Earlier this month, I photographed the 2018 Holiday Reception for the Tysons Partnership. Although I have photographed brides getting ready at the Ritz Carlton in Tysons, it was never the reception venue. The ballroom on this occasion was setup for a lot of activities for the event.
In the first place, I want to thank Meghan, Drew, and Ellen from the Tysons Partnership for another year of great photo projects! Given that they work to have unique elements at their events, I really enjoyed the art station. In this case, scraps from construction in Tysons were assembled into an art piece. Because it was white all around, anyone could design the exterior surfaces with markers. It was nice to see Pindar Van Arman creating art not with a robot but with his own hand!
After talking with MPO Vazquez at the First Responders Day at Tysons Corner Center, he invited me to cover the 2018 Santa Ride. A few days ago, this ride was done by officers from the Fairfax County Police Department, and the Town of Vienna police. Since I can count on one hand how many times I have even been inside a police station, this was a completely different experience for me! Moreover, this was the 30th anniversary of this event which meant a lot of participation from many officers on this cold morning.
Initially, we started at the Vienna Police station. The group of motorcycle officers from Fairfax arrived in Vienna. They stopped for breakfast and to pick up the Vienna officers that were joining. Afterwards, we all got into vehicles and made a caravan to schools in Tysons, Fairfax, and Reston. Being that this was my first time riding in a police car with lights and sirens, I enjoyed the experience! Since I was specifically assigned to the Vienna police, I made sure to focus on their officers. They were interacting with the school kids throughout the day passing out candy canes during their stops. Of course there were other Christmas characters from Santa, Mrs. Claus, Rudolf and Frosty that also came with us. Undoubtedly this would have been one of my favorite days during school just before Christmas break!
In addition to the schools, we also visited the Fairfax County Government Center. While the kids were excited to see the spectacle, all of the County supervisors were also supportive. To see more of the photos, please visit the Town of Vienna Facebook page.
They had a packed house last month for Legacy – a TEDxTysons event! After setting a goal of selling out the State Theater, in fact they needed all the seats available! At this point, the team really knows how to market their events. Also, they work hard to polish the speaker presentations creating a reputation of producing valuable content.
Given that I really enjoy watching the videos from these events, I am sure this contributes to their success. Whereas you can get the message by streaming them, it is an experience to be in the room. The TEDx ‘Ideas Worth Spreading’ tagline is even more tangible when you immediately start discussions at the event. Selfishly, I hope the photos help in that case as well. Stay tuned to their website for more events next year!
