Harshika, Dilip and their son, Jaahan decided to get out of the heat of their hometown, Dubai, during the holidays and head north to wintry Russia. Although there wasn't a whole lot of snow on the ground, the lights of Nikolskaya Street and Red Square brightened it up. They are world travelers and I probably couldn't count on 10 hands how many places they have visited. Their adventuresome spirit was inspiring and it was delightful to capture them for Flytographer!
I met Derrick and June for the first time last fall in the lobby of the historic hotel, The National, directly across from the Kremlin. Believe it or not, they chose Russia for their honeymoon location! They traveled and explored beautiful St. Petersburg before coming to Moscow. Being from Singapore, they had never seen snow their whole lives. I was hoping it would start to fall that morning for the session, but it held back! Nevertheless, the shoot, captured for Flytographer, was great! I loved their spontaneity and they were such naturals in front of the camera! Later that evening I looked out the window and saw Moscow's first snowfall. I immediately texted them and received a reply back with a photo of them outside enjoying their first snow! Moscow delivered their wishes! I am so glad they came!
I met Nicoletta in the fall last year when did a program for children suffering from cancer at a hospital in south Moscow. She jumped right in and participated with us! She is currently studying at the College of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation with the hopes of working as a diplomat someday. She would be perfect for that kind of position with her warm, out-going and approachable spirit.
I was in DC over the holidays and assisted my sister-in-law, www.carenlouisephotographs.com, in several photo shoots. It was fun to see her in action the great part of assisting is that you can take a lot of the candid shots! Overall it was just delightful to meet this family. This session done at the Lincoln Memorial with hardly any other people around and the sunrise was breathtaking
Hannah Schneider's journey has been quite incredible. It hasn't always been easy and smooth, but it has been a privilege to watch. As a young girl, she grew up in Moscow Russia. She was then in the US for several years finishing high school there. Upon graduation, she returned to Moscow to study violin at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and later completed her university studies at Georgetown University. However, before graduating, she took six months to work on a project she created called Music From the Mountains, working with young musicians from the North Caucasus region of Russia. In 2015-2016, after finishing university, Hannah worked at the Mariinsky Theatre as an assistant to Maestro Valery Gergiev, which also included involvement in the XV International Tchaikovsky Competition. She was accepted as a 2016 Rhodes Scholar and is doing an M.Phil. in Music at the University of Oxford. This past fall she founded the Oxford Alternative Orchestra and just yesterday she was appointed music director and conductor of Oxford University Philharmonia. A Huge Congratulations to her! This journey continues!!!
