A handful of random black and whites

Truth be told, it's been a busy season.  I've been seconding out the yin-yang and my own sessions are amping up significantly, starting this past week.  So exciting but also draining.  And it leaves a hole in my blogging heart.  So many wonderful sessions and weddings to blog, I hardly have time to throw in some embarrassing punnage (for that you might try twitter) or treat you to the inanity of my daily life.  But never fear dear blog readers, for today I post some random black and whites! First up, a self-portrait from my very own office building.  Yes, I pass by this window maybe 5 or 6 times a day on my way in or out of the elevators.  But on this particular day, I noticed a double reflection and decided to snap a selfie. self-portrait in an office building Next up, this was taken on my walk from my office to my knitting class. Yes, folks, I am in a knitting class!  Today is the last day and I have yet to complete a single project, but there is a promise that many projects could be completed.  And the promise of Knitting 201, in which we will cable and make lace!  Very exciting stuff.  My dream of being crafty inches closer. foliage at the housing and urban development headquarters in washington, dc And finally, our sad sad Richmond vacation.  How does a wedding photographer swing a weekend getaway?  On Thursday night.  Yes, George and I rambled on down to Richmond late late at night after a client meeting to arrive in Richmond at 11:30pm, to spend one day in the capital.  We toured Hollywood Cemetery, strolled around the VA campus a bit and even made time for overpriced wine at the modern art museum.  Then we turned right back around and came home for Friday night so I could do a wedding in the morning.  My lovely husband puts up with me on so many levels. statue in hollywood cemetery, richmond It's kind of sad that I haven't been doing as much personal shooting as I used to.  But in the end it probably evens out.  Surely there is some limited quantity of creative energy available to each person.  I spend like crazy during weddings and portrait sessions, so maybe there just isn't that much left over for the everyday stuff I used to shoot all the time.  Or maybe it's because my camera is always packed in my wedding gear bag... In any case, we're really looking at one more solid month of jam-packed schedule (actually, October may be the worst month in my entire calendar for free time or the kind of stuff that might cause me to blog) but after that, it should be pretty smooth sailing.  Thanks for reading, my friends!

Seattle hotel self-portraits

I spend a lot of time in hotel rooms, traveling about, and some time ago I started taking self-portraits - often because I was bored, but also because hotel rooms frequently have great light.  They're also an extremely clean and streamlined environment - great for portraiture.  I've posted several times before with new additions to the project.  You can see the whole set here.  I guess I got bored with doing them with clothes on, so a little semi-nude action for the blog! wedding and portrait photographer Amber Wilkie black and white self-portrait in hotel room half-naked girl in seattle hotel room

Forever

I'm done with the board meetings at the Mandarin Oriental in Washington, DC, but I've got the room for one more night.  George and I are headed to CityZen to try out Eric Ziebold's award-winning cuisine.  We don't have a reservation but I'm hoping it won't be a problem.  The hotel and restaurant are really not in a convenient part of the city.  I'm surprised they set up shop there.  For me, it's back to the normal work day. I love these huge facing mirrors on the way to the conference rooms.  I don't normally post photos this large, but I didn't want to diptych this one into obscurity. hotel self-portrait at the Mandarin Oriental, Washington, DC