Don't Blink

Wedding portfolio

2011-04-16T22:27:00.001-07:00

Soaked

2009-05-25T16:14:00.001-07:00

Potomac Falls won 7-0. It started pouring at the start of the second half. I had packed rain gear for my cameras, but didn't have any gear to protect myself.

Thanks to all the veterans

2008-11-11T13:13:00.001-08:00

Loudoun County wins last regular season game

2008-11-10T11:41:00.001-08:00

Marks Brothers

2008-08-27T07:32:00.001-07:00

Rodeo

2008-08-27T07:30:00.001-07:00

My poor car

2008-07-08T13:37:00.000-07:00

So, yeah, I got into an accident yesterday. A woman driving a van pulled out and hit me. Until my car, aka Rocky I, is fixed, I am driving an ugly gold chevy with no power locks or windows. At least it was pretty clear that the other driver was at fault - she had a stop sign and I didn't - so her insurance is paying for my car to be fixed and for the rental.

Chess Club

2008-03-25T13:26:00.001-07:00

Silence filled the air March 20 as about 10 chess players of varying ages concentrated hard on kings and pawns, horses and rooks. The silence was broken only by the occasional “check” or “checkmate.”
Thursday nights from 6 to 9 p.m. are Carver Chess Club nights at the Carver Center in Purcellville. As many as 20 members, from children to senior citizens, vie against each other for the first hour and forty-five minutes, and then host and instructor Raymond Duchesne often gives a lesson.
At the meeting March 20, Duchesne, of Airmont, played four members at once – and beat all of them. He said being able to play multiple games at once is a question of experience. “Once you're at a certain level,” he said, “you recognize things.”
Before he came to America, Duchesne taught high school chess in Belgium. “I like competition and I like abstract thinking,” he said. Duchesne, who works as a software engineer, has run the club since the Carver Center opened last year.
The club is open to players of all ages and skill levels. It also meets Saturdays from 3 to 6 p.m. for a session that is play only – no instruction. Some members also play with the Chess Club of Leesburg, which meets Tuesday nights from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Starbucks on Market Street.

Raymond Duchesne, host and instructor of the chess club at the Carver Center, plays (from front to back) Richard Busch, of Leesburg, Joshua Carr, of Hamilton, Anthony Frayne, of Round Hill, and Morgan Overman, 17 of Hamilton, all at the same time on March 20 at the Carver Center. Duchesne won all four games.
Richard Busch, of Leesburg, shakes the hand of Raymond Duchesne, of Airmont, after Duchesne won the game on March 20.
Charles Nolan Poneroy (right), 12 of Purcellville, listens to music in between games of chess during the chess club meeting.
Richard Busch, of Leesburg moves his king during a game at the chess club.

VNPA weekend

2008-03-17T12:01:00.000-07:00

One twin mispells the word and the other twin yells out that he can spell it.

I was trying to use Jared and Scott dancing to layer my shot, but I got caught.
So, some of these I liked better in color.

Breakfast on Sunday. See those Roanoke Times in the background? I'm glad to see people still read the newspaper.

Cole Bros. Circus

2007-11-19T16:07:00.001-08:00

Click here to view slideshow

Mikeman

2007-08-30T12:41:00.000-07:00

Ken Mikeman is a firefighter in Sterling and is running for Board of Supervisors Potomac District. One of Mikeman's hobbies is acting and he has appeared on America's Most Wanted.

So, I'm slacking on the photo a week thing. This is one of those times it really pays to have a reporter with me on assignment. Jana Renn, the reporter, was able to help loosen him up. In this shot, Mikeman is laughing with Jana. Sometimes, an extra person there is just what I need to help put the subject of the photo at ease.

hot weather feature YAY!

2007-08-14T15:03:00.001-07:00

Rafael Reyes passes Brian Perez a jug of water while they take a break from putting seemless tile on the roof of a building in the construction site on South King Street across from the Bloom. The Dietz Construction Group stocks water and gatorade for their workers and requires that if the heat index is over 100 degrees, workers take a break every hour to keep hydrated.

