Chris Svetlik

LEED certification party @ Finnish Embassy

Chris — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 23:42:19 +0000

Here’s a little write-up and pictures I took for Byt, covering the party at the Finnish Embassy on Wednesday celebrating the building’s new LEED gold certification:

Earlier this month, the building housing the Finnish Embassy was awarded the US Green Building Council’s LEED gold star certification, making it the first embassy in the US to do so. To gain the coveted certification, the embassy underwent renovations including strategic climate control which efficiently coordinates heating/ventilation/AC; a free cooling system; more efficient light fixtures; rigorous recycling policies; the installation of water-saving toilets, etc. etc…. which resulted in usage decreases of 50% for electricity and 65% for gas.

While this all may seem terribly mundane, the Nordic expat community was EXTREMELY EXCITED ABOUT IT. On Wednesday the Finnish Embassy threw a party to celebrate their achievement, and I have never seen anything remotely approaching the enthusiasm shown by the 50+ crowd on the dancefloor. Old bodies, suddenly spry and agile, bounced, thrashed, gyrated, and flailed to no end. Finns, forever young.

In typical Finnish Embassy fashion, the party was done up big with an extensive buffet of Finnish foods and confections. Entertainment for the evening was provided by Grammy-nominated musician Christylez Bacon, video DJ John Bowen, an artsy photobooth coordinated by the Pink Line Project, and a performance by the City Dance Ensemble.

And here are the photos:

‘Pre-Wedding’ Wedding Party @ Bloomingdales

Chris — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 23:33:26 +0000

On Thursday I shot the ‘Pre-Wedding’ Wedding Party at Bloomingdales for Washingtonian. This was an opportunity for shoppers to see the product offerings of a number of wedding vendors, and browse the selection of the Bloomingdales Registry.

Fritz Kramer artist profile

Chris — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 22:37:27 +0000

On Wednesday I shot another artist profile for Byt’s In the Artist’s Studio series. This installment featured Fritz Kramer, a local musician, in his living/music-making space in a carriage house in the middle of an alley in Ledroit Park. Here’s what it looked like:

NASDVA winter conference

Chris — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 22:29:14 +0000

Last week for work I shot the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs (NASDVA)’s mid-winter conference. Held in Alexandria, the highlight was the talk by Sec. of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Eric Shinseki.

Little Bigheart St. Pat’s Day poster

Chris — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:20:15 +0000

A poster design I did for Little Bigheart’s show on St. Patrick’s Day at DC9. They’re headlining! Check them out.

Burlesque show @ Palace of Wonders

Chris — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 02:46:19 +0000

On Saturday right after attending Reaganpalooza I headed over to the Palace of Wonders on H St. for their Burlesque show. An interesting event–packed, energetic, and I guess like all good burlesque, risque. Here’s what it looked like:

Reaganpalooza @ Hawk n Dove

Chris — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 02:38:05 +0000

On Saturday I shot “Reaganpalooza,” hosted by the Young Conservatives Coalition and held at Hawk n Dove, as the final event of the Conservative Political Action Convention (CPAC) held in DC this past week. It was altogether pretty tame, much less spectacle than I expected. Maybe the best I got was male-on-male jellybean feeding (Gipper fave).

Here’s what the evening looked like:

Go Green for Lent logo

Chris — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 02:17:14 +0000

Here’s a little logo I did for Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good for their “Go Green for Lent” campaign:

Byt Cruisin

Chris — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 16:49:37 +0000

To cap off the DC Best Dressed List sponsored by Byt, Farinellis, and Proper Topper, Byt threw a big party on a boat: Cruisin’. Here are some photos from the evening:

Virginia is for Heroes conference in Richmond

Chris — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 16:41:33 +0000

Some photos from a wounded veterans conference I shot for work.