Allison & Nick : Engagement Session
Fall is such a great time for Engagement photos. The vibrant colors in the landscapes. Fun in the leaves. Just a slight chill in the air. I love it! Here is a snapshot video of Allison & Nick’s fab engagement session. And the excitement is building because this coming weekend is their wedding!!! YAY!
As the old saying goes, when it rains on your wedding it means good luck! As hurricane Joaquin 2015 blew by us this past Saturday, Alicia & Duane had the best of luck on their side. The rain put a damper on the outdoor ceremony but stopped just in time to get some great outdoor shots! It was a pleasure to photograph this couple and here are a few of my favs.
Grant Morningstar : Actor Headshots
When you are in the acting profession, it’s important to keep your headshots up-to-date, as well as making sure your photograph depicts exactly what you look like in person. Some of the best shots from Grant Morningstar’s session. 
A little James Bond action.
Come out tonight and enjoy Savage Soaps and these other fine retail outlets for Vegan Night.
Come out this weekend and see Oakdale Drama’s impressive performance of LEGALLY BLONDE.
Get your tickets here: http://www.showtix4u.com/
or call: 1-866-967-8167 to order by phone
OAKDALE HIGH
5850 Eaglehead Drive, Ijamsville, MD 21754
Staci and Daniel work in the theater industry and so it was no surprise that they decided to make Staci’s ‘Trash the Dress’ session a production of it’s own!
Trashing the dress has become a new phenomenon in wedding photography. There was a day when brides wouldn’t dream of destroying their wedding dress, holding on to the notion that maybe some day they’d pass it down in their family, or let the memory of it hang forever under wraps in the back of a closet somewhere.
Now it has become fashionable to create a celebration out of trashing the dress and documenting it.
I find the idea quite liberating and creative. It shoots all superstitions out of the window and adds a sense of empowerment to the couple doing the trashing. Kind of like, “We’re so happy together as a couple, it doesn’t matter what we do, it’s not going to affect our relationship because we’re THAT SOLID!”
I was very excited to photograph this session of Staci, her husband Daniel, and two of her bridesmaids, Kati and Laine, at 868 Estate Vineyards. The vineyards happily obliged and supplied the red wine for the trashing as well.
Act 1. We started off in the vineyards where Daniel, Kati, and Laine sloshed red wine onto Staci’s gown! The red wine reacted like a dye on the fabric and actually became quite beautiful the more it soaked in.
Act 2. Staci decided she wanted to continue the Trashing of the dress in the pond on the winery’s premises. She hopped into the pond with her boots and then disrobed and threw the whole dress in the drink! This was one of my favorite shots. The dress floating perfectly on the water was really quite spectacular and artistic! Then Staci fished it out of the pond with a stick and Daniel tok over.
Act 3. Daniel supplied his talents of closing the scene by dragging the gown up the drive through the mud puddles.
This performance deserves an Oscar!
While I suppose it’s not for everyone… Should you now decide you’d like to trash your wedding dress. Shoot me an email misti@mistimorningstar.com . We have many locations we can stage your perfect trashing.
Staci before the TRASH
This photo is so cool as it shows the wine in motion!
A smooch after the wine hurl
Daniel, Staci, Laine, and Kati
Staci was super excited for this experience and now it has become a experience they’ll always remember.
I loved the effect the wine created on the fabric.
Staci just before getting into the pond
One of my favorite shots
This dress is pretty trashed!!! The end.
Get your tickets now to see some of the best local talent around! The Oakdale Drama Department will present BYE BYE BIRDIE on Thursday Feb. 27 at 7:00 pm, Friday Feb. 28 at 7:00 pm, and Sat. Mar. 1 at 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm. With a special Conrad Birdie Fan Club Ice Cream Cookies Social, included with your purchase to the Mar. 1st Saturday 1:00 pm Matinee only. The $12 Matinee Social includes: Your show seat; Unlimited Sundae Bar, Cookies, and Fruit Punch; A Special concert by Conrad Birdie himself; Participants will also learn the “Conrad Birdie Pledge” and the “Conrad Birdie Song”; Show Poster signed by Conrad Birdie; Conrad Birdie Fan Club Button; Lots of surprises and special gifts! Spread the word to the community about the show and special event and bring your friends!
