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.

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.

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.

Last week, I created a series of mother and daughter portraits for Patricia and her mom Alberta. The session took place on location at their Portsmouth VA home. Some images were captured inside the home, while others were taken just outside their front door. Here’s a sneak peek…

On Saturday May 3rd, the nTelos Pavilion in Portsmouth VA was once again the venue for Star 94.1’s annual "Picnic at the Pavilion" gospel concert. The concert lineup featured gospel artists Tye Tribbett & G.A., CeCe Winans, Norman Hutchins, Beverly Crawford, Maurette Brown-Clark, Euclid Gray, Spensha Baker, Isaiah D. Thomas, Jimmy Hicks, James Fortune & FIYA, Damon Little and Jessica Greene… whew! The show started at 3:30pm and didn’t end until about 11pm. Big thanks to Ellen’s Cuisines for catering the VIP party area, Distinguished Executive Transportation and other sponsors of this event. Also, thanks to Sheilah Belle for the write-up in the Belle Report.  Here are some moments from the concert…

Spensha Baker

Jessica Greene

Jimmy Hicks

Euclid Gray

Maurette Brown-Clark

James Fortune & FIYA

Beverly Crawford

Damon Little

CeCe Winans

The VERY energetic… Tye Tribbett & G.A.

I was recently asked to photograph gospel artist Naomi Thomas for her upcoming CD release. We were able to capture lots of different looks for her CD packaging and promotional materials. Part of her session took place at our studio, and the rest on location at New Community Temple COGIC in Portsmouth VA. Here are a few of my favorites.