I thought I had finished my time in student government at American, but I found myself thrust back into the mix last month with a friend’s campaign for the LSE Students’ Union top spot.  We only had a few days to put together the whole campaign, but it was a good exercise to brush off the online advocacy tools.  I took the theme from this site, which I was working on at the same time, threw in some social features and reworked some of the code to display his platform.

The campaign is only one week with enormous limits on funding.  This was the first year that websites were allowed, and I think I spent more time fielding questions about the site than actually building it.  We had fun, and I was happy to help out a good friend that will surely go on to big things.

Here are some examples of the photography I used and some snaps from the site itself.  It was hosted at danielkroop.com

The United Planning Organization is a community action agency in Washington, DC that serves to empower and educate residents through events and training.  Earlier this month they held an event on sustainable living in the newly reopened Eastern Market on Capitol Hill.  I was along to photograph the event and provide material for their new website.  A selection of photos is below.  Click to expand.

Buddha Bar, the swank bar well-known in cities like New York, Cairo and London, opened in Washington yesterday to a grand opening with famous-for-DC types.  I was asked by the designer’s public relations team to document the event and space.  It was a fun event and should be a welcome addition to the fancier lounging crowd.  A selection of photos is below.  Click to enlarge.

Morgan and Jamie were kind enough to ask me to help celebrate their engagement by photographing their “monumental” trek through Washington.  We started at the Capitol Building for some obligatory skipping and jumping.  We continued the adventure by traversing the length of the mall, the reflecting pool and fending off the tourist hoards at the Lincoln Memorial.

After a brief costume change we progressed to Georgetown for a stroll down the C&O Canal and then to the waterfront for drinks with friends.   They really wanted something casual and candid – I think it worked out pretty well!

What began as a routine errands trip turned into a little tourism jaunt to the tidal basin to take this year’s requisite cherry blossom photos.  They’re not in full bloom yet, but they’re on their way.  More enjoyable was the annual kite festival that kicks off the two week National Cherry Blossom Festival each year.  The air around the Washington Monument was filled with hundreds of kites trying to avoid or fight each other.

I feel like it’s required of any amateur photographer to spend at least three hours getting the “perfect” photo of these Sakura blossoms at every angle imaginable.  Not one to miss out on the fun, I took a fair shot (even though they look a little sad in this snap).  Take a look.