Benson's Blog » Portraits

Ebony Queens Online ‘09

Benson Blake Photography — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:07:05 +0000

In case you missed it, Ebony Magazine has published their "2009 Campus Queens" feature online. The printed version is usually published in April. However, they decided to take it online this year. This gave the magazine the opportunity to showcase the Queens more equally, while also (I imagine) saving on printing costs. Checkout Miss Hampton University 2008-2009, Shannon Cooper, and other campus queens at EbonyJet.com. One image from her portrait session was posted along with a brief bio.

The Ewing Family

Benson Blake Photography — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:47:11 +0000

This summer, had the pleasure of photographing the Ewing family in Dumfries, VA. The session took place at a nearby neighborhood’s clubhouse, providing a nice park-like atmosphere for portraits. For this group of combined families, we created a series of portraits to show their unique relationships with one another. Some of their vibrant personalities were also captured in the process. Here are some of the family’s images created that Friday morning.

Supplier Diversity in BE

Benson Blake Photography — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:04:40 +0000

The June 2009 issue of Black Enterprise Magazine features several top U.S. companies, and their supplier diversity strategies. Altria is one of those featured companies, where Connie Smith is the director of Supplier Diversity Development. I photographed Connie a while back, creating a variety of headshots to be used for publicity purposes. Well, one of those publicity opportunities landed her photo in the pages of Black Enterprise Magazine. Connie’s photo is published on page 152 (left), as part of the article “Supplier Diversity—a Winning Strategy in Tough Times”. Some other companies in the article include Coca-Cola, Macy’s, Denny’s, The Home Depot, Kellogg, and Allstate. Thanks to Connie and all the other supplier diversity managers for your continued efforts.

Debutantes at THEARC

Benson Blake Photography — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:01:47 +0000

I was recently commissioned to photograph 8 young ladies who will be participating in the Tea Rose Cotillion this month, in the DC area. The session was held at the THEARC Campus of the Washington Middle School for Girls in DC. Several portraits were created of each debutante, showing their formal dresses and some personality. The images will be used as a part of the printed program for the upcoming cotillion event. Thanks to the Xi Zeta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (AKA) Inc.’s Ivy Foundation for sponsoring this occasion. I’m sure the debutantes will remember this experience for years to come.

Natalynn & Dan Published

Benson Blake Photography — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 15:53:15 +0000

Check out the April 2009 issue of Black Enterprise Magazine. An image from my portrait session with Natalynn was published as part 3 of the “Women & Money” article series. The article begins on page 66, with the photo of Natalynn and her husband Dan appearing on page 70. Photo credit was incorrectly given to another photographer for this image, and should read “Photograph by Benson Blake” at the bottom of page 70. Black Enterprise Magazine is available at most Barnes & Noble and Walmart stores.

Natalynn & Dan’s Portraits

Benson Blake Photography — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:49:11 +0000

On February 7th, I traveled to Chesterfield, Virginia to photograph business-woman Natalynn Roman. She's the president of the Strategic Leadership Development Group in Virginia, a company that provides leadership and organizational consulting services to a variety of clients.

Natalynn will be featured in the April 2009 issue of Black Enterprise Magazine, as Part 3 of a three-part "Women & Money" series. Natalynn and her husband were both photographed together for the magazine, as well as individual headshots. Here are a some portraits of the couple that were created that beautiful day in Chesterfield.

Miss Hampton Portraits ‘08

Benson Blake Photography — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:39:50 +0000

Congratulations to Shannon Cooper, Miss Hampton University 2008-2009. She was crowned on October 11, 2008 and will serve as an ambassador for the University for the current academic year. The day after the pageant, we held a portrait session in Hampton to capture some promotional images. The 2009 “Black College Queens” issue of Ebony Magazine will feature a photo from this session. Good luck to Shannon, as she will compete for the title of Miss Virginia in the Spring 2009 pageant.

The Toney Family

Benson Blake Photography — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 02:12:07 +0000

On October 4th, I created portraits of the Toney family at their beautiful home in Haymarket, VA. The family dog, Nikki, stepped in occasionally for her cameo appearance throughout the morning. Thanks to my assistant Precious of Precious Perspectives for helping out with the session!

The two boys, 10 months and 3 years, were all smiles (and silly) for the camera. Three years ago, I photographed their youngest son when he was just 8 months old. So, this was a great way to capture both children as infants. Here are a few of the images…

Naomi’s “Best Offering”

Benson Blake Photography — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:08:42 +0000

Earlier this year, I photographed gospel artist Naomi K. Thomas for her debut CD project. Her live CD is now available, and features some images from the session. Portraits by Benson Blake Photography are also used throughout her new website www.naomikthomas.com. Naomi’s CD “Best Offering” is available online at CD Baby and iTunes.

www.naomikthomas.com

Seidah & John 8-8-08

Benson Blake Photography — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:28:47 +0000

Congratulations to newlyweds Seidah & John, who recently married in northern VA on 8-8-08. They enjoyed a private ceremony, then held a party on a later date for family and friends to join the celebration. I had the pleasure of creating casual portraits for their custom-printed invitations.