So from now on, I'm going to try to at least post my favorite photo of every week. I was told to get a hot jobs feature, people working out in the 100 degree heat index, for the web. First, I was given bad directions to find people paving. Then I thought I'd check out my favorite construction site. The owner already knows me from a business feature we did a couple of months ago, so I was greeted with a smile. He talked my ear off, too, but I didn't mind. Then, when their county inspector came by, who was about my age, the owner told us that we should go out on a date. He definitely embarrassed both of us. After my face was sufficiently red, I left the air conditioned trailer to get this photo.

These guys were up on the roof for awhile. I needed to get their names for the cutline, so I waited until they came down from the roof. Good thing I waited, or I wouldn't have gotten this photo.

Getting Ready for Iraq

2007-07-03T11:03:00.001-07:00

Abbie Dunlap says goodbye to her husband, Matt, on Tuesday June 26. Matt is part of Company C, 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry of the Virginia Army National Guard, which will train in Mississippi before heading out to Iraq.
Click to view audio slideshow

sports

2007-05-09T09:24:00.000-07:00

Loudoun County's Nathan Fletcher tries to protect himself with his arms as he falls to the ground during a game against Heritage High School Thursday May 3.

Heritage High School attack Peter Walsh reaches to hold onto the ball as Loudoun County's Travis Wilhoite follows behind on Thursday May 3 at Heritage High School.

Man, did I miss shooting lacrosse. It's so nice to actually have the right equipment for it, too. I threw an extender onto the 300 mm and had a blast. There were a couple of shots that I missed because I was so tight like the one below, but it was worth it. Although, if I had only gone vertical I could have gotten that shot.

Baseball

Loudoun County's Alex Anderson throws to first after getting Potomac Falls' Gregory Woodlief out at second. Potomac Falls won 4-2.

This photo never made it into the paper. It was the best shot I took, but it just didn't tell the story. So, I figured I'd publish it here just so someone could see it. The light was so nice.

Displace Me

2007-05-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

Erin Stern, 9, throws a ball of tape up in the air for her sister, Leah (not pictured), 7, to catch Saturday night in Washington, D.C. The Invisible Children hosted an event called Displace Me, to raise awareness on the displacement camps in Northern Uganda. Thousands of people built homes out of cardboard to simulate being displaced.
So, I went to this event for fun. I saw this girl and her little sister playing and thought to myself this would be something that I'd shoot if I were covering it. But, I kept watching them and in my head saw all the photos I could make and just couldn't help it. I had to shoot it.

Four of us slept in this cardboard house Saturday night that we made. It barely made it through the night. It was a cold night, too.

It was awesome seeing the Washington Monument all lit up. I don't think I've ever been there at night before.

People watch video testimonials from Northern Ugandans on the mall in DC.

This was in the morning just as we were leaving. The event was supposed to last til 10 am, but we were woken up at 5 by our noisy neighbors. So, the four of us were tired, hungry and cold. We weren't allowed to eat anything while we were there except for a ration of saltines and water. So, after we escaped from the displacement camp we were on a mission to find breakfast. No, Displace Me did not make me know what it would feel like to be in a real displacement camp in Northern Uganda, since after we left we hit up a Starbucks. But, I do feel like I know a little more about the issue. I did kinda get a feel for what it would be like to be homeless, though. It was the end of April and I was freezing all night. I can only imagine what it would be like to sleep outside in the dead of winter.

depressing week

2007-04-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

Virginia Tech healing service in Ashburn

suicide...this photo never made it into the paper.

This car

2007-03-27T13:05:00.000-07:00

just burst into flames.

R.I.P. winter

2007-03-26T18:33:00.000-07:00

multicultural show

2007-03-26T10:49:00.000-07:00

Potomac Falls High School had its annual multicultural show.

carver

2007-03-19T12:28:00.000-07:00

The Carver Center opened today with a St. Patrick's Day celebration. I found this assignment difficult because I wanted to focus on the senior citizens, but I also wanted to show the dancers. I got photos of the seniors cheering and what not, but I thought this photo taken from backstage told the most complete story.

Sheep

2007-02-15T13:29:00.000-08:00

are freaking awesome. They are just so curious, so it is really easy to get all of them looking at the camera at once.

