A few weeks ago I got a call from Steve, and after learning the purpose for his call realized what a very thoughtful guy he is. Steve was calling to ask me to do the sneaky job of capturing his proposal to his girlfriend Katie!

It took some careful planning but I think he did a great job pulling it off  (And I am sure Katie would agree!) He knew he wanted to propose to Katie in Georgetown, but he wasn’t quite sure where. I suggested that he take her for a walk along the Georgetown Canal, which even in the cold winter time is rather rustic and scenic. We agreed upon a spot, and the rest was up to him to get her to come along!

On my end of things I have to say I was nervous! I knew based on some other appointments I had that day that my timing was going to be tight, not to mention the larger worry of Katie being suspicious of a stranger photographing her! So I enlisted the help of my good friend Kai, and he met me bright and early so that we could pretend we were photography students practicing on each other.

While I doubt she was entirely oblivious, I think our plan went off rather well! (I think she was too caught in the moment to worry about two photographers)

You can watch it unfold here!

Will you?

She said yes!

Kai snuck a shot of Katie admiring her new jewelry!

Steve picked well, don’t you think ladies?

Here’s another great moment caught by Kai!

And to close, a final twirl shot by Kai..

Congratulations Steve and Katie! Thanks so much for allowing me to be a part of such a wonderful moment!

And big thanks to Kai, couldn’t have done it without you and thanks for sharing your wonderful shots.

The day before Inauguration was the most celebrity filled day I have ever been witness too! (Perhaps the day prior to that at the ‘We Are One’ concert would have trumped it had I been granted a press pass but alas, no luck on that) Don’t get me wrong, I am certainly not complaining as I was given the rare opportunity to cover some really memorable and star-studded Inauguration Events!

The first was the Feeding America Hunger Rally held outside in the chilly weather (but no one minded) in the street in front of the Martin Luther King Jr. Library here in DC. Appropriately enough, MLK’s son; Martin Luther King III was a speaker at the event! In addition to him, were remarks by David Arquette and Ben Affleck, followed by an amazing live performance by the very talented Josh Groban, and the legend Herbie Hancock. (I must admit I have a bit of a crush on Josh Groban, so I was particularly excited to be able to not only hear him live, but capture it permanently with some photos!!)

So you would think that event would be good enough for one day, but no! After things wrapped up at the Feeding America event, (and before my fingers froze into permanent position over the shutter button) I then headed over to the Gibson showroom to photograph an exclusive event for Rock the Vote!

Sheryl Crow has been an avid spokesperson for Rock the Vote since its inception from what I understand, and so it was fitting, not to mention an honor, to hear her speak about the success of the election and the part Rock the Vote played in it, as well as the challenges still ahead in the field of voting rights! BUt then of course she preformed a few songs for the crowd which was awesome to hear. Josh Groban made his second appearance of the day, and both artists earned an enthusiastic response from the crowd.

The group of guests in attendance wasn’t without its celebrities either! Amongst those there were Ashanti, Lars from Metallica, Ed Harris, and for all you Entourage fans, and for any girl with a heartbeat, Adrian Grenier! Enjoy ladies

All in all…..is was an AWESOME way to begin celebrating the exciting and long awaited inauguration of President Barack Obama!!!

Does anyone like The Fray? I know I do – they really have such a great sound, unique with Issac Slade’s powerful voice and piano skills…and I was excited when I had the opportunity to photograph the band up close not once but twice when they were in town January 16th!

Some of you know, and some of you may not, but I have the privilege of being Gibson Guitars DC go-to-girl for photography! When it came to the Fray, I was doubly pleased. I was able to snap some pictures in the afternoon at the Gibson Loft in the Chinatown area of DC, where they did an intimate 3 song performance for a group of lucky radio contest winners!

Then later that evening I had a press pass to shoot them live at their performance at DC’s best known music venue – the 9:30 Club on 9th and V streets. The Fray had a really unique stage presence, with Issac Slade’s Baby Grand piano front and center, and a whole stage full of different vintage and retro lamps everywhere.

I have a few more exciting music events to blog soon, but for now I hope you enjoy some shots of The Fray. They were awesome!!

- Erin

Luigi and I had the pleasure of photographing a wonderful wedding the day after Christmas! I was so honored to have Jonathan ask me to photograph his wedding – I spent the better part of grade school and high school playing the cello in orchestras alongside Jon – so it was so fun to be able to see him again and meet his beautiful bride! Dorothy is probably the sweetest girl alive, she kept thanking me and everyone around her over and over, on her wedding day!

They chose the beautiful Pen Ryn Mansion in Bensalem PA, and we couldn’t have been luckier with a beautiful not-too-chilly December day. Having such a nice day made it possible for us to take advantage of the view of the river and the cool winter colors.

But enough talk – here’s some photos!

Dorothy had a beautiful beaded clutch that really complimented her dress and the wintery feel of the wedding!

Dorothy looks incredible here…about to go outside and greet her wedding party!

Jonathan and Dorothy – Gino and I both thank you so much for allowing us to be part of your wedding day!

- Erin

Danielle and Gino’s wedding was a very special one for me, not just because they were wonderful, and not just because Isla Mujeres, Cancun was a dream wedding destination; but because it was the start of a new turn in my wedding photography – the start of EllaFoto!

Gino (otherwise known as Luigi) was the groom, and after meeting him and getting to know both him and Danielle over the 4 days I was in Cancun with them, I found out what a passion Gino had for photography himself! One thing led to another, and here we are, starting our brand new Wedding and Portrait business! ‘Ella’ stands for Erin Lassahn and Luigi Amasia!

But I’d hate to skip over the importance of Danielle and Gino’s wedding for them as a couple, and for their friends and family.  From the moment I met both of them, they welcomed me into their circle of friends as graciously as anyone could, and not only that, it was instantly clear to me why everyone was so thrilled to be at their wedding as well – because the two of them are such a beautiful couple, a great example of two people truly in love.

Danielle and Gino were married at a local Catholic Church on the island, and then we all took a nice ferry ride around the island to the Zama Beach Club. The club was absolutely gorgeous! It had a long dock leading us straight to a very modern but serene layout of blue wading pools, wooden lounge chairs, pristine white sand and palm trees! The wedding was organized by Tiffany of SunHorse Weddings.

How about some photos of this dream wedding!!

It’s not every day you get tropical blue water as a backdrop:

Danielle’s mother looked so beautiful and happy!

Danielle and Gino, wanting to do something different than the standard bridesmaid attire, had Vietnamese “ao dai” tunics made turning their travels in Asia last year. What a fun way to mix it up! Danielle, Gino, their family and wedding party all were up for some fun, colorful group portraits. You can’t beat the bright Mexican colors!

The whole reception was outside, at a beautiful tropical paradise club (or that’s how I think of it) with minimalistic decor and beautiful paper lanterns. After all you don’t need to do a lot to dress up white sandy beaches and palm trees!

This photo of Danielle and Gino quite possibly could be my favorite from the whole trip…

Danielle looks so serenely stunning here…During the speeches pretty much everyone was worked up and emotional, but especially during Francesca’s speech. Fran is Gino’s sister as well as Danielle’s best friend, and from what I understand could be credited with aiding the couple in getting together!

Thanks Danielle and Gino! I was so happy to be a part of your wedding, and even happier to be your friend and photography partner!

-Erin