Billboard on I-64

Benson Blake Photography — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:58:50 +0000

For the months of August & September 2008, one of my photographs will be displayed on a billboard. In July, I photographed Dr. James M. Russell III and Dr. M. Patrick McCormick, the 2007 and 2008 recipients of the Virginia Outstanding Scientist award. They both work at Hampton University, and the university decided to showcase their accomplishments in the form of a larger-than-life billboard. Look for it in Hampton VA along interstate 64 West near Hampton University. Thanks to Greg for pulling over and capturing the image below.

Hopkins Family in BE

Benson Blake Photography — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:10:38 +0000

The August 2008 issue of Black Enterprise Magazine features the article ‘Finding Solid Ground’, about investing in today’s real estate market. In the article, written by Kemba J. Dunham, an example is given by the Hopkins family who has found investment opportunities in Virginia. In June, I had the pleasure of photographing the family of four at their home in Triangle VA. The photograph has been published as part of the article’s opening spread on page 80. Radio personalities Steve Harvey and Tom Joyner are pictured on the cover. Black Enterprise Magazine is available at most Barnes & Noble and Walmart stores.

Dr. Peggy Britt

Benson Blake Photography — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:52:38 +0000

On last week, I held a portrait session on location with gospel artist and pastor Dr. Peggy Britt. For this session, I setup at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Methodist Church in Portsmouth VA to create some promotional images for her. We started with a few in the sanctuary to give a church-like feel, then ended with some headshots to show more personality.

The Garcia Family

Benson Blake Photography — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:25:41 +0000

On last weekend, I had the joy of photographing the Garcia family in Dumfries, Virginia. The newest addition to the family is their 5 month old son, who was ready for his close-up! Big brother and sister also had their portraits done… then the whole family piled up for a casual portrait. These are just a few of my favorites from this family’s session. Enjoy!

VA Outstanding Scientists

Benson Blake Photography — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 23:45:19 +0000

Congratulations to Dr. James M. Russell III, recipient of the 2008 Virginia Outstanding Scientist award. On last week, I photographed Russell and the 2007 award winner, Dr. M. Patrick McCormick, on the campus of Hampton University. Images were created of them in front of Ogden Hall, the Administration Building (pictured below), and other areas of the campus. Thanks to Yuri and her staff for coordinating this session.

One or two images from the session will be part of a billboard display along interstate 64 in Hampton VA. Look for the super-sized image during August and September 2008.

Dr. James M. Russell III (left) and Dr. M. Patrick McCormick (right),
winners of the 2008 and 2007 Virginia Outstanding Scientist Award

The Hopkins Family

Benson Blake Photography — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:18:33 +0000

I was recently commissioned to photograph the Hopkins family in Triangle VA. One or two images from their session will be published in the August 2008 issue of Black Enterprise Magazine. The family will be featured in a real estate article, about successfully investing in the current housing market. Here are a couple of images from our session.

Ross & Darby Families

Benson Blake Photography — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:33:58 +0000

I recently had the pleasure of photographing the Ross and Darby families in Newport News VA. Their outdoor session took place at Huntington Park, which has become one of my new favorite locations for photography. Thanks to the families for being such great sports in the extreme heat… whew! Fortunately, there was plenty of shade for us to work in and still get some great images.

Amber’s Portraits

Benson Blake Photography — Sun, 18 May 2008 13:50:43 +0000

I recently held a studio portrait session for Amber, a music major at Hampton University. We created lots of great images to be used for her upcoming vocal competition. Hopefully we can narrow them down to just one for the program. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Pageant Committee

Benson Blake Photography — Sat, 10 May 2008 14:08:05 +0000

On Wednesday, I held a studio portrait session for a few members of the Miss Southeastern Virginia Pageant committee. I thought it was neat how they just happened to show up wearing red, white & blue. Their solid-colored clothing worked great for these promotional images. Here are a few from our studio session.

Bishop Thomas’ Portraits

Benson Blake Photography — Thu, 08 May 2008 11:51:32 +0000

I recently had the opportunity to photograph Bishop Ted Thomas Sr., pastor of New Community Temple COGIC. This session included studio portraits and images created on location at his church in Portsmouth VA. Here’s a sample of images from that afternoon.