A Self Portrait

2007-02-14T09:44:00.000-08:00

Happy V-Day

I wish

2007-02-12T12:08:00.000-08:00

I were three again.

All Grown Up

2007-01-12T13:14:00.000-08:00

This was from a cotillion last Tuesday night for middle school kids. It was an awesome assignment but it was hard to shoot. Every kid was up on the dance floor at the same time and it wasn't even big enough for them. Imagine trying to take photos of them dancing while at the same time making sure you're not getting run over by over two hundred dancers. It was worth it though.

Gettin' Hitched

2007-01-02T14:26:00.000-08:00

Jaime Clampitt (left), of Potomac Falls, celebrates after marrying Corp. David Robert Boast (right), of Fairfax, outside of the Courthouse in Leesburg Tuesday morning. There's a chance David will be deployed to Iraq in 2007, so the couple wanted a quick wedding.

For this photo, I just couldn't get in the right spot for the kiss. In the end, though, I really didn't want that photo. What I got was a more unique moment from a courthouse wedding. It really shows the times that a couple who was only engaged for a short time - less than six weeks - would feel rushed to get the ceremony over with before the groom is sent off to war. After the short ceremony, the couple was getting their picture taken by family. I wanted the bride's maiden name to put in the cutline, so I asked the groom's sister who at the moment was the only one not posing for or taking pictures. She said she didn't know and that she barely knew the bride.

Barber Shop

2006-12-21T12:27:00.000-08:00

Harry McDonald, of Berryville, gets his sideburns shaved after getting his hair cut by Ed Morgan at the Main Street Barber Shop. Ed has been working there part-time for 23 years. The Main Street Barber Shop is housed in a building that was at one time a jail and then a candy store. It has been a barber shop since the 30s. "It's a busy little shop," says Ed, "they don't have very many of these left." There's a lot of chatter at the shop. Morgan says, "we solve a lot of political problems here."

Some people have really great faces. They are expressive and look great in photographs, making my job really easy. This was part of a story I did on the Main Street Barber Shop in Berryville. It took me four trips to the barber shop to get four usable pictures to tell the story. The biggest challenge was to get photos that didn't repeat themselves. How do you do that in a small room where the main activity is cutting hair? I definitely learned how to look for different things.

The clock in the barber shop is a mirror image of itself. Its reflection looks normal.

Norma Green finishes up cutting Gary Conahan's hair at Main Street Barber Shop. Norma is the owner. She bought the place in 1986 and was the first female barber in Clarke County. The cash register, which Norma bought at a second-hand store, only goes up to $9.99. Just about everything is old-fashioned except for teh tanning bed in the back.

Juniper Street

2006-12-18T07:17:00.000-08:00

Hannah Gammill, 5 of Fairfax, gives a hug to Santa Friday night. The Love family had Santa Claus in their garage on Juniper Street for the children.

This girl was one of the first kids I photographed that night. I like it because of the little girl's body language. You can tell that she really trusts Santa. Also, I wanted to show where Santa was, a garage, so I kept a lot of the background in the photo. I stuck around and got photos of a few more kids. It's surprising how many kids are afraid of Santa Claus. I came back with this photo of a girl hugging Santa and a bunch of photos of kids crying. I went with the hug because it was a nice moment. The kids crying were a dime a dozen.

Santa comes to the mall

2006-12-11T12:37:00.000-08:00

John Pearsall (right), 4 of Leesburg, and his little brother, Nate, 22 months, sit on Santa's lap on Wednesday at the Dulles Town Center.

Victoria Glancey, 3 of Ashburn, colors in a Santa as she waits in line to sit on Santa's lap at the Dulles Town Center Wednesday.

playoff football

2006-11-27T13:36:00.000-08:00

Park View's Deric Dudinski is tackled by Louisa's Mike Clements Saturday night at Heritage High School.

Park View's Deric Dudinski scores a touchdown Saturday night while Lousia's Jeff Mehihoff (#10) and Kenny Flemming (#3) take him down in the endzone.

Park View's Amechi Anyaugo (#1) and James Nolan (#63) after their loss to Louisa Saturday night.

