My #1 cause of homesickness?  Those of you who know me might guess really bad internet.  But nope, this time, more than anything, I missed our clean, white bathroom.  I mean, for 3 1/2 of our 5 weeks, we were taking bucket baths.  I became a good friend of bucket baths in my Peace Corps Niger days, but I haven’t had to see a bucket bath in…let me count…four years, since living in Southern Sudan!  In fact, yesterday (the day after we got back), I was really appreciating our bathroom.  I promise, it was already clean, but the first thing I did yesterday was to make it sparkle more!

Definition, “bucket bath”: Fill a bucket with water from the pump.  The water will most likely be cold, unless you leave it to sit under the sun.  If at night, there is no sun.  Also look for a plastic cup.  Carry the bucket (and cup if you found one) into the shower area, which hopefully will have cement on the ground.  Make sure you drape a piece of cloth or clothing on the outside wall of the shower area to alert people that you are inside.  Use the cup to pour water from the bucket onto yourself.  If you didn’t find a cup, then use your two hands to splash water from the bucket onto yourself.  Splash the water as quickly as possible, so that your soapy hands don’t put too much soap into the clean water.

Over the next month or two, I’ll be working on sorting, editing, and processing the 2,487 images that I brought back with me, so stay tuned!  Some of them will be ready in time for Christmas shopping!  And now, onto today’s post…

In this economy, many of us are seeking ways to freshen the look and beautify our homes and offices while keeping expenses down.  Painting a wall with an accent color, or simply adding artwork in accent colors, is a great way to “economically remodel.”  The Paint Quality Institute forecasts that three color directions will share the fame in 2011: Back to Basics, Well Worn Hues, and Shimmer and Shine.  Which one are you?  (Me, I’m definitely Shimmer and Shine…)

1.  Back to Basics

The ultimate in practical home remodeling, neutral colors are versatile, allowing the look of a room to be dramatically changed simply by adding a few new accessories.  With neutrals, expensive remodeling or repainting is unnecessary, and this is the perfect time for neutrals’ claim to fame.  Some of the colors that we’ll be discovering in kitchens, bedrooms, and baths across the country in 2011 include warm whites, tawny tans, “barely-there” coral, and green.

Will a fine art photograph in neutral colors spice up your home?  Check out this photograph of “Wheat Fields Waving” in Cades Cove, at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.

Or, check out all fine art photographs with neutral colors here.

2.  “Well Worn” Hues

Are your favorite pair of jeans blue?  In 2011, blue’s popularity will grow, not just on jeans, not just on walls, but also on ceilings.  Blues across the spectrum are well worn hues, from denim dark to grey-blue, and are great in any room of the house.

Seeking to accent your home with blue?  Check out “Mist Over Canyonlands IV” from Canyonlands National Park in Moab, Utah.

Or, check out all fine art photography with blue here.  And if you have blue walls, think about accenting them with fine art photography in yellow or orange.

3.  Shimmer and Shine

Thrifty consumers are taking a look at higher paint sheens and metallic finishes to add a bit of sparkle to their homes.  Very glossy hues will make their way in 2011 into hallways and living areas, top to bottom.  More gloss = more reflectivity = more light, subtly facilitating a brighter, upbeat mood, while speaking to style and pizzazz.  Perfect areas for the sophisticated shimmer and shine selection?  Dining rooms, master bedrooms, and master baths.  Perfect metallic choice and paint hue?  Gold is returning coupled with the high-shine trend!

For shimmer and shine, check out “Tinged with Gold,” a photograph of snow geese at sunset in the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia.

Or, check out all fine art photographs with gold here.

4. Bucking the Trend

Are you the black sheep of the family?  Do you not fit into any of the categories above?  Well, we have something for everyone, so check out the other colors below!

• Accent your home or office with fine art photography in RED. (Also check out yellow as an accent to red.)
• Decorate your home or office with fine art photography in ORANGE. (Also check out blue or purple as accents to orange.)
• Remodel your home or office with fine art photography in YELLOW. (Also check out red and blue as accents to yellow.)
• Beautify your home or office with fine art photography in GREEN. (Also check out yellow as an accent to green.)
• Freshen up your home or office with fine art photography in BLUE. (Also check out yellow as an accent to blue.)
• Stylize your home or office with fine art photography in PURPLE. (Also check out orange as an accent to purple.)
• Add elegance to your home or office with fine art photography in IVORY/TAN/BROWN.
• Add pizzazz to your home or office with fine art photography in GOLD.