Tickets can be purchased at this direct link:<https://www.showtix4u.com/boxoffice.php?submit=Search+for+Events&begin=1542968¤t_client=094147110915800&ts=1390443588>
Oakdale High School Theater, 5850 Eaglehead Drive, Ijamsville, MD 21754
Teen talent rises to rock star status with ambition, goals and patience. The quest for fame and fortune is a bonus when someone does what they are destined to do and does it with a natural talent. As former Disney stars have risen in the public eye over the last decade or so, many undiscovered talents are honing their skills for song and stage. The teens of today are serious about their desires and future careers
, not wanting to nudge out the established well known stars, but ready to create a path of their own in the entertainment world.
Talent shows have been around since the days of The Ed Sullivan Show of the 60′s. Just look what happened when The Beatles were showcased on that fateful night back in February of 1964. Having talent, especially as a teenager, is one thing, getting recognized and promoted is a whole other song and dance.
Through talk shows and programs such as Star Search, American Idol, The Voiceand America’s Got Talent, many unknown talented teens have become everyday names in the world of entertainment. Allowing for young contestants, many teens have fulfilled their dreams by being able to audition, win or at least be recognized. A foot in the door is the first step to a life of satisfaction in making audiences smile and applaud their accomplishments.
Grant Morningstar, a 16 year old high school junior from Maryland, is no exception. The ambitious, talented teen who resembles a young Leonardo DiCaprio, is embarking on the status of a rock star as he takes on the role of Conrad Birdie in the musical Bye, Bye Birdie. A singer and guitarist, Morningstar has the look and the skill to wow the audience in the upcoming performances of the classic play at Oakdale High School, the end of the month. Long, dedicated rehearsals have involved hours of detailed work and preparation, but Morningstar is up for the challenge of taking center stage. He joins a huge cast of other leads, dancers and singers.
A humble, yet enthusiastic teen, Morningstar is well aware of the pitfalls of losing one’s privacy in the quest for fame as a celebrity. Studying music and theatre and being in over 20 productions, he is well prepared for his upcoming rock star status as Conrad Birdie. Echoing the suave moves and singing style of Elvis, who the musical was based on, will certainly prove his talent among his fans, friends and family.
Bye, Bye Birdie was first produced as a Broadway play in 1960 and later became a film starring Dick Van Dyke, Jesse Pearson and Ann-Margaret in 1963. It is a parody of Elvis’ real life when he was drafted by the Army in 1957. Saying good-bye to the girls that loved him became the theme of Bye, Bye Birdie with a stint on The Ed Sullivan Show. The musical calls for Morningstar to deliver two solos, Honestly Sincere and One Last Kiss. Morningstar is ready to go and show his stuff as a teen talent playing rock star Birdie.
An avid snowboarder
and mountain biker, Morningstar is also a rock climber and a whiz at math. The talented teen is grounded in reality without his head in the stars, as he approaches new heights with his upcoming role. Supported by a strong family, he is following in the footsteps of a relative who also played Conrad Birdie over 40 years ago. The cosmic connection seems to make it all a moment in time, as Morningstar rises into rock star status of his own.
Morningstar also enjoys his psychology classes at school. He has learned that laughter and happiness is the best medicine. His motivation as an actor is to make people happy with his performances and bring a smile to someone’s face.Entertainment is a form of escape from the world’s problems, a fantasy we all want to relate to.
Optimistic and driven, the young teen has the talent to take him places beyond the mountains he climbs for fun. His accomplishments in life and skill in extreme sports has given him the power to tackle the task at hand. Grant Morningstar, a true Hollywood name in the making, will be a rising star in the years to come. As from a line in a song in the play, Morningstar has a lot of livin’ to do.