Stone Bridge's Terence Glenn runs the ball through Madison's Aaron Lambert (right) and Kyle Collins.

The Stone Bridge Bulldogs do their post-game ritual with Jenn White, an athletic trainer, after winning Friday night's playoff game against the Madison Warhawks.

vetsday

2006-11-27T13:25:00.000-08:00

Aaron Maisus, a first-grader at Tolbert Elementary School, waves his flag during an assembly celebrating Veterans Day Monday morning.

I like the repetition of the flags in this photo. I used a little bit of fill flash on this, but for the most part, I got really lucky with the light, considering it was in an elementary school gym.

Portfolio

2006-05-18T14:15:00.000-07:00

From left, Andrew Holoman, Brandon Moser and Tony Mazur of Stone Bridge High School walk off the field after the clock runs out at the Division 5 Virginia state championship football game Saturday at Todd Stadium in Newport News against Hampton High School. Hampton won 15-8.

Students head up the stairs of the Union Garage Monday when Towson University canceled afternoon classes because of a snowstorm.

William & Mary forward Taline Tahmassian goes up for a header against Towson defender Brittany Wilson. Although the Tribe pulled ahead in the first half, the Tigers came back for a 2-2 tie in double overtime.

Tacarra Tyler (left) and her cousin, Jalisa Crowner (right), push Tacarra's 5-year-old godson, Richard Honeyblue down Dock Street on a makeshift raft in downtown Annapolis. The harbor flooded after Hurricane Isabel whipped through the east coast.

From left, first-graders Hannah Dize and Maddie Kowalewski and kindergartner Emma Dize ride Bus 595 to Newton-Lee Elementary School Monday morning for the first day of school.

Elaine Walker, mayor of Lovettsville, is this year's Times-Mirror Citizen of the Year. Walker has guided development to the benefit of the town, and its new and old residents.

Calvert Hall Cardinals goalkeeper Kyle Whittman (center) is comforted by two teammates Saturday afternoon following their MIAA A Conference championship defeat by the McDonogh Eagles.

(From left) Angelique Drummer, 15, comforts her aunt, Genita Drummer, Tuesday night in their hotel room at the Holiday Inn. Genita is crying tears of relief after hearing that The Tire Shop in Leesburg fixed her car for free. "We have been embraced by Virginia like I have never seen in my life," said Genita. A total of 27 family members are staying in the area after fleeing New Orleans. Most are staying at the Holiday Inn, but some are staying with an aunt in Ashburn.

Bob Jacobsen comforts his 3-year-old niece, Ellie Thompson, Monday evening after she stubbed her toe. Bob and his wife, Carolyn, are going to serve at Good Shepherd's Fold Orphanage in Uganda through Global Outreach International. They leave July 30 and will be there for 2 years.

Loudoun County's Dan Slack (left) intercepts a pass in the end zone meant for Heritage's Pierce Bullock (right) during the fourth quarter at the home of the Pride Friday night. Loudoun County won 28-19.

Protesters march in between lanes of traffic on the afternoon of Thursday, March 20. Area police closed off parts of York Road in Towson when protesters began their march, but most side streets remained open.

As a fundraiser, the Animal Welfare Society in Columbia held a dog wash Sunday afternoon. Diesel, a golden doodle (a golden retriever and standard poodle mix) from Columbia, shakes during his bath.

Breaking a Baseball Barrier

2006-05-18T12:14:00.000-07:00

Meggie Meidlinger chats with a teammate before their game against Heritage High School. Meggie has been playing with a lot of the players since tee-ball, so she is just one of the guys.

Meggie Meidlinger warms up her arm with the rest of her team before their game against Heritage High School. Meggie says that she doesn't feel she has to work harder to prove herself as the only girl on the team, since she puts 100 percent into everything she does. Proof of her hardworking attitude are in her good grades (she has gotten nearly straight As) and her artistic accomplishments.

Meggie Meidlinger catches a ball intended to pick off the man at first, Mike Diaddigo, during Dominion's game against Freedom High School.

Head Coach Jay Raines talks to the team during practice Thursday afternoon.

