As I mentioned previously, last weekend I traveled to both Orlando and Washington, D.C. After photographing the House of Blues event, I left for BWI airport.

While in the Maryland/DC area, I got to meet up with longtime friends including Matt and Gus--both of whom I haven't seen in almost two years. I also got to touch base with a few Nigerian friends for a nice dinner.

After meeting with friends, it was time to meet with family. My younger sister, Cassandra, attends Howard University which I attended many moons ago also as an engineering student. Somehow she was able to successfully manage Pharmacy school (she should be out making the big bucks in about 2 and half years!) while becoming a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.

She asked me to come photograph their Proselyte show this year and I was looking forward to taking in my old stomping grounds again. I must say that it's something about the Howard campus (especially the yard) that I love. Lots of history and tradition. And of course we always remember our first experiences in college and I have some great memories from my time there.

And I must say, that beautiful campus made for some pretty cool images too...

I must be getting out of shape! That hill is steeper than I remember...

HU was the founding place for many African American sororities and fraternities, including Cassandra's organization.

Ladies and gentlemen, my sister Cassandra...

Lots of people even crowded the roof to get a good look (too bad I couldn't get up there...way too crowded to work my way up there)

The "Sedulous 35"

Whew! I just got back from a very busy and travel filled weekend and wanted to blog all about it. I went from Houston to Orlando to DC and finally returned home. Lots of flying, driving, and of course, photographs taken

Last Friday I left Houston and arrived in Orlando, Florida in the late afternoon / early evening to photograph Courvoisier's Rendezvous party at the House of Blues. The party is an annual tradition during the National Black MBA Association's conference week, and after a brief monsoon (!) from 9pm to 10pm, lots of educated and ambitious people crowded the venue to drink Cognac and party hard.

It seems like every Courvoisier party I cover is packed to the brim with people and this was no exception. I also ran into a bunch of friends, which was a pleasant surprise since I wasn't expecting to see anyone I knew. Among the people I recognized were Acho, Alma, and Nwando. It was great seeing you guys!

DJ Dee Wiz was on the turntables and Big Tigger of BET fame was the host of the evening. Shaquille O'Neal even stopped in.

Here are some from the night...

The star attraction

A cool aspect of this party were the casino-style entertainment provided by Harrah's

The Diesel

DJ Dee Wiz and Big Tigger

Alma (from elementary school!)

This place was packed to the brim!

Next blog entry I'll add a few images from my visit to DC the following two days where I caught up with my sister at Howard University.

It's just crazy how time flies! It seems like only yesterday that I photographed Akin & Uju's wedding and they just recently celebrated their one year anniversary. Their wedding was action-packed and Ehis and I got some great photos Sep 2, 2006.

As I mentioned in the last entry, I was in Austin for Labor Day weekend so the day after I took some shots of DK and Georgia, I went to see Akin & Uju at their home and see how the past year has treated them.

We each talked about how we all felt that day and it brought back some great memories. It's at times like this that the impact you have as a wedding photographer really hits home. These two are just as much in love now as they were when they got married and it shows. I'm still very thankful they let me preserve such special memories for them.

We also talked business as well. Akin owns a business that specializes in branding items, commemorative gifts and more. He even helped out yours truly and we brainstormed great ways to improve service and value for my clients. Akin's mind is just teeming with ideas and I can't wait to implement some of his suggestions.

Now since I had the camera with me, I convinced them to let me take some shots of them around their home. Here are a few I picked out:

I left their house feeling super positive. I'm glad I can call them friends as well as clients...while I may not visit with every couple after their wedding, this has inspired me to keep up a personalized level of service as well as providing good images.

My friend Dan (or as I know him, DK) and I go back to middle school. These days, he's in Seattle so we're always glad to have him back in Texas to visit (check out his music--he's awesome: http://www.myspace.com/danielkamas). He also brought along his girlfriend, Georgia, to enjoy the heat and humidity of Houston (ha!). In a wild coincidence it turned out he was finishing his weekend out in Austin, where I just so happened to be headed as well.

We decided to take the opportunity to have a portrait session similar to James and Chevonte's earlier in the summer on Saturday at the Hotel San José. The place was awesome and served as a great location for these two to have some fun and...well...interact.

We decided to get up early and take advantage of some great morning sun. Some condensation on some of the plant life on the grounds (good catch, DK)

DK, Georgia, I hope you guys enjoy your photos. Make sure you get up with me anytime you come back into town!

While I was in Austin I visited with some old friends. Be sure to check the blog tomorrow to see how one of my favorite couples is doing.