MJLphoto | blog

DC United vs. LA Galaxy

2010-07-18T23:50:00.005-04:00

Earlier this evening, DC United played host to the LA Galaxy and Landon Donovan, Major League Soccer's hottest team and arguably the greatest player in American soccer history, respectively. The game itself was a bit more exciting than the other night's match against Seattle, but the result was essentially the same: another loss for United, increasing their total to 11 and securing their all-too-comfortable last-place spot in the league standings.

A few more pictures can be found on Flickr.

And now a quick video of the infamous bouncing stands of RFK Stadium. If there's one thing United has going for them, regardless of their record, it's that they've certainly got a very passionate group of fans.

DC United vs. Seattle Sounders

2010-07-16T12:03:00.004-04:00

Hosting their first game at RFK since the beginning of June, DC United welcomed the Seattle Sounders on Thursday with a chance to turn their season around in time for a serious playoff push. Since their last home game, of course, a certain soccer tournament was held halfway across the world, one that ignited the once-every-four-years spike in interest in the game. Last night's match was certainly better-attended than the one I shot in May, although the level of enthusiasm is still miniscule compared to most other nations around the world.

Whether or not the US will continue to embrace football is anyone's guess; while the level of play in the MLS is well below that of the English Premier League or Serie A, it's still a decent product and one that should garner more attention now that Americans are beginning to realize just how beautiful the beautiful game can be.

As for United, they blew yet another one, allowing Seattle to score in the 89th minute to break a nil-nil draw and send the Sounders back to the Pacific Northwest with a W under their collective belt.

With that, some pictures! A few more can be found on Flickr, as per usual.

lowercaseletters @ The Black Cat Backstage

2010-07-06T22:04:00.006-04:00

About a month ago, while enjoying an evening in DC (pre-swelter) and hanging out with some people on our rooftop, I found out that the guy one of my friends was dating happened to be a local musician/producer. As we began talking and I told him I enjoy taking live music pictures, he mentioned that he and his partners-in-crime (collectively known as lowercaseletters) had a date scheduled at The Black Cat's Backstage.

That was last week, and while it took me a little longer to edit the pictures than I was hoping -- story of my life, I know -- here are a few for you to enjoy. If you're interested in checking out some more, head on over to Flickr.

Oh, and click on the above link to check out lowercaseletters' music... it's pretty groovy.

A deck addition in Bloomingdale

2010-05-17T12:00:00.002-04:00

Yesterday evening I took pictures of an addition to a rowhouse in the Bloomingdale section of DC. The project was designed by Alter Urban, a small firm based in Baltimore that was started by former classmates of mine.

I didn't have much time to really go through them last night, but I figured I'd share a few anyway. Our goal is to (hopefully) submit these and another series of shots from other projects as one cohesive collection for publication.

DC United vs. Kansas City Wizards

2010-05-06T22:13:00.006-04:00

Last night took me to RFK Stadium for the chance to shoot my first soccer match -- well, professional soccer match, anyway -- as DC United hosted the Kansas City Wizards in a battle of two struggling MLS clubs. United was able to squeak out a 2-1 win, earning them their first league victory of the season and preventing an historically poor start for the franchise.

Below are a few of my favorite shots, but a bunch more can be found on Flickr (and a recap of the game can be found on DCist).

Catching Up: Earth Day Climate Rally, Oatlands 2010, A Pop-Up Project, website design

2010-05-04T22:14:00.006-04:00

April went by without an update, so I'm going to do my best to pick things up a bit now that we're a few days into May. It's not that I've been sitting on my rump, but still... more posts would be nice, right? Anyway, enough with the apologies -- let's just get right to it.

Last Sunday (the 25th of April), a number of celebrities and musicians descended upon the National Mall for an Earth Day concert and rally for the climate. Over 200,000 people attended the festivities, which I documented for DCist. A few more pictures can be found on Flickr.

Bob Weir:

Damon "Tuba Gooding Jr." Bryson of The Roots:

Sting, left, and Avatar / Titanic / The Terminator director James Cameron:

Passion Pit:

Willie Colon:

John Legend:

The weekend after Easter saw our annual trip out to Middleburg, Virginia and the Point-to-point races at Oatlands Plantation. The weather could not have been nicer, which was a welcome change from the overcast skies and chilly temperatures we've had in years past.

