Posts Tagged ‘shopping’

2017 Christmas in July

Fire pit on the Plaza at Tysons Corner Center during the holiday season
Fire pit on the Plaza at Tysons Corner Center during the holiday season

Tysons Corner Center

It is just about time for a 2017 Christmas in July post! It has been a couple of years since I made such a strange article on the blog. Given that I photograph in and around Tysons Corner Center so frequently throughout the year, I do not have to waste too much time pre-planning for photos.

Seeing that I am an introverted soul like many photographers, this kind of assignment I relish. Primarily, the branding of sponsors on the ice rink, the Hyatt balcony, and the other holiday advertising was the focus. However, this evening was particularly lucky in terms of twilight.

The ice rink on the Plaza at Tysons Corner Center during the holidays
The ice rink on the Plaza at Tysons Corner Center during the holidays

2017 Christmas in July

During another exterior photo session, I really lucked out with the clouds. In the hope of getting some nice sunset light on the buildings, I headed out in the late afternoon. On this occasion, my patience was rewarded as the light during sunset was spectacular! I could not have asked for a more perfect combination of clouds and color. I think these images will be useful for so many uses around the Tysons area.

Holiday traffic going underneath the Plaza at Tysons Corner Center 2017 Christmas in July
Holiday traffic going underneath the Plaza at Tysons Corner Center 2017 Christmas in July
Holiday traffic going underneath the Plaza at Tysons Corner Center
Holiday traffic going underneath the Plaza at Tysons Corner Center

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Lord and Taylor Holiday Fashion Show

Santa and Jen Richer at the Tysons Corner Center Lord and Taylor holiday fashion show
Santa and Jen waving at the Lord and Taylor holiday fashion Show - Tysons Corner Center
Santa and Jen waving at the Lord and Taylor holiday fashion Show – Tysons Corner Center

We are coming up on the holidays! With Tysons Corner Center being one of my biggest clients, I am capturing many of the events that happen around this busy shopping season. Lord and Taylor sponsored a holiday fashion show in their beautiful Concourse area just inside from their outdoor Plaza. Along with some personalities from 94.7 Fresh FM, it was a full production! Who wouldn’t want to see the latest fashions on some popular media personalities around the holidays?

Models on the Runway

Runway model at the Tysons Corner Center Lord and Taylor holiday fashion show
Runway model at the Tysons Corner Center Lord and Taylor holiday fashion show
Runway model at the Tysons Corner Center Lord and Taylor holiday fashion show
Walking the Runway at the Tysons Corner Center Lord and Taylor holiday fashion show

An appropriate long red carpet was rolled out to be the runway for the models to have an easy marker for their walks. The stylists from Lord and Taylor outfitted the models with some of the newest fashions for men, women, and kids.

Runway model at the Tysons Corner Center Lord and Taylor holiday fashion show
Runway model at the Tysons Corner Center Lord and Taylor fashion show
Runway model at the Tysons Corner Center Lord and Taylor holiday fashion show
Female model at the Tysons Corner Center Lord and Taylor fashion show
Runway model at the Tysons Corner Center Lord and Taylor holiday fashion show
Walking the runway at the Tysons Corner Center Lord and Taylor fashion show
Runway model at the Tysons Corner Center Lord and Taylor holiday fashion show
Runway model at the Tysons Corner Center Lord and Taylor fashion show
Runway model at the Tysons Corner Center Lord and Taylor holiday fashion show
Runway model at the Tysons Corner Center Lord and Taylor fashion show

For the photography setup, I wanted to make sure that both the model and clothes really popped off the screen so I needed to bring out some extra gear. In other words, I setup one large strobing flash at the end of the runway. I positioned myself at the end of the red carpet. That would give me a view of the entire runway to see the models walking and some of the crowd on the edges. Notice how the background falls into a nice blur as they walk closer. Sitting on the ground gives them a more heroic and powerful look. Confidence is always a more flattering look!

Special Guests

Miss Maryland at the Tysons Corner Center Lord and Taylor holiday fashion show
Miss Maryland at the Tysons Corner Center Lord and Taylor holiday fashion show
  Santa and Jen Richer at the Tysons Corner Center Lord and Taylor holiday fashion show
Santa and Jen Richer at the Tysons Corner Center Lord and Taylor holiday fashion show

The show ended with appearances by some VIPs including Miss Maryland, everyone’s favorite, Santa! He joined Jen Richer as the final runway walker to a lot of fanfare and cheers from the crowd. I was happy with the resulting images. The look from the strobes really helps to bring out the true colors of the clothing. Hopefully the images help convince people to head out to Tysons Corner Center and Lord and Taylor to do some shopping this season!

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703-864-8208

Betco Block Factory

Gainesville, VA

Demolition of Betco Block Factory, Gainesville, VA ©TimeLine Media
Demolition of Betco Block Factory, Gainesville, VA ©TimeLine Media

The Peterson Companies had me cover an event at the Betco Block Factory in Gainesville, Virginia. This concrete factory was set to be demolished in a ceremony last June. Redevelopment is underway to make retail, hotel, and restaurant spaces there. It will join the Virginia Gateway center which has millions of square feet of retail space already.

Despite getting to the site very early before the building was going to come down I was nervous about covering the demolition. Given that it is much more difficult to use explosives, the building was brought down with excavators. Before then, beams under the building were torched so that the building would come down easier.

While that was going on, I set one of my cameras up remotely on a tripod. I positioned it a little closer to the building so I could stand much further away in a safe zone. Before leaving the camera on its own, I started the intervalometer on the camera. This allowed the camera to take a photo every few seconds automatically.

Camera Setup

DSLR camera and Betco Block factory building ©TimeLine Media
DSLR camera and Betco Block factory building ©TimeLine Media

In spite of the obvious danger to the camera, I left it much closer to the building with a wide-angle lens. The series of photos that it took automatically, I stitched together into a time lapse video. I’ll post it and the end of this entry. Even though the camera got very dusty, there was no physical damage to the body!

dusty DSLR camera and lens after building demolition ©TimeLine Media
dusty DSLR camera and lens after building demolition ©TimeLine Media

Thanks to Joanna from the Peterson Companies for having my cover this unique kind of event! We have worked together on a number of events at Fairfax Corner. Compared to other events where things are created, this was a nice turn about! Though I am happy that I did not have any damage to the camera at all!

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

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