And don’t forget, fine art photography or a fine art photography gift certificate also makes for a very special Christmas gift for friends and family!

A month ago, I told y’all about my first visit to New Orleans. During that first visit 16 or so years ago, I know I saw the Mardi Gras parades.  I know I saw the parade floats.  And I know I saw the famous Mardi Gras beads flying every which way everywhere.  But somehow, dazed and confused by a long night of drinking, I don’t remember any of it.  This second visit, I took a few hours to tour Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World, where artists design and fabricate the Mardi Gras floats.  In fact, floats from Blaine Kern’s studio tour the world every year in parades, theme parks, casinos, and amusement parks, including Japan’s Toho Park, Philadelphia’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Universal Studios Florida, and Antibes, and, of course, New Orleans Mardi Gras.  At Blaine Kern’s, I learned about the New Orleans krewes responsible for purchasing and manning the costly parade floats.  I learned about the Mardi Gras beads, and how they’ve become collector’s items for New Orleans natives.  And best of all, during my last night in New Orleans, as I enjoyed a plate of stuffed mushrooms – traditional New Orleans fare – at a restaurant on Bourbon Street, I got to see a mini Mardi Gras parade.  I followed the restaurant waiters up to the second floor balcony.  I pull out my camera to photograph the parade.  And let me tell ya, beads are a-flyin’.  Beads thrown by people on the floats.  Beads whizzing by my ears.  Beads hitting me as I look through my camera!  Turns out that EA Sports, creator of the popular “Madden NFL” game, celebrated the release of the 2011 game edition with Madden Gras 2011.  The day’s festivities culminated with a Mardi-Gras-style parade through the French Quarter to Jackson Square, where Cowboy Mouth and Galactic performed.  Now how cool was that!  And just think – if I hadn’t happened to decide to have dinner in the French Quarter in a restaurant on Bourbon Street, I would have missed it!  I would have missed this perfect last night to a VERY memorable week in New Orleans.

View all Madden Gras-Mardi Gras images.

View images of New Orleans: French Quarter Charm.

View images of New Orleans: Great Musical Traditions.

The Spanish-style architecture of the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana dates back hundreds of years to the 1700s.  It is distinctive for the intricate, wrought iron balconies and central courtyards of the multi-story homes, and quaint doors, windows, and stoops of the 1-story homes.  Mardi Gras beads, collected by residents each year as they are thrown by krewes from parade floats, decorate balconies and electrical and telephone wires.  The Train Garden in the New Orleans Botanical Garden in City Park displays miniature trains and streetcars that travel through a replica of the French Quarter.

Did you miss my first New Orleans installment on the great musical traditions of New Orleans?  Check it out here…

View all New Orleans: French Quarter Charm photos here.

And by the way, my Facebook page has crossed the 100-”likes” line! You can connect with me on Facebook too here.

Last Saturday was the 2010 DC Caribbean Carnival, which is held every year during the last weekend of June.  It launches with a parade with dancers in traditional Carribean carnival costumes.  My husband and I rushed into DC early Saturday morning, still 30 minutes late, only to find that this really IS a Caribbean Carnival!  On true Island/African time, the parade started 1 or 1 1/2 hours late…but boy, was it worth it!  It was a LONG parade!  Two hours after the first dancers passed us by, the line was still coming, and even though we were up on a hill, we still couldn’t see the end of the parade!  We didn’t stay to the end, and we never did make it to the actual festival in Banneker Recreation Park…  (We had a barbecue at a friend’s house to get to!)  But the parade was absolutely amazing and wonderful and COLORful!  We will definitely try to make it again next year!

A few days ago, I blogged about my new Stock Photography-Image Archive site by Photoshelter. Photoshelter’s been updating their features, and I now have the option to easily embed slideshows on my blog and other websites! How cool is that??!!! I’ve been working hard to upload my full image archive to my new site. Today, I uploaded images from the 2008 Shenandoah Valley Hot Air Balloon and Wine Festival. Check out the slideshow below!  And by the way, if you’d like your own Photoshelter website, I can help you out with my Photoshelter discount code, which will get you up to $30 off.