View a few more on Flickr.

On March 26th, I shot a gallery opening for Brightest Young Things at the former Numark Gallery here in DC. For the post on BYT (and a few more pictures), click here.

Finally, perhaps the biggest contributor to my not posting as often was the design and production of a website for a friend and a project he's working on (flipping a boutique condominium building in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington).

To check out the rest of the site, feel free to click on TheMatheson.com.

(psst: it's best viewed using Google Chrome or Firefox. Anything other than an an old version of Internet Explorer, really...)

Evan Bliss & The Welchers at the Hard Rock Cafe

2010-03-29T21:30:00.003-04:00

It's been a while.

So long, in fact, that the pictures I'm about to share were taken almost 2 weeks ago. Nevertheless, Evan Bliss & The Welchers played the Hard Rock Cafe in DC the day after the one belonging to St. Patrick, an energetic show that marked the release of their newest record entitled ShhPOW!

This show marked the second time I shot at the Hard Rock -- the other time, coincidentally, was also a CD release party -- and both shows treated me rather kindly. It's not your typical music venue, but the lighting is proper and there's always a decent amount of space to roam around and capture different angles.

Enjoy, and if you'd like to see a few more pictures, head on over to Flickr.

A few shots of the Iwo Jima Memorial

2010-03-07T19:08:00.002-05:00

Taking advantage of one of the first beautiful (and somewhat warm) days of the year, my wife and I decided to bike across the river into Virginia, swinging past Arlington Cemetery and stopping at the Marine Corps War Memorial, known by many as the Iwo Jima Memorial.

Below are a few shots taken earlier today...

State Radio at the 9:30 Club

2010-03-02T22:55:00.006-05:00

On Saturday night, State Radio played the second of two sold-out shows at the 9:30 Club in DC, and yours truly was there to (try and) capture the atmosphere. Below are some of my shots from the night, and while it may not be easy to see in this set, the lighting for the first 3 songs was mostly comprised of a series of strobes, which made for some difficult conditions.

To try and combat some of the intense brightness, I've chosen to edit a few using a black + white treatment, something I rarely do. Let me know what you think in the comments.

A few more pictures can be found on Flickr, and a brief review over on DCist.

Celebrating the Chinese New Year in DC

2010-02-22T21:55:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon, in the Chinatown section of downtown DC, hundreds gathered to celebrate the Chinese New Year and usher in the Year of the Tiger. Fireworks, fortune cookies, presentations and performances were plentiful, as people took to the streets to take in the sights and sounds of a cultural tradition that takes place in cities throughout the world.

Below are some pictures, a few of which were also posted on DCist.

The crowds were pretty impressive, with nearly every stoop along H Street packed with people trying to get a better view of the parade.

Vendors capitalized on the celebration as well, selling silly string, "firework" noise makers and confetti canons.

Here also are two videos that I took during the celebration, the first of the lighting of thousands of fireworks and the second of a traditional dragon dance.

And finally, a shot that has absolutely nothing to do with the Chinese New Year, but rather one I thought was humorous enough to post. Perhaps plumbing is in his future?

MJLvideo: snow, snow and more snow

2010-02-10T09:10:00.004-05:00

Part II of the Snowpocalypse began hitting yesterday evening, but most reports had the majority of precipitation falling early this morning and throughout the day. The meteorologists were correct -- they've been pretty damn accurate this winter, haven't they? -- as things were pretty quiet last night but are now right back to blizzard-like conditions. The wind is howling, the snow is seemingly attacking from all directions and accumulations are creeping yet again.

Below is a video taken from the balcony of our apartment earlier today. Enjoy.*

* From the comfort of your living room, preferably.

The Great Snow Storm of 2010 (Part One)

2010-02-08T22:10:00.002-05:00

The Snowpocalypse... Snowmageddon... The Snotorious BIG... Alexander Snovechkin...

Whatever you want to call it, there's no denying the cold hard facts: the DC Metro area got hit hard by Mother Nature yet again over the weekend, as close to 30" blanketed the region and wreaked havoc on roads, trees and power lines. It was the second major storm of the season, and it turns out it was only part one of the weather system moving through the area -- reports are showing that anywhere from 8 to 24 more inches are going to drop starting tomorrow.

