The official photo blog of J. David Buerk Photography.
9 months can fly by, and Madonna and Rubin are just a few weeks away from welcoming their daughter, [REDACTED].
Since Rubin and Donna share aviation deep in their roots, Donna decided it was appropriate to have her maternity portraits with the sound of jet engines roaring above. During a busy afternoon bank of DCA departures Donna glowed in the sunlight and with the DC skyline and active runways behind her.
See Madonna & Rubin’s Baby Announcement / Gender Reveal photos here.
Back in August last year, I hiked a stretch of Patapsco Valley State Park with some friends - this trip was a local hiking version of “I know a spot,” because much of the hike took us off trail, through shoulder-high snake and tick paradise, and up and down steep mountains covered in thorn bushes I still have a few marks from. But it was rewarding, worth it, and I now have some locations in mind for more creative ideas I’d like to coordinate.
Patapsco Valley State Park, nestled in the abandoned town of Daniels (formerly known as Elysville), Maryland, is a sprawling natural haven offering a blend of picturesque landscapes and historical intrigue. Within its bounds, the park houses remnants of a bygone era, including two abandoned churches that stand as silent witnesses to the passage of time. These forsaken structures, draped in vines and surrounded by the park's lush foliage, evoke a sense of mystery.
The small industrial town born in 1810 around a textile mill, however, its prosperity was short-lived. The mill closed in the late 1960s, prompting the evacuation of nearly 90 families. Tropical storm Agnes in 1972 further sealed its fate, flooding the town and leading to its complete abandonment. Today, Daniels is a ghost town marked by crumbling stone ruins, decaying wood, and graffiti-covered remnants of its past, including the Saint Stanislaus Kostka Church, Pentecostal Holiness Church, and remnants of the old dam and bridge. The town serves as a poignant reminder of a bygone era swallowed by nature.
After beginning the hike by immediately wading across the Patapsco River, we made our way into Daniels, and began seeing remnants of the ghost town. Well traveled, and easily found, our first stop was at the graffiti and street art covered Pentecostal Holiness Church, which was destroyed, like much of the town, by Tropical Storm Agnes and the deluge of runoff water in 1972. Only some of the walls remain as canvases for artists and taggers, and the bell tower stands tall, but decaying, among the trees. Hidden in the back is a mural of a very posh woman with a bottle of champagne, which has sadly begun being defaced by other graffiti taggers. Inside is a paper airplane; it’s not immediately clear if by the same artist, however the styles seem quite different so my guess is they’re by separate people.
Next was some off-trailing, which took us up a steep mountain, along a long fallen tree to avoid some of the deep grass likely inhabited by unseen predators, and finally to the first of several abandoned cars. Many of the cars, which were washed downstream and deep into the woods by flooding, are nowhere near any trails, which either follow the Town of Daniels’ original roads or branch off in spots for utility and fire road access. Making our way back to the main trail downhill, on a safer and more direct route, we headed toward the next abandoned church. Along the way, we spotted the offshoot leading toward it, but decided to proceed to the end of the trail to explore the main trail before getting to the main attraction.
The St. Stanislaus Kostka Roman Catholic Church, dating back to the early 1800s, burned down in 1926, and were subsequently abandoned along with its adjacent cemetery that is home to local families and individuals, with some gravestones dating back to the Civil War era, and others obviously marking WWI losses. The stone church walls remain largely upright and intact, and are mostly devoid of graffiti, and I truly hope it stays that way - graffiti and street art can be beautiful, but it needs the right place and to be self-aware of its surroundings: boring plain abandoned walls that are basically giant canvases with lots of foot traffic nearby? Cool! Beautiful antique stonemasonry covered in ivy and moss in a valley bathed in warm sunlight with barely any visitors? Uncool; stick to the ugly bare industrial, and leave the antique beauty to be enjoyed as it decays naturally. St. Stanislaus Kostka Church reminded me of The Forest Temple in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
As the sun began entering the golden hour, we made our way out of the dense woods and back onto the main trail heading back to the trailhead to go get some much needed dinner.
Toward the end of Summer 2022 I hiked Sleepy Creek Wildlife Management Area’s Devil’s Nose in Hedgesville, West Virginia. It’s certainly not the longest, tallest, or most intensive hikes I’ve ever embarked upon, but it leads to a panoramic outcropping of rock with views of the mountains all around. The hike starts with a stream crossing, and zags up the mountain carrying you past each layer of forest ecology.
I was lucky enough to be rewarded with a few pictures of myself on the hike.
You might remember Madonna and Rubin from their spectacular travel themed engagement at the Dulles Airport gate where they met, or more recently Donna’s graduation portraits from George Mason University (Go Patriots!). This Fall they took a stroll with me through Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria, Virginia to take in the Autumn colors at their peak and occasionally cuddle up (or get in a leaf fight after carrying one another). The sun made for an unseasonably warm day, but it fit the feeling, because it’s clear just spending a few moments with Rubin and Donna that they both married their best friend.
As the sun set, and we were just a few short days from Halloween, Rubin got spoopy on the return hike.
It had been a relaxing day, and I’d once again lived up to Rubin’s famous quote about me: “I’m pretty sure David’s face just looks like a camera.”
On Halloween two years ago I captured family photos of Latoya and her kids playing in the Fall leaves; little did I know this session would lead to capturing Shawn pop the question.
A few months ago I got a message on Instagram… that was automatically thrown to the abyss of my Spam folder. It wasn’t for several weeks while blocking the latest batch of scambots that I finally saw it, and immediately responded (NOTE: If you’re reading this and want to reach me, emailing me is the most reliable way to contact me). Shawn had seen the Fall family photos I’d shot in 2020 and kept me in mind, and now he was forming a plan to ask Latoya to marry him. After a bit of brainstorming we got a plan in place, and now the hard part was just keeping cool until it was time.
The day of, Shawn played it super cool, but in truth his adrenaline was pumping with eagerness; like me, Shawn loves cars, and spends a lot of time at racetracks photographing events, so to keep his cover deep he even posted on Instagram and even called Latoya from an active (loud) racetrack so she wouldn’t even consider him being in the area. Latoya’s family had been organized by an insider to gather at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens for family portraits which they haven’t had in years - nobody knew what they were about to witness.
I met with Shawn at the garden an hour before everyone else started arriving to walk him through the plan on-site and get him planted in his hiding spot a short sprint around the corner from where I’d stage pictures. Leaving him to lay low and relax, I returned to the Visitor’s Center to welcome family as they began arriving. Latoya was one of the first to arrive, and while waiting was even asking me about my wedding photography and camera straps, “for a friend;” I played it cool and answered earnestly, but inside was smirking, “a ‘friend’ hmm?”
Once everyone was gathered, I lead the group of 15 down to the pond bridge for small groupings before the full group photo at a later location; this was exactly to plan, and also wasn’t untrue. At the bridge, I asked what group wanted to go first on the bridge, and Latoya immediately volunteered herself and the kids; she was making my job easier than she knew.
After a few photos of Latoya with the kids, I suggested we get some solos as well, and gave our insider a nod to give Shawn the signal he was up. As I was “adjusting settings” and “framing up the shot” I captured Shawn sneak up and even get down on one knee behind Latoya without her noticing; when I prompted her to change posing, she spotted Shawn with a scream of shock and disbelief. You can see how utterly surprised she was when she looks back at me (and her family equally as surprised watching over my shoulder) as if to say, “is this really happening?!?!?”
Needless to say, she said yes!
After wrapping up with some family photos, Latoya and Shawn took a small tour of the botanical gardens walking on clouds after becoming engaged.
