Zumba + Yoga Shoot for Melanie Smith in a Costa Rican Oasis

Even though it's been months since I traveled to Costa Rica (El Sabanero Eco Lodge via Move Well DC via Trip Tribe!) for vacation, and I'm finding myself flipping through all the photos of our wonderful trip more and more these days.

Maybe its because I miss being in a tropical oasis, or I'm just not *fully* ready for fall to kick into high gear, but either way, I keep daydreaming about early morning yoga sessions, home cooked meals and relaxing in the canopy...

Speaking of Costa Rica, I finally edited photos from a mini session I held with my fabulous Zumba-instructor friend Melanie while I was there.

To be honest, it's basically a miracle these photos exist at all -- they're not the best shots from the shoot, but rather, what I could salvage. See, I had completely edited the session when my Lacie hard (where the files lived) drive decided to fail on me. I did everything in my power to recover the files but could only recover about 10 shots -- 10 of my outtake shots to be exact.

Ugh, technology man. I guess I learned the hard way the need to double back up everything I shoot.

Regardless, while I know these aren't my best shots, or my best work, I'm surprisingly happy with them.

Maybe its because I loved the trip we took so much, or because I'm currently injured and can't shoot (long story -- see P.S. below), but looking at these photos just makes me smile.

P.S. I'm hurt right now (fell and sprained my AC joint while doing a handstand in yoga class!) and won't be shooting for a least a few weeks, which sucks. I'm getting better though -- its been almost two weeks and I'm finally out of the sling! Wa-hoo!

Grip the Mat: Soul & Spirits (& Glowing Yoga Fun!) at Capitale

I know I've been teasing about the end of summer for the past few weeks, but today, I can officially say, both by the calendar date and the cool, dreary weather outside, fall is officially here.

So, as a final ode to the dog days of summer -- warm winds, piña coladas and all -- I thought I would share snaps from a mid-summer Grip the Mat Soul & Spirits event that took place at the end of August.

It feels like this event took place forever ago although its only been about a few weeks -- its funny how the seasons changing can make time pass so quickly isn't it?

For those that don't know, I shoot a ton of events (seriously a TON!) for Grip the Mat, a local DC start up that hosts pop up yoga social events that usually mix an all-levels vinyasa flow with wine, cocktails or beer.

They're a blast to shoot! I get to meet so many interesting yogis, get cool neon/technicolor snaps for my portfolio and generally have a great time.

I'll admit shooting at Capitale for this particular Soul & Spirits event was a bit challenging with the lack of light, but I think I made it work!

Grip the Mat Photoshoot: Dancin' in the (DC) Streets

Now that its the second week of September, I think its safe to say that summer is slowly coming to an end. Enter pumpkin spice lattes, cute booties and colorful scarves... ahhhh, how I love autumn!

But before I get too far ahead of myself, I thought I would share one of the last photo shoots I did earlier this summer for the awesome DC Grip the Mat team.

If you follow my blog, then you'll know that I do a lot of work for Grip the Mat -- a pop-up yoga events company that was founded in Washington, DC. Currently, the company has events in LA, Boston, NYC, Tampa and, of course, DC.

While I've done a ton of event photography for Grip the Mat and a couple of other seasonal shoots for them (winter 2016 -- not my fav --  and spring 2016 -- slightly better), this was one of my favorite shoots to date.

The photos just came out so light, airy and fun, which is PERFECT for their brand!

I mean, wouldn't you want to do yoga with this crew? Or at least grab a drink, chat and talk about all the good things in life? I know I would.

That Time I did Artoga for Spright...

Art + Yoga, it's a thing. I know, I had no idea either. It's okay. :)

A few months ago, I stumbled across a listing for an Art + Yoga, aka "Artoga" class right here in Washington, DC and decided that I, as an area fitness writer and yogi, needed to try it out. You know, for professional purposes.

Anyway, I ended up signing up for a class earlier this fall and reviewed the whole experience for Spright and even got a chance to snap some half-decent photos. I won't give you my full review of the creative, bendy expereince, but here's a snippet of my review:

When I first saw an Artoga (art + yoga) workshop pop up on Greg’s List DC (a Washington, D.C. events site), I laughed out loud. It seemed a little bit ridiculous, but I was also curious. I decided to investigate and try it out.

After a bit of digital digging, I discovered that Artoga was co-founded by Nichole Friday and Marta Staudinger in 2014. Staudinger, an artist and yoga instructor, says it all began when she started brainstorming for an innovative activity to feature at her curatorial space, which was scheduled to open soon. Staudinger wanted to find a way to blend her two passions, art and yoga, and reached out to Friday for some creative and logistical help...

Read the full story here!