I headed out on Saturday afternoon for a quick jaunt around the neighborhood, trying to capture a sense of what the conditions were like for those who didn't experience the beast that was (and is) the Abominable Snowstorm.

I'm no expert, but I can't imagine being buried under wet, heavy snow is very good for a bicycle (or two).

After we'd had enough walking around, my wife and I were heading back towards our apartment when a fire engine sped by and stopped just at the end of the next block. We kept walking and didn't think much of it until more trucks began to arrive and firefighters with full gear prepared to enter a building.

There were no signs of smoke or anything out of the ordinary, but being naturally curious, I decided it was worth it to stick around for a few minutes to document the scene.

While nobody moved with much urgency, more than a few firefighters entered the building while a hook and ladder was fully extended and the entire block was secured with trucks on each corner.

The DCFD also had 3 hoses connected to nearby hydrants -- one a full block away -- but none of them were actually pumping water.

After about 15 minutes, those that entered the building began to come out, the hook and ladder that was extended was lowered and a few of the trucks on the scene pulled away. I'm not sure if it was a training exercise or what -- while I can imagine they'd want to get experience in all conditions, it seemed like a tremendous waste of resources -- but the scene began to clear out almost as quickly as it unfolded.

I never did find out what happened, so if you were hoping for a crazy rescue story, I do apologize. As relieving as it was to find out everything was OK, I'll be honest... part of me wanted to document a raging inferno. Maybe next time.

Baseball in January: NatsFest 2010

2010-02-04T22:50:00.004-05:00

This past Sunday, I had the opportunity to hang out at Nationals Park for an event the Major League Baseball team holds every winter called NatsFest, a chance for fans to meet players, check out the stadium, ask questions of management and essentially get psyched for the upcoming season.

Despite a brief snowfall the day/night before and pretty damn cold temperatures, fans came out in droves to tour the facilities and greet a few of the new faces in town. Some pictures are below, with more on Flickr and DCist.

I'm also testing out a new feature on this blog called Lightbox, which allows people to click on images and view them larger. I don't plan on using it for everything, as I like the size of the images the way they are... but for something like a panoramic shot, I think it's a pretty sweet addition to the site.

With that, click on the composite of Nationals Park (covered in snow!) below for a better view.

New Nationals catcher Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez:

Fans checking out a gallery of presidential first pitches:

Ryan Zimmerman's Gold Glove (L) and the man himself:

General Manager Mike Rizzo at the first of 4 Q&A sessions:

Finally, pitcher John Lannan and outfielder Nyjer Morgan:

Absolute Vengeance at Growlers

2010-02-01T22:18:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday night, after talking about it for at least a year, I finally took the opportunity to see a friend's band called Absolute Vengeance. The show was at a small venue/bar in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and while the music isn't necessarily my speed, the show itself was great, as the guys in the band are certainly talented.

Shooting at a smaller venue typically means low light, and this show was no exception. The conditions weren't ideal, but I think I was able to get a few decent shots. As always, more can be found on Flickr.

I also took the opportunity during this show to attempt a new shooting style, using a longer exposure with a "rear" flash (which essentially means the camera waits until the shutter is about to close before it fires the flash). I've seen images taken in a similar fashion and the results can be pretty sweet, and since most larger venues do not allow the use of a flash, I thought I would try it out here.

As you can see, I wasn't too successful (this was the best of 20 or 30 shots I took this way). I left the shutter open entirely too long and I couldn't find the right combination of exposure, ISO and flash speed. Hopefully I'll have another opportunity (and more time) to test this out in the future. Practice makes perfect, right?

A Minute In The Life: Take2

2010-01-31T23:44:00.005-05:00

Most people that read/visit/follow this blog have probably already heard about A Minute In The Life, but I believe an official introduction is in order.

In June of 2007, I organized a "simultaneous photography project" -- long story short, I sent an e-mail out to everyone in my address book, asking them to take a picture at the same time on a pre-determined date and send the results to me. I also asked them to tell everyone they knew, as I wanted to increase the chances of unique and diverse submissions.