By: Roanne FitzGibbon
Interview with Grant Morningstar
See the entire article here at Liberty Voice: http://guardianlv.com/2014/02/teen-talent-rises-to-rock-star-status/
Get your tickets now to see some of the best local talent around! The Oakdale Drama Department will present BYE BYE BIRDIE on Thursday Feb. 27 at 7:00 pm, Friday Feb. 28 at 7:00 pm, and Sat. Mar. 1 at 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm. With a special Conrad Birdie Fan Club Ice Cream Cookies Social, included with your purchase to the Mar. 1st Saturday 1:00 pm Matinee only. The $12 Matinee Social includes: Your show seat; Unlimited Sundae Bar, Cookies, and Fruit Punch; A Special concert by Conrad Birdie himself; Participants will also learn the “Conrad Birdie Pledge” and the “Conrad Birdie Song”; Show Poster signed by Conrad Birdie; Conrad Birdie Fan Club Button; Lots of surprises and special gifts! Spread the word to the community about the show and special event and bring your friends.
Tickets can be purchased at this direct link:<https://www.showtix4u.com/boxoffice.php?submit=Search+for+Events&begin=1542968¤t_client=094147110915800&ts=1390443588>
Oakdale High School Theater, 5850 Eaglehead Drive, Ijamsville, MD 21754
Mike Beckingham is actor extraordinaire in his upcoming debut film, “Subconscious”, written and directed by Georgia Hilton, due out next Summer 2014. If you’re not familiar with Mike yet – you soon will be – as the acting gene is prevalent in his family. He is the younger brother of British film star Simon Pegg, who was “Scotty” in the most recent 2013 Star Trek film “Into Darkness”. In the film “Subconscious”, Mike coincidentally plays a character named, “Mike”. “Mike” is a wannabe paranormal investigator who has acquired all the bells and whistles in research equipment. On the surface he plays a good game of making everyone believe he knows what he’s doing but, maybe he doesn’t know as much as people think. Mike says his character is cheeky, cocky, a bit arrogant, possesses the gift of the gab, but is also good hearted, and will try anything for a good challenge. The film is about a locked-down World War II sub that is possibly haunted.
Mike’s manager, Lynn Metts, is a friend of mine and he asked if I would photograph him, so we all got together one day and figured out some looks, clothing, location options, and then I did some test shots. Mike is a genuine, warm, down-to-earth guy with a wicked sense of humor. So we immediately got along great! We shot the first session of test shots on the pier by the Occoquan River. I was set on doing some photos on a boat, and thankfully there was a boat owner there named, Jade… who let us get on his boat and take some shots. Special thanks to Jade for helping us out. I loved these initial shots because they had the feel of Nautica !
Mike has the essence and vibe of a young Daniel Craig which inspired me for many of the shots. I can totally see him playing opposite Daniel Craig in a future Bond Movie!!! He’s got great chameleon ability, and is incredibly versatile, to where he could play virtually any character. Whatever we could think of Mike could easily get in the groove to give us the look we were after.
Pete, my love and partner shooter, suggested we photograph the following week’s session at the Kimpton, Monaco in Old Town Alexandria, VA. It was the perfect spot and locale. Everyone at the Kimpton was so nice to accommodate us with whatever we needed! After that, Pete and I headed out to the street and got some cool biker shots on a motorcycle owned by Don, who happily obliged and let us use his custom Harley Davidson. Thanks so much Don! We ended up the shoot at Daniel O’Connell’s Bar which had the saloon-style feel that we were after for Western appeal shots. We also met some really nice new friends there and the bartender deserves a huge thank you as she was awesome! Lynn, Mike’s manager, also deserves a big thanks for orchestrating everything and bringing us the best bangin’ props ever!
Mike has many facets and he rocks them all….. from casual, Western, Bond, a little James Dean, and everything in between. So have a look at some of our favorite photos from the sessions below! If you want to see Mike’s official web page: MikeBeckingham.com
Misti Morningstar 
