dcvb annual tribute luncheon

Whew, today was a challenge!  The Annual Tribute Luncheon is one of the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau's biggest events of the year, and because of the scripted nature of it, I only had small windows of time to capture REALLY big moments, and it was nerve-wracking!  The luncheon was held at the beautiful Bay 7 at the American Tobacco Campus, which is an incredible space, but it's dimly lit!  Getting the hang of when and where I could use natural light and where I couldn't was a task in itself!  But I had excellent backup in my coworkers, and we got some really great shots (but all of these are mine)!

if I had my dream job...

I would work at Vogue.  I would write, and I would photograph editorials, and I would design clothes that I would then photograph and write about.  Right now, it's a pipe dream, but I'm only 22, and life just has a way of surprising you.  But if you know me at all, you know I believe Vogue is second only to the Bible, which is also a pretty good read. ;)  I learned writing in school, and I'm learning photography now, but I first started sewing (by hand) when I was about fourteen.  I would go to the fabric store, pick out patterns, and soon enough, my American Girl doll would be best-dressed on the block.  Once, I even made her a pair of faux turquoise alligator pants.  She was so fly.  Then, my mom gradually taught me how to use a sewing machine, so I learned on and continue to use one she bought in the late '80s.  She often made clothes for Leanna and me, but I've moved on to making my own clothes now, and occasionally I make them for my friends.  So today, I thought it would be fun if I blended all three of my lofty goals in to a blog post with pictures of my sewing materials.  See how I did that?  Enjoy!

Here is the pincushion my mom (I believe) made in high school.  I still use it!

This is a birthday present dress I just finished for my friend, Danielle.  It needs some alterations, and I promise it's not actually see-through!  But I'm proud of how it turned out!

At first, the straps were a little short, so I lengthened them and sewed these fabric knots on top to hide the seam.  I think they make the dress.  What a happy accident!

 

Right now, I'm working on a black satin dress, and I hope I can get it done by my cousin's wedding next weekend!  My trip to Angels Among Us didn't work out, but I'm going to be photographing a luncheon for the DCVB this week, and then I can't wait to take the camera to the wedding!  Lots of good posts ahead!

surrender at bennett place and durham art walk: part two

Toward the end of the afternoon (and after lunch at Elmo's and a Cook Out run per Leanna's request), the three of us headed to Downtown Durham for the Art Walk!  We got there at the very end of it, so it wasn't terribly crowded, and most of the artists had left, but I enjoyed getting to visit their business district for the first time!  Here are the rest of the surrender reenactment pictures and a few from the Art Walk!

Remember Randy?  Well, turns out he's good with kids, too.  Also turns out he's not so single.

I believe Leanna and Rebekah named this guy "Richard".  Still not sure why.

The rest of these are from the Durham Art Walk.  These two could SING!

And this is in my top five favorite pictures I've ever taken, a) because I can't believe how well it composed itself and b) the clothes!  If you know me, you know how I feel about clothes.

Next weekend, Duke Hospital is hosting a 5K for its brain cancer patients, so stay tuned for some fun action shots!  I ran this race with my good friend, Rick, last year, and we had a blast!  To donate, visit angelsamongus.org.

145th commemoration of the surrender at bennett place: part one

This past weekend, I completed my first photo assignment for the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau!  I had SO much fun, and my sister, Leanna, and our friend, Rebekah, came with me, which made it a blast!  This year was the 145th anniversary of General Johnston's surrender to General Sherman at Bennett Farm, which was one of three separate surrenders at the end of the Civil War.  They had a mock meeting between the two generals running every twenty minutes, Union and Confederate horses you could pet, and soldiers from both sides who were really fun to talk to!  (Some of us enjoyed them more than others... Rebekah almost took one home.  You'll see him below.)  I definitely recommend taking your family, especially if the weather is nice.  Even the non-history enthusiast would love it!

I love this little red-headed girl... she's so precious!

And this is my gorgeous friend, Rebekah!  She was planning to yell, "The South will rise again!"  But to my disappointment, she didn't.

General Sherman in the terms of surrender meeting

Meet Randy... the Confederate soldier Rebekah almost took home.  He didn't tell us his name there, but Rebekah is really good at facebook. ;)

And this is Randy's friend, Philip.  Don't worry, we found out his name the organic way.

Come back later this week for part two and a few from the Durham Art Walk!