When it was all said and done, I ended up receiving over 230 pictures from the United States and abroad, prompting me to put together a book of select images. The project, in other words, was a success. That was almost 3 years ago, so I decided it was time to do it again...

A Minute In The Life: Take2 will take place on Saturday, March 20th at 2:00pm Eastern Time. For more details, be sure to click here or on the new tab in the sidebar. Hope you can participate, and if you like the idea and want to tell your friends, spreading the word would be much appreciated.

In other news, I'll have at least 2 new photo posts this week, one of a friend's band I saw last Saturday night and another of a few hours spent with the Washington Nationals. Stay tuned!

DC Rollergirls doubleheader at the Armory

2010-01-25T11:00:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, my wife and I decided to see what all the fuss was about and head to a roller derby match at the DC Armory, home to 3 District teams under the main outfit the DC Rollergirls. Having never been to a roller derby before, neither of us were familiar with the logistics of the game (who could do what, how points were scored, etc.) -- all we knew was that, from what people told us, the bouts were quite entertaining.

When we got to the Armory, I was glad to see that spectators were allowed to sit just beyond the edge of the track and, more importantly, that there was an open spot just big enough for the two of us. Without this spot, these pictures would be pretty awful, as even sitting within crashing distance made for difficult shooting conditions with my prime 30mm lens.

With that, here are a few pictures from the opening bout featuring the Cherry Blossom Bombshells vs. the visiting Harrisonburg (Va.) Rocktown Rollers.

A few more pictures from the Wale video shoot

2010-01-17T21:42:00.005-05:00

EDIT: To check out some more photos, as well as a bunch taken by two other photographers, head over to Brightest Young Things. As always, more can be found on Flickr as well.

Shooting the video for Wale's "Pretty Girls"

2010-01-15T00:43:00.005-05:00

I don't typically like putting up "preview" posts, but I wanted to give a little sneak peak into what was a very fun and interesting shoot. I spent the evening at Bella Faccia Studios in DC for the production of Wale's video for "Pretty Girls," a single off of his new album, Attention Deficit. Quite the show, let me tell you.

A few more pictures will be posted after the weekend, and I'm sure I'll link to the story on Brightest Young Things when it's posted, but for now, enjoy these two shots (of rather prominent NFL running backs, who both make cameos in the video).

First, Wale and Clinton Portis of the Washington Redskins...

... and now Wale and Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens.

Cooking with MJLphoto: braised short ribs

2010-01-12T22:47:00.001-05:00

2010 No Pants Metro Ride

2010-01-10T20:05:00.002-05:00

For the 9th year in a row, a group called Improv Everywhere organized their "No Pants" subway ride, which took place today in DC and in a number of cities around the world. I was informed via e-mail of the Washington gathering just a few hours before it happened, but luckily, I had little else going on and was able to head down to L'Enfant Plaza and document the shenanigans.

So what is the No Pants Ride? Basically speaking, it's a chance for people to get together, hop on their local transit system and drop trou. They then ride around for an hour or so between stations, transferring a few times to make sure they get some quality platform time in as well.

There are only two rules for the day, as far as I could tell:

1) If any law enforcement or authority figure asks you to put your pants back on, you should happily oblige and 2) If a fellow rider or bystander inquires as to why you're riding pantsless, you should act as though you have no idea what they're talking about and go about your business.

Needless to say, the group was met with quite a few stares. A few pictures are below, which can also be found on DCist, and there are some more on Flickr. Enjoy!

The organizer of the DC No Pants Metro Ride is interviewed by local media (there were probably 20 photographers and at least 5 video cameras rolling throughout the afternoon):

The organizer addressing the crowd before departure:

Heading down into the Metro system (Why the bear costume? Not so sure. Apparently it had something to do with cuddling.):

The time to lose the pants has arrived:

My favorite shot of the day:

Most people either didn't think much of it or thought it was funny. The people in this car were amused, but they also had no clue what was going on (despite asking a few participants what the deal was):

The Roots at the 9:30 Club

2010-01-02T16:39:00.003-05:00

On the 29th and 30th of December, Philadelphia's own legendary Roots crew helped the 9:30 Club round out the decade with two sold-out shows. I was in attendance on Wednesday night, witnessing first-hand the hip-hop septet and its entertaining live presence. It was a great way to finish off the year, and an even better way to start celebrating the arrival of the 10s.

