John Boal Photography

I really had a plan to attend the Prince William County Fair for a few days and get some good pictures.  August often is a slow month so I thought it'd be perfect to spend some open days shooting on my own.  Then I lost my phone.  Then my car broke down, then I got busy with work.  I did, however spend 1 morning (with Catherine and Lawrence Deeds of Skyline Farm in Orange, VA) and one evening (roaming) there.  Here are some of my favorites.  One of the first things I did, when I had a free night was go to the rodeo.  Then I saw Missy.  So we talked and I figured I had to get a picture of her, and she was very cooperative.  So was the light. Melissa McMullan, Miss Rodeo Virginia 2014, of Ft. Valley, VA, stands with her horse, Sarah, during the Dave Martin Rodeo.  McMullan represents Virginia regionally and nationally, while promoting "rodeos and the western lifestyle" in Virginia.  A child shooting bubbles, next to a fo...

A couple months back I had the opportunity to photograph Thomas Parham for University of Mary Washington Alumni Magazine.  He is the director of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Tidewater Ecosystems Assessment office.  Basically he's in charge of making sure the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay is healthy and helping the public understand and care about the health of the watershed.  The Chesapeake Bay watershed encompasses 64,000 square miles and portions of 6 states, it's no small task. When I started to plan for the shoot, the natural inclination was to find a spot where we could get Thomas near the water.  Sandy Point State Park, next to the Bay Bridge was a natural spot.  We met up at dawn and unfortunately we didn't get that gorgeous golden light to erupt behind the bridge.  Instead, it was a foggy, rainy morning.  But with that, you get that nice blue, soft light.  So we made do.  Here is the picture that ran, al...