Greg Gibson Photography – Washington, DC’s Top Rated Wedding Photojournalist »

My oldest son Zach graduation from high school last week. They even gave him his diploma! In August he will be taking off for the art school at Virginia Commonwealth University. As much as I have tried to talk him out of it, he still thinks he wants to be a photographer!

Those that know Zach will notice two things - 1) He cut his hair really short and 2) being a true comedian he is wearing a fake moustache.

A mere 780 graduates file into the Patriot Center at George Mason University.

The students had fun annoying the administrators by sneaking in beach balls to bat around.

Maybe not such a good idea to actually catch one.

Tossing the caps - of course Zach forgot to remove his tassel and he tossed that too!

The Roots Workshop is just around the corner and there are still a few spots available. I get email all the time from photographers asking about workshops and this is a great opportunity to come and learn with me.

Roots has a similar format to the Foundation Workshop, the Eddie Adams Barnstorm or the Mountain People’s workshop if you’re from the photojournalism world.

The idea behind workshops like Roots is to teach photographers to think like photojournalists. In the case of Roots, it is specifically to teach wedding photographers to become better documentary storytellers. While targeted towards wedding photographers, there is very little talk about wedding photography. This workshop is about becoming better overall in ways that will help you in any type of photographic situation.

Each student gets an individual editorial assignment and is placed on a team with a team leader and mentors. The students have two days to complete a picture story from their assignment. Each day the team leader critiques the shoot and offers suggestions for improvement. The mentors work with the students out in the field to help problem solve and provide onsite feedback during the actual shoot.

All of the staff have extensive experience working as news photographers.

This is the absolute best type of learning experience a photographer can have.

Plus it’s in CAPE COD and we have a lobster-bake on the final night!

Here are the details – the workshop is less than a month away so you need to register NOW.

Dates – July 19-24
Location – South Yarmouth – Cape Cod, MA
Website – www.rootsworkshop.com
Cost – $3200
Includes 5 days of personalized instruction, five nights lodging and most meals. Students must provide their own gear, travel and vehicle.

Staff
Emilie Sommer – Founder

Team Leaders
Greg Gibson – greggibson.com
Tyler Wirken – Wirken Photography
Arnold Miller (multi-media editor at Newsday)

Mentors
Jennifer Domenick – Love Life Images
Mark Adams – LaCour
Rachel LaCour Nieson – LaCour

Volunteers
J Sandifer
Eric Laurits

Erika & Aaron
May 16, 2009
Veramar Vineyard
Berryville, Va
Second Shooter – Andy Harnick

Erika and Aaron got married on May 16 at Veramar Vineyard in Berryville, one of my favorite outdoor wedding venues in Northern Virginia.

As has been typical in the Washington area this spring, the weather teased us all week with periods of beautiful sunny skies sandwiched between torrential downpours.

I woke up on the 16th to overcast skies and light showers, bummed at the prospect that it might rain on this gorgeous vineyard wedding I had SO been looking forward to. Sometimes things just seem work themselves out and you get an occasional break right when you really need it.

Shortly before noon the rain stopped and the sun tried valiantly to peek through the overcast sky. While the clouds  occasionally looked ominous, Erika and Aaron were able to have their wedding outside surrounded by the lush bright green backdrop of the grape vines and a moody, dramatic sky.

With precision timing mother nature finally lost her patience and let loose with heavy rain as were finishing our outdoor  portrait session. The patter of the rain on the roof created a cozy and intimate reception inside the winery. Here are a few favorites:

Aaron getting ready at the hotel in Winchester.

Winery details.

Erika's dress had a lot of detail highlighted in the window where it was hung.

Erika and her dad share a quiet moment before walking down the aisle.

Erika and her dad walked down the aisle under ominous but still beautiful skies.

Second shooter Andy Harnick did a great job complementing what I was doing by taking very different angles above and below.

Andy made this really nice image of Erika's family looking on during first dance.

My production manager, Kurstin Roe, is a finalist to win a free trip to Italy to attend a workshop with photographers Jose Villa and Gene Higa.

Please go to the workshop blog and vote for his video. It’s video #4, “Schiz what?”.

http://josevilla.bigfolioblog.com/

Thanks! He could use a vacation.