A few more pictures can be found on Flickr, and a short review of the show can be found on DCist.

PLEASE DO NOT RE-USE THESE PHOTOS WITHOUT PERMISSION.

MJLvideo: Oh Tannenbaum & a wound-up little dude

2009-12-27T23:43:00.008-05:00

While spending some time at my parents' house on Christmas Day, I decided to do a little more experimenting with the video capabilities of the D300s...

One of the focal points of every celebrating household this time of year, of course, is the Christmas Tree. A lot of people, in addition to decorating the tree itself, construct small "gardens" underneath, and my family is no exception. Ours is a wall-to-wall collection of family heirlooms and souvenirs gathered over the years, circumnavigated by perhaps the most essential part of the equation: the train set.

Ours is a beautiful LGB (Lehmann Gross Bahn) that was originally bought in the late 80s and has been added onto quite a few times ever since. Below are two videos of the train in action, once coming around a bend (with some giant visitors) and another passing by a traditional nativity scene.

(With any video, be sure to click on HD in the corner, and if you'd like to see it full screen, click on the icon in the bottom right corner.)

And finally, some footage of my nephew Sullivan. Wearing pajamas decorated with little monkeys, he does his best Curious George impersonation.

DC snow and a few night shots

2009-12-20T22:41:00.003-05:00

So yeah, I guess a little snow fell on the East Coast over the weekend. Little more than a dusting, really, but people freaked out nonetheless and shenanigans were had by many in DC and, I'm sure, everywhere from Virginia to New York.

The first stop on Saturday -- after walking to the hardware and grocery stores -- was a snowball fight at the base of the Washington Monument, which I learned about via DCist. Unfortunately, the wind and falling snow throughout the day made it very hard to get more than a few shots at a time (I went by Penn Camera before venturing out to see if they had any snow/rain SLR covers, but alas, they did not).

The downtown holiday market, normally very crowded, was a ghost town on Saturday afternoon -- only two or three vendors (out of probably 30) were brave enough to be open.

The next few shots are from earlier this evening. The snow stopped late Saturday night, and while the sun was shining most of Sunday, many streets and sidewalks were still quite treacherous. 20+ inches of snow isn't exactly easy to get rid of, after all.

Self-portrait: evening commute

2009-12-16T23:18:00.000-05:00

A live music resume

2009-12-14T22:40:00.005-05:00

Over the past couple of years, I've had the opportunity to photograph a number of concerts in the DC Metro area, thanks mostly to the kind folks at DCist and Brightest Young Things. Shooting shows is something I love to do -- but alas, don't do often enough -- and always pushing me to get out there is the work of a number of other photographers, both DC-based and from around the country.

One thing I admire about the few photographers that I've met / talked to, besides the fact that their work kicks ass, is the fact that they've always been eager to offer advice. After e-mailing him out of the blue a few years ago, Kyle Gustafson gave me a few pointers before I shot one of my very first shows -- pointers that, although they were broad in scope, really helped move me in the right direction.

Another fellow DC music photographer I've met -- and someone whose work I've followed since I stumbled upon his site a few months ago -- is Brandon Wu. On his blog is a list of shows he's shot over the years, and at the risk of being a total copycat, I figured it might be fun to go through a similar exercise.

While my list isn't nearly as extensive as Brandon's (or Kyle's, for that matter), I'm pretty excited to have built up a decent resume in just under 2 years.* The last couple of months have been pretty uneventful in terms of shows, unfortunately, but my hope is that I can get back into it on a regular basis after the new year.

Not a bad resolution, right?

--

(To view some shots from the below shows, be sure to check out my music portfolio.)