The only thing that separates Meggie Meidlinger from the rest of the guys on the baseball team is the locker room. She shares it with all of the girls' teams at Dominion High School.

Meggie Meidlinger jokes around with teammates Kyle Fairchild (center) and Christopher Whipple (right) during their game against Heritage High School.

Jeffrey Futrell holds the door open as Meggie Meidlinger puts away the rakes for the field after their game against Potomac Falls High School. After home games, she and her teammates smooth over the dirt on the field with rakes.

Recent Stuff

2006-05-18T11:29:00.000-07:00

From left, Brie Walker and Polly Symons, both juniors at Loudoun Valley, go up for the ball in a lineout during a rugby practice at Franklin Park. The girls' team, which is open to all Loudoun County high school students, is in its inaugural season.

Melissa McMullan (blue shirt) and Abbie McMullen of the Loudoun County girls rugby team break into a dance after practice as they head to the parking lot at Franklin Park.

Sarah Green, sophomore at Loudoun Valley, tries to tackle Sarah Wallace, sophomore at Loudoun Valley, during a rugby practice at Franklin Park. The girls' team, which is open to all Loudoun County high school students, is in its inaugural season.

Resume

2006-05-18T09:59:00.000-07:00

Lisa Johnson
443-904-0519
lisaphoto@hotmail.com

EMPLOYMENT
Staff Photographer: Times Community Newspapers of Northern Virginia, August 2005 to present
Loudoun office, 18 weeklies with a combined circulation of 275,000.
Photography Intern: Patuxent Publishing Company, 15 weeklies, 6 magazines, and 8 directories and the Baltimore beltway. Summer, 2005
-Shoot and edit photos as a staff photographer
-Generate and follow through with story ideas
Photography Editor and Staff Photographer: The Towerlight, Towson University’s twice-weekly newspaper, 10,000 circulation. Sept. 2001 to May 2005
-Recruit and manage a staff of photographers
-Photograph and edit photos for print and online media
Freelance Photographer: Patuxent Publishing Company (250,000 weekly circ.), Columbia, MD. The Capital (50,000 daily circ.), The Baltimore Sun (270,000 daily circ.), Baltimore, MD. Annapolis, MD. The Baltimore Jewish Times (50,000 weekly circ.), Baltimore, MD. The Gazette (33,500 twice-weekly circ.), Glen Burnie, MD.
Photography Intern: The News & Record, a 90,000 circulation daily, Greensboro, NC. Summer 2004 -Take on the duties as a staff photographer covering sports, features and news
Photography Intern: The Capital, a 50,000 circulation daily. Annapolis, MD. Summer 2002
-Shoot and edit photographs for print
Staff Photographer: The Working Press, newspaper staffed by select students that comes out every day of SPJ's national convention Sept. 2004
AWARDS/HONORS
NPPA Region 3, August 2005 monthly clip contest, 3rd place general news
2004 SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards
-1st place general news photography, region II competition
-1st place feature photography, region II competition
-1st place photo illustration, region II competition
-2nd place sports photography, region II competition
2003 SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards
-1st place spot news photography, region II competition
NPPA student quarterly clip contest Fall 2003
-2nd place in general news photography
2002 SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards
-2nd place, sports photography, national competition
-1st and 2nd place, sports photography, region II competition
-3rd place and honorable mention, general news photography region II competition

EDUCATION-
Truth with a Camera Workshop, 2004
Towson University, Started Fall 2001, graduated May 2005. Towson, MD.
-B.S. Electronic Media and Film, concentration in film.
-Cumulative GPA: 3.526/4.0
Broadneck High School, 1997-2001. Annapolis, MD. Graduated 2001
REFERENCES

Mr. Rob Brown
Director of Photography
The News & Record
200 E Market St.
Greensboro, NC 27401
(336) 373-7214

Mr. Tenney Mason
Director of Photography
Patuxent Publishing Company
10750 Little Patuxent Parkway
Columbia, MD 21044
410-730-3990 ex. 1288

Mr. Saul Stoogenke
Photo Editor
Times Community Newspapers
9 E Market Street
Leesburg, VA 20176
443-854-6844