I have previously photographed events hosted by other brands in the Moët Hennessy umbrella including Hennessy Cognac, Moët & Chandon, and Belvedere Vodka. I'm happy that I can add Chandon to the list. :)

The event was the put on by Brilliant Lecture Series and hosted by the Hotel Granduca and refreshments were provided by Chandon. The featured speaker was former White House Chef Walter Scheib.

Here are a few of the photos I wanted to share with you:

I recently photographed a private party held for (fairly) newlyweds Brian and Dana. They were married in New Jersey but have family and friends in the area. My good friends over at A Fare Extraordinaire were handling the event production and they set up a massive air-conditioned tent as well as decor and scrumptious catering. It's always a pleasure to work with them and they are consummate professionals!

Here are a few...

Brian

Dana

Of course, any A Fare Extraordinaire produced event means excellent presentation of delicious food...

After photographing them during their incredible engagement session, Celine and Justin asked me to come document a party at the Westin Hotel to celebrate their engagement.

It was a wonderful evening with their friends and family and I was happy to spend time around warm and friendly people.

Since both of the Democratic presidential hopefuls are still in the headlines these days, I wanted to present some photos from the small portion of the debate I was able to get access to during the February Debate that took place at the University of Texas. The debate was coordinated by CNN and Univision.

The throng of photographers waiting for the Senators to make their appearance

CNN's Campbell Brown speaks to the audience

Campbell Brown, Univision's Jorge Ramos, and John King of CNN

Senator Hillary Clinton greets the audience

Senator Barack Obama

A view of the press filing center where members of the debate live-blogged, worked on stories, and transmit images.

Here was my view.

Members of the media swarm Mark Penn in the "spin room"

Definitely close quarters...

Still working on catching up with the many images to add to the blog. Look for continuous updates over the course of the next few days. :)

Now that the new blog is ready, it's time to (try) and catch up on some of new photos I've had the opportunity to take in the past few months. I've already shared these images on Facebook, but I wanted to make sure blog readers got an opportunity to view them as well.

On a side note, I am pretty active on Facebook so feel free to add me as a friend using the link on the right).

These images are from the February rally at the Toyota Center that Presidential hopeful Barack Obama attended to stir the masses and gain support.

The Senator drew a crowd which completely filled the arena.

Last weekend I followed my friend OJ to a party he was going to photograph at the Post Rice Lofts. He told me there was a Mardi Gras theme and it sounded interesting. Nice guy he is, he let me tag along.

The party had a little bit of background. Proceeds from the party were going to benefit baby Carter who has a rare MPS disease. Now even though there was an altruistic goal in mind, it definitely didn't damper the mood of things.

Here's a few of what I was able to get during the party:

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday season! I've certainly been getting in the spirit myself. While in Houston there hasn't been much in the way of cold weather (we're going to have a high of 72F today), being around family and friends has been enough.

I'm going to attempt to catch up with blog entries by next week as there have been a few images that I've been meaning to share but haven't gotten around to.

Today I wanted to post some images from the 100 Black Men of Metropolitan Houston Holiday social. Many of the same people who were in attendance for the event honoring Dr. Rudley were here as well as they are active members and supporters of the organization.

The biggest news of the night was that Wal-Mart made a $20,000 donation to the organization.

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"

Earlier this year (May 17, to be exact), Dr. John Rudley was named the interim UH System Chancellor and UH President.

This past Saturday, friends of Dr. Rudley organized an event to commemorate the occasion and toast the celebrant. Among them were William and Chana Traylor. I photographed William's 30th birthday party at Brennan's restaurant a little under a year ago and I was more than happy to come out for this event as well. There was also another Angela sighting. It's always good to bump into friends when out working.

The event was held at the luxurious St. Regis Hotel which helped set the tone for a classy evening.

Here are a few images from the occasion:

Congressman Al Green and Texas House Representative Sylvester Turner talk shop

Dr. Rudley (center) and some friends

Dr. Rudley was presented this plaque by Representative Turner

Dr. Rudley's wife, Docia, reacts to the guests applauding her

The Chancellor receives gifts courtesy of the event organizers

It's been a busy summer and it doesn't seem to be slowing down any. As I hinted at in a previous blog entry, I'll be teaming up with Stacy of Mist Photography once again for a wedding this weekend at the Houstonian Hotel. I'll be sure to post some images from that as well.

Moët was showcasing it's Grand Vintage champagne at a private tasting and dinner in the Café Extraordinaire.

A very elegant affair in a stylish venue. Here are some images from the evening:

As I have mentioned on this blog before, working for repeat clients is always fun because they know how I work and I also know "how they work." My presence isn't usually as big a deal as the event progresses and I can try to create some interesting shots of all the goings on.

Chloe and I have worked together for several parties and when I see her and her friends it's like seeing an old friend instead of an invasive presence. This year for her birthday she hosted a mixer with a "What's your inspiration" theme. Several words of wisdom decorated the tables and she brought together longtime friends and even myspace buddies.

Here are a few highlights:

Chloe, thanks for letting me follow you guys around for a couple of hours again. ;)