Alexa Wilkinson -- Hard Rock Cafe -- 03/21/2008
The Alternate Routes -- Jammin' Java -- 08/21/2008
Ben Folds -- DAR Constitution Hall -- 09/24/2008
Ben Harper & Relentless7 -- 9:30 Club -- 05/04/2009
Big Boi -- Merriweather Post Pavilion (Rock The Bells Festival) -- 07/12/2009
Black & White Jacksons -- Fort Reno -- 07/10/2008
Brooke Waggonner -- DC9 -- 02/19/2008
Bruce Springsteen -- National Mall (We Are One Inaugural Concert) -- 01/18/2009
Busta Rhymes -- Merriweather Post Pavilion (Rock The Bells Festival) -- 07/12/2009
Common -- Merriweather Post Pavilion (Rock The Bells Festival) -- 07/12/2009
Cut Copy -- 9:30 Club -- 03/23/2009
Dean & Britta -- Black Cat -- 02/27/2008
Evan Bliss & the Welchers -- IOTA Club & Cafe -- 02/16/2008
Friends of the Library -- Fort Reno -- 07/10/2008
Garth Brooks -- National Mall (We Are One Inaugural Concert) -- 01/18/2009
Japandroids -- Rock and Roll Hotel -- 10/19/2009
Japanese Motors -- 9:30 Club -- 03/13/2009
Jeremy Fisher -- DC9 -- 02/19/2008
Johnathan Rice -- 9:30 Club -- 03/05/2008
John Wayne Hero -- Fort Reno -- 07/10/2008
Junior League Band -- Rock and Roll Hotel -- 09/06/2007
Junior League Band -- Rock and Roll Hotel -- 01/25/2008
Junior League Band -- Black Cat -- 02/01/2008
Junior League Band -- Rock and Roll Hotel -- 07/17/2008
K'naan -- Merriweather Post Pavilion (Rock The Bells Festival) -- 07/12/2009
Keane -- DAR Constitution Hall -- 05/19/2009
Kenin -- 9:30 Club -- 12/09/2005
Kenin -- 9:30 Club -- 09/09/2006
Keren Ann -- Black Cat -- 02/27/2008
Kinky -- 9:30 Club -- 03/13/2009
Mat Kearney -- DAR Constitution Hall -- 05/19/2009
Matt & Kim -- 9:30 Club -- 03/23/2009
Matt Costa -- 9:30 Club -- 03/05/2008
Matt Nathanson -- 6th & I Historic Synagogue -- 10/07/2008
Mickey Factz -- Merriweather Post Pavilion (Rock The Bells Festival) -- 07/12/2009
Miles Midnight -- The Rookery -- 03/28/2009
Miles Midnight -- The Bullpen @ Nationals Park -- 06/25/2009
Modest Mouse -- 9:30 Club -- 03/13/2009
Muse -- FedEx Field -- 09/29/2009
Nas -- Merriweather Post Pavilion (Rock The Bells Festival) -- 07/12/2009
O.A.R. -- National Mall (Earth Day Green Apple Festival) -- 04/20/2008
O.A.R. -- Merriweather Post Pavilion -- 07/26/2008
Public Enemy -- Lisner Auditorium -- 11/18/2009
Real Estate -- Rock and Roll Hotel -- 10/19/2009
The Roots -- Merriweather Post Pavilion (Rock The Bells Festival) -- 07/12/2009
The Roots -- 9:30 Club -- 12/30/2009
Shortstack -- Black Cat -- 02/01/2008
Stripmall Ballads -- Rock and Roll Hotel -- 07/17/2008
Sonic Youth -- 9:30 Club -- 07/07/2009
Tabi Bonney -- Merriweather Post Pavilion (Rock The Bells Festival) -- 07/12/2009
Tech N9ne -- Merriweather Post Pavilion (Rock The Bells Festival) -- 07/12/2009
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra -- Black Cat -- 05/23/2008
Travis -- 9:30 Club -- 04/23/2009
U2 -- National Mall (We Are One Inaugural Concert) -- 01/19/2009
U2 -- FedEx Field -- 09/29/2009
Umphrey's McGee -- National Mall (Earth Day Green Apple Festival) -- 04/20/2008
Vampire Weekend -- 9:30 Club -- 12/02/2008
Virginia Coalition -- 9:30 Club -- 09/09/2006
Virginia Coalition -- Hard Rock Cafe -- 03/21/2008
Xavier Rudd -- 9:30 Club -- 09/14/2008

*... 2 years of taking it a little bit more seriously, anyway.