During the 4th of July weekend I took a road trip to Chicago IL, where the Taste of Chicago was in full swing.  Just about any kind of food you can imagine was there… Connie’s Pizza, Manny’s turkey legs, Harold’s Chicken, Garret’s popcorn, and much more.  There were an estimated 1.5 million people at “The Taste” on Friday alone, reminding me a lot of Inauguration Day.  The July 3rd fireworks display lit up the sky at dusk on the lakefront.

On Saturday morning, there was a parade just outside where I stayed in Oak Park.  Yes, I was quite the tourist for a moment… taking in the festivities.  After a full weekend with The Taste, fireworks, parade, and three cookouts, I can say I truly enjoyed my time in the windy city.  Thanks to everyone who made the trip possible and kept my stomach full. :o)  Below are some images captured during my visit.

The Chicago Skyline

Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park

The main concert stage.  Most concerts took place earlier in the week.

Security was very tight.

‘The Bean’ sculpture in downtown Chicago, reflecting the famous skyline.

Oak Park Parade with many organizations showing their patriotism

During the week of March 23rd, I had the opportunity to travel to Boston, Massachusetts for the annual Photoshop World Conference.  The event took place at the Hynes Convention Center and included a ton of seminars dedicated to Photoshop, Adobe’s premier image-editing software.  Seminars included a range of topics from how to best organize image libraries, to creating better image composites.  Here are some sights from the conference and the city of Boston.

Sunday, I took some time out to visit the cherry blossoms at the tidal basin in Washington DC.  This was my first time seeing them (that I can remember) in more than 10 years.  Even though all the trees were not yet in full bloom, I was able to find enough that were camera-ready.  There are just a few more days left to catch the pink blossoms at their peak.  The National Cherry Blossom Festival began on March 28th and will continue until April 12, 2009.  Here are some images I created of the cherry trees, in color and infrared (black & white).

During the week of February 23rd, The Virginia Professional Photographers Association (VPPA) held its annual convention in Portsmouth, VA.   Members from throughout the state came together to perfect their craft and share the latest tips and techniques in the industry.  A number of photographers conducted seminars, such as Louis & Joseph Simone, Janel Pahl, Shannon Turner, and John Woodward.  The annual print & album competition was a success, with more than 400 images entered from photographers state-wide.   All of the blue and red ribbon prints were proudly displayed for a couple of days at the Portsmouth Renaissance Hotel.  Although I did not enter this year, I’m looking forward to next year’s convention in Richmond VA.

This week, it felt like Christmas in March. As the UPS delivery driver brought a package to my door, I calmly closed the door, and proceeded to rip the box open. Inside was a Canon 20D digital camera I had converted to infrared. Now, instead of recording color photographs, it sees only infrared (IR) light. Bright green foliage appears white, with blues appearing darker. This is the newest welcome addition to my camera bag. :o) Here are some images I created yesterday around a golf course. Enjoy!

The last week of February, I participated in the Virginia Professional Photographer’s Association’s (VPPA) annual convention. For the past few years, the event has been held at the Renaissance Portsmouth Hotel. Congratulations to all the members who entered the annual print competition. Although I didn’t enter into this year’s competition, I have a few images that will definitely be entered in the future. The tough part is choosing only a few prints to enter… whew! Out of hundreds of prints submitted by photographers all over the state, the photo below is just a sample of the images that scored well. Some of the competition categories included Wedding Candid, Portrait of a Child, Architecture, etc.

In addition to the print competition, there were programs held daily by industry-leading photographers such as Vicki Taufer and Hanson Fong. They shared lots of information about everything from studio lighting techniques to their day-to-day studio operations. On Sunday afternoon, there was a trade show full of photography industry vendors. I felt like a kid in a candy store! :o) Anyway, I had a great time throughout the week, and learned a lot in the process.

VPPA competition print gallery, on display in the hallway for all to see

Wow… we’re already a whole month into 2008! Thank you to all of our clients for your business and support throughout 2007. It was quite a busy year of photography and growth for us. Take a look back at some favorite images from the year. This is just a portion of the many events and portraits photographed last year by Benson Blake Photography. While creating this slideshow, it was amazing to see all the great moments that were captured through photographs. Feel free to leave a comment… Enjoy!

Slideshow (runtime 3:59)

View the Gallery