journal

My favorite thing in the world to photograph is proposals. When Billy emailed Sarah to ask if he could propose at our workshop, we were both over the moon!! The plan was set, during the “engagement” portion of the shoot, I would give Billy the signal and set Taylor up for a faux First Look. She was completely shocked!

June 11, 2018

Anderson House Engagement | DC Proposal Photographer | Taylor and Billy

I had the absolute BEST morning with Emily & Nima. The two were a bit nervous at first because they had never had their portraits professionally done but, I must say, they did EXCELLENTLY! I think the champagne helped a bit 😉 We decided to snap sunrise engagement portraits at the Jefferson memorial. This was actually AFTER peak bloom and most of the cherry blossoms had died but we got lucky with one tree and crab apple blooms! 

June 6, 2018

District of Columbia Cherry Blossom Engagement | DC Wedding Photographer | Emily and Nima

Today, I wanted to share all of my thoughts, feels and snaps behind my incredible labor of love on my blog. This was hands down the hardest thing I have ever done in my photography career. I’m not going to lie, hosting a workshop is tough. It was the first thing in my business I felt nervous about and I had serious doubts leading up to May: What if people didn’t buy tickets? What if attendees walk away feeling disappointed? What if I failed? Well, I’m here to tell you it was all worth it. The feeling of being able to give business owners tools to become more successful is an all time high feeling for me.

June 1, 2018

Real Talk Workshop | District of Columbia Photography Workshop | Kir Tuben Photography

Kelsey and Brett had the hardest time scheduling an engagement session! Either I was busy or it rained al over our plans! One month away from their wedding, we finally had some sunshine and good planning fortune! As Kelsey calls it “practicing not being awkward” for your wedding day is so important if you want to be relaxed on camera! These two were naturals. 

May 29, 2018

Thomas Jefferson Memorial Engagement | Capital Bike Share Engagement | Kelsey and Brett

 

When I think about my ideal client, I picture these two. Haley and Jesse are fun, stylish and overall, just two awesome people in love. Our session felt more like a hang-out than work. Haley works in events (hello dream bride) and Jesse does corporate real estate which, as someone who love business and buildings, I am fascinated by. To top it all off, they live in the amazing Apollo in downtown DC. I have been dying to photograph in this stylish building since it has opened and finally got the chance thanks to these darlings!

May 9, 2018

Cherry Blossom Engagement at the National Mall | DC Wedding Photographer | Haley and Jesse

I could photograph Marcella and Jamie all day long. These two were naturals in front of the camera. We woke up at 6am to be among the first at the Jefferson Memorial during peak cherry blossom bloom in Washington, D.C. It was actually about 40 degrees but you would never know with how amazing Marcella was in the cold (even in a dress)! Planning a photography session during “peak bloom” can be extremely challenging. The forecast this year had falsely placed the blooms a month early! They can bloom anytime between mid-March and early April so this requires a lot of flexibility on the part of both the clients and photographer! We definitely got lucky with our timing.

May 1, 2018

DC Cherry Blossom Engagement | District of Columbia Wedding Photographer | Marcella and Jamie

I am going to try to describe my love for this couple. They honestly are just so fun to be around. We spent 3 hours together and maybe an hour of that was actually shooting. They are sarcastic, interesting and super laid back individuals: just my type of people. They are getting married at the Wharf this November and I know I am going to feel more like a guest than a photographer! We actually casually planned sunrise at Jefferson before we knew about the cherry blossom dates! These two got super lucky with the weather and the blooms all at once!

April 21, 2018

DC Cherry Blossom Engagement Session | Washington DC Wedding Photographer | Emily and Toby

Allison and Dave are one of the most laid back couples I have worked with. The two met in DC and have lived in the city for years around Logan Circle so it stands to reason that we would snap engagement photos around the place they call home. We started at The Coffee Bar and got super lucky with an early blooming tree nearby!

April 18, 2018

Logan Circle DC Engagement | Springtime Coffee Shop Engagement | Allison and Dave

Avantika contacted me a few months back to snap some classic DC engagement photos. When picking dates, I didn’t realize that her and her fiancee Felipe would need to fly in just for the occasion! The two met while getting their MBAs at Georgetown University and had since moved to Dallas to start their professional lived together. 

April 2, 2018

Georgetown Engagement Session | Washington DC Engagement Photos | Avantika and Felipe

As you may (or may not) know, I have officially launched my photography workshop called The Real Talk Workshop. We get it Kir… you’re hosting a workshop. So why then am I writing a blog post about it? Well, I don’t really think a landing page on my site is doing this event justice. I want to really dive in and explain the passion behind this project. 

March 23, 2018

My Workshop Why | Real Talk Workshop Details | DC Photography Workshop