Fit for a King

   

Usually when my schedule says I'm going to some parts of town, I can deduce a rough estimate of the property value (more or less expensive than the house I live in). I knew this house was going to be something special, but nothing could have prepared me for my first glance around the corner. Utter astonishment. I drove up celebrating the good fortune of passing my favorite bakery (and indulging in the sticky decadence of an almond croissant), only to discover my even better fortune of getting to spend my afternoon photographing this estate. I'm unsure if I could really consider this to be a "home" for it was at least to the standard of a palace in my eyes. Poshly Immaculate. Tastefully decorated. Extraordinary. 

The interior photos are all HDR files created with minimal processing. The exterior photo is taken with an elevated tripod (making HDR impossible because of significant movement).

River Views

Imagine having that many windows in the back of your house. This lot sits on the top of a cliff that looks over... wait for it... the Potomac River. Not everyone gets to see the river from a place like this. Most of the properties along the banks [cliffs] are diplomat housing, and they often turn people away (even if you get a flat while driving by the front of their property and you need to stop to change your tire - ask my brother about that one). While it still has quite the backyard space, a short walk will take you to the rocky ledge, where you can look out over the river. It's stunning. I happened to be there at sunset to prepare for my shoot, and I got to watch the sky morph from light, to twilight, to dark from this unmatched vantage point. Here are a few images from my iPhone's camera showing the view:

This image is taken towards the northeast. 

This image is taken towards the west (and in this case, the sunset).

And this is the view looking straight down over the edge of the cliff. 

A truly gorgeous property. Apparently, the property is under contract and the buyers are planning on demolishing the current house and building a new, two story (EVEN better views, if that's possible) home in it's place. Maybe one day I'll get to see that house... here's to hoping.

Pools and Views

First night shoot with the new camera. I was able to use ISO 400... do you see any grain? Because I don't. There are even clouds visible above the house in the last shot! I'm completely amazed! I had a fabulous time, and I can't wait to use this new camera again! 

Treasured Trash

What a fun morning! I volunteered to help out with Baltimore's "Serve the City" project and got to use my photography to give back to the community. My assignment was to head over to Second Chance (http://www.secondchanceinc.org/), an amazing company that gives people "a second chance" by giving them jobs after they have been to prison. They teach these people with criminal records how to tear down buildings, giving them a skill they can use for the rest of their lives. Then, whatever has been left in the building that is salvageable (hard-wood floors, cabinets, mirrors, shelving, shutters, toilets, chandeliers, molding, etc), they take to the warehouse where they sell it for a profit! They keep the leftovers from going to landfills, and they give people a place to work. Ingenious! 

We had a fabulous time! We were told to have fun and photograph what we wanted, how we wanted. Here are a few of my unedited images from the day!

Humming Along

I just finished writing an email to my Aunt about the new camera. I took a moment to pause and look out the window, and saw the humming bird flying around, thinking about going to the feeder. I grabbed my camera, rushed downstairs, sat down on the front walkway and waited for the hungry little bird to enter my frame. It did. I snapped. How cool is that?! 

Streaming Dreams

The architect for this masterpiece of a house must have gotten inspiration from my dreams. I have ALWAYS wanted to have a little man-made stream running through my house (although I want mine to have fish in it too), with plexiglass bridges so people can walk over it, and at the same time peer into water. I loved how this stream also had a wall fountain (right side of frame) where the water rippled down and lightly splattered into the stream. The effect was relaxing, and the echo of the water could be heard throughout the house. 

Natural Musical

One of the most amazing houses I've ever seen. It was so gorgeous! I made a comment to the agent that the house felt like a visual and structural representation of music... if music were made of wood. She gave me a strange look and said, "That's funny you say that because that was the idea behind this house was music. The architect is a musician and wanted the house to reflect that." I can't say that I've ever understood an artist's work right away, but this was just obvious - and both spectacularly and extremely tastefully designed. Flawless. Beautiful. Natural. Stunning. I'm not sure I wold want to live in a place like this, but perhaps I can find a way to incorporate the concepts into my house one day. 

Everything Gets Hotter

     My first night shoot! Aside from the brutal attack by mosquitoes (go figure, I'm standing in the middle of the woods, surrounded by plenty of still water from the recent monsoon rains), this was probably one of my favorite shoots to date. When I got there, I freaked out because I didn't know if anyone was going to be meeting me there... And as I stood waiting for dusk to dissolve into the blackness if night, I prayed that the "Goatman" had more important business to attend to, rather than eat a lonely girl in a dark forest. Luckily, with moments to spare, I saw headlights bounding up the driveway, and from the car emerged the listing agent who proceeded to turn on all the lights in the house for me.
     I have to admit that this was a pretty difficult house to shoot. Even with the cathedral ceilings, it was still relatively short (no second story), which made it more difficult to capture it's enormity. I'm glad I got there early, giving me time to scout the perfect vantage point.

Just another day on the job. I'm getting better at this real estate thing. I'm having a ton of fun with it, and I'm never bored! Plus, sometimes I get to do fun things like go to the beach, or grab coffee with a friend between houses. (But we'll keep that between you and me)

Here are some HDR images from some houses I've shot recently. And of course, there is more to come soon!

Living the Dream

I love my new job. I'm traveling around the city photographing these luxury homes, and meeting the highest paid real estate agents in the process. The pictures are almost always beautiful (they hire stagers to set up the house for photography), and the light that streams through the windows is usually stunning. I'm finding that the hardest thing to deal with is my own perfectionism... I want these pictures to show my strengths, but I don't have that much time either to photograph or edit. But I love this! I'm not stuck in an office!

Life as I know It

And this, is the new chapter of my life. Real estate photography. I can't seem to find the words to express my excitement for this. I get to drive around my hometown, talking to the elite members of the District society,  photographing their "cribs," and as a result of all this, simply enjoying myself. 

I'll get to dance more often, see the friends I've missed for so long, and make trips to New York a priority. I'm thrilled for the change, and cannot wait to get started!