Halloween in Columbia Heights

I am really fortunate to have the opportunity to photograph a wide range of assignments and people, including some of the highest ranking figures in politics, government and entertainment. While I am incredibly thankful and appreciative of those great opportunities and the access, the assignments that I get most personal satisfaction from are shooting portraits of people who do not have such lofty positions in our society; like those struggling with poverty, homelessness, mental illness, substance abuse and released convicted felons struggling to acclimate back into the mainstream.

Last weekend, I was asked to shoot a Halloween Party at Columbia Heights Village Apartments in the Columbia Heights neighborhood in Washington, D.C. This is a subsidized housing development, with the majority of its residents receiving some form of financial assistance from government. Like so many American cities, the pace of gentrification is rapid in D.C.  and many low income citizens are being displaced. This gallery shows some of the faces of the city who are not lobbyists, elected or appointed officials, entrepreneurs, real estate developers or attorneys. These are a few faces of those who are so often overlooked and ignored.

Natalia

I typically do not shoot senior portraits, but Natalia's mother, a colleague of mine, was quite persuasive over many weeks so I agreed. I am glad I did. With her Mom as my assistant, Natalia was a delight to shoot. 17 years old and preparing for college, she is smart, polite, funny and creative--she brought her 35mm film camera to the shoot loaded with Kodak T-MAX. This photo, taken in Georgetown section of Washington, D.C. was her mother's idea who suggested Natalia climb up a tree in her dress and Doc Martens boots. 

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La Taberna Del Alabardero

New Fall menu dishes created by Executive Chef Javier Romero for this historic and award winning restaurant featuring authentic Spanish cuisine.

Comunicad, LLC

Comunicad, LLC is a "full-service, cross-cultural public relations and marketing communications agency" Here are portraits of the team recently taken in their Arlington, Virginia office.

Dr. Raymond Tu, Chairman of Radiology, United Medical Center

I met Dr. Tu back in March when I first began working with the not-for-profit hospital corporation, United Medical Center (UMC) for new materials for web, marketing, public relations and advertising. You never know what to expect when meeting a new subject for the first time, especially someone as accomplished and respected as Dr. Tu, internationally recognized as a leader in his field. So often a photographer has fewer than 5 minutes for a session with persons as busy as Dr. Tu. In many cases, the last thing they want is to take time out of their calendar because marketing wants them to. Too often the subject is anxious to get to meeting, a conference call, email--basically do anything but deal with a photographer. After all, "why can't we just use the same photo that we have been using all these years?"

Dr. Tu could not be more fun to work with. He is ready and eager and comes with a great sense of humor. He is one of the funniest people I have met in a very long time. He is a very serious person and yet he doesn't take himself too seriously. The warmth and positive energy of his personality fills the room. We have shot 3 times now and in each session we laugh so much that I have to remind him we must refocus because he has to get back to running his department and I have a full schedule of other physicians, administrators and departments that need to be shot.

Here are a few frames from our last shoot. Dr. Tu, the happiest and funniest radiologist in the world!

Greg

54 years old. Released a few weeks ago after serving 12 years in prison on a Federal drug conspiracy conviction.

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Gregory

Bartendar. Gaylord Opryland, Nashville, Tennessee. Also featured in Three Six Mafia's "No Good Deed" music video. 

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Candy Crowley at NACUBO

Candy Crowley delivers keynote address at National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) 2015 Annual Meeting, July 20, 2015 Nashville, Tennessee (Rodney Choice/www.choicephotography.com)