Paul Barrios Photography

What an amazing week this has been. I have gotten most of my projects completed ahead of schedule thanks to being on a "mini vacation" from my "regular" job.

To reward myself I decided to go on a solo hike out at Great Falls. For those of you who do not know me, I love to stay active so hikes, marathons, biking, and rock climbing are things I love to do for fun. I also decided to leave the Nikon D90 at home and relied on my trusty Nikon S600 point and shoot camera and my iPhone 3Gs to capture the shots. I must admit, those two pieces of technology sure do the job. My Gorilla Pod tripod was great to have since I didn't have anyone to snap pictures of me, for me.

I love coming out to this park and am freshly reminded of how much there is to explore right in my backyard. On this trip I was the only one out on the trails and it was awesome. Great Falls served as my own little sanctuary away from the fast paced life of the Washington, D.C. area. I got some good "thinking" time in and found it to be the perfect way to recharge my "life battery". Half way through the hike I stopped at this one point overlooking the Potomac River (pics below) and couldn't help but shout for joy at how free I felt from the stresses of life. A line from my Lululemon bag struck me at that very moment. It reads, "That which matters the most should never give way to that which matters the least." I then began to meditate upon all of the blessings I have in life and gave thanks to the Almighty for them all: friends, family, health, etc.

On the 27th of September there will be a special on PBS entitled, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" shot by Ken Burns that will feature Great Falls. I plan on watching it... will you?

At the end of my little adventure I headed over to the Georgetown Bagelry to have some good food and see my friend Mary who owns and runs the place. I don't get down to River Road often but every time I visit the Bagelry I leave happy making my trip well worth the drive. There is a reason they were voted "Best Bagels" in the Washington, D.C. City Paper. Please make sure you visit this place. You will not be disappointed.... oh yeah... make sure to vote for them in the latest Bethesda Magazine poll!

So this past Friday I finally did it... I did a studio shoot with my friend Rachel using my old school Speedotron Light Kit. It was so much fun!

A little background:

About a month or two ago my friend Rachel and I were talking about doing a fashion style shoot for some of her vintage clothing that she sells through her site. I loved her idea and felt that we shared the same passion and vision for the project. I must admit... I was very nervous about how it was all going to turn out. Why? Well first off Rachel is a former Redskins cheerleader. She is very comfortable in front of a camera and has worked with some amazing photographers in the past. Secondly, I have played around with studio lights for fun before but had never done a real shoot with them.

Despite how under qualified I felt, I had an amazing time and Rachel made me very comfortable and took direction very well. I learned that good wine and playing the "Black Eyed Peas" made things go much smoother. Having friends on the "set" is another great way to calm my nerves too. It was cool to have Natalie and my good friend Rachel H. hang out during the shoot.

Rachel thank you for making this shoot one of the most fun shoots I have done. I look forward to working more with you.

So on my way to have dinner with my friends I made a stop at the Rockville Town Square to do a small portrait shoot for my friend Kami. I have taken lot's of pictures with friends in the past that have included Kami and one thing remains the same in every shot... she has got such a joyful smile. It's not just nice but it's like you can actually feel the joy radiating from her and it is very infectious.

Thanks for the fun shoot Kami! I hope you enjoy these.

90 to go!

So to keep myself busy and constantly practicing I've taken on a new personal challenge. I have decided to take a basic head shot of 100 people by the end of August. Now this is a simple challenge for myself just for fun. I enjoy it and am happy that my coworkers and friends have agreed to jump on board for it.

Here's the deal: semi-serious look, 3 attempts, black and white. Simple. Hopefully I can keep this up and complete my goal.

Wish me luck!

So as many of you know, in between weddings and engagement pictures I occasionally take on some fun assignments. This week I got to shoot at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic and yesterday was the final. My sports fix was being met in full.

I envy sports photographers for their amazing shots and ability to think fast. The only thing I don't dig about them is the smug attitude they can some times possess towards those who either:

1. don't shoot with a Canon
or
2. don't have a fast enough camera

All week my NIKON D90 got some funny looks from the other photographers. Yesterday was different. I was fortunate enough to borrow my father's NIKON D3.

That's right... my little buddy brought his big brother along to ward off the Canon bullies. My Nikon friends along the court side and in the stands seemed to make room for "big poppa" and it felt great.

Despite the amazing weather we had for most of the week, the familiar Washington D.C. humidity returned to set the stage for yesterday's Men's final.

The Challenger: the All American boy, Andy Roddick
The Defending Champion: 2008 Legg Mason Champ Juan Martin Del Potro

Andy Roddick was favored to win the title and put on a great show for us all week. Sunday's match seemed to be a challenge for the tennis superstar who, despite putting up a good fight, could not take down the defending champion.

I had so much fun this week and hope to get other opportunities to do some more sports stuff... especially a REDSKINS GAME!!! We'll see.

For now, it's back to reality... no more D3 (sad face)... for now. Don't worry "little buddy" (aka Nikon D90) I still love you!

Ahh... with all of the craziness of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic this week, it was nice to get back to doing a wedding this weekend and boy this one was ultra fun!

This marks the third weekend in a row where I am shooting with my good friend Peter Bang. I also got to work with a new friend, the one and only, the fabulous Megan Beth. This girl was totally awesome to work with and I look forward to working with her some more.

In my last post I talked about sports photography and wedding photography have a lot in common. Mainly that you only get one chance to "get the shot" and then, before you know it, that chance goes "poof." For Nelson & Stella Lee, I got to put some of my new found knowledge to the test.

Nelson & Stella were a joy to work with. Stella is a stunning bride who loves the camera and her ladies were just as enthusiastic about pictures as Stella was. There were so many fun moments in during the day that I was on my toes all the time. I loved it. From the girls dancing around the house while they got ready to Stella's dad tearing up the dance floor, this wedding was the most fun so far.

For fun portraits we took the couple and their bridal party down to one of my most favorite places to shoot; historic Ellicot City. If you have never been there before I suggest you take a visit... one note... please try to leave you Hummer H2 Limo at home if you do come up. We had to stop traffic to get Sam, the limo driver, enough room to back the humongous H2 limo into a waiting area in town.

Overall the night was memorable and full of energy. I love this couple and I look forward to more like them.

Another amazing shoot with Peter Bang and Jenny James. This particular day was pretty laid back despite the disgustingly humid weather we were experiencing. The couple really pushed through and made the best of it all. I, on the other hand, could not wait to get home to a nice shower and cold glass of iced tea. All in all the shoot was great and Renee was a joy to photograph. She has such a beautiful smile and is one of the most expressive people I have captured with my camera.

What a day. Next week... Wedding #3 with Peter. But before that... the Legg Mason Classic. Yup... I like to take on some other fun projects in between weddings.

So I served as third shooter at a wedding with Peter Bang this week. Peter and I have been friends for years and I have wanted to work with him for a while and I am glad I got to do so. I have been shooting a lot of "life style" pictures for months (i.e. parties, special events, portraits, etc.). I have wanted to get into doing weddings for a long time but wanted to shadow some people I respect in the business. Who better to ask than my friend Peter. I found that weddings are really fun and the high paced energy was an environment I thrived in. I also am getting to meet other wedding photogs like Jenny James along the way.

On that note... Melody and Preston were a lot of fun to work with. They were an easy going and laid back couple that really appreciate the art of photography and had a lot of fun places and ideas in mind for their pictures. Here are a few samples. Enjoy!