Northern Virginia Family Photographer - Adored

To say this sweet little girl is adored is an understatement. You could feel the love oozing from her parents during the whole session. I hardly had to lift a finger. Mom and Dad did all the lifting, positioning and were up for anything I wanted to try. She was so good and agreeable and didn't even make a peep when we stripped her down and put her on the hard wood floor.

Thanks for a great afternoon "E" family. I am so glad we were able to work it in on such short notice. She is adorable and so incredibly sweet. I would love take you up on your offer to come back in the Spring so we can capture her in that beautiful back yard with all the flowers in bloom. Enjoy your peak!

This little one didn't need any help with her accessories but the hair bows are from
Babymelons I love it when we actually have to take a bow off during a session because we risk being "over accessorized".

Northern Virginia Photographer - Growing!

The past month has been a crazy one around here. Trying to keep up with my editing and all the holiday card sessions has been a challenge. November is typically a very busy month for us photographers. Everyone wants to get that perfect picture of their family for the holiday card, we have to work around weather that can either be beautiful or tragically horrible, and we have all the personal responsibilities that mount around this time of year, just like everyone else.

Now, I am not complaining. The BEST part of my job is the chance that I have to see my clients grow and change throughout the year. I love being a part of that so much. So one Sunday afternoon two weeks ago, I had three sessions scheduled. Scheduling so many back to back like that is risky. We never know what the weather is going to be like and if they have to be rescheduled due to rain, it can be a nightmare. But this day was GORGEOUS! We could not have asked for more beautiful weather AND I got to see some my favorite clients. I have photographed these twins two times before and it is so fun to see all their new tricks and how they are growing.

Now they are 1, almost walking and cute as can be. An added bonus was that this time I spent a few minutes alone with their big sister. We had a few extra minutes so I took some pictures of them just for the fun of documenting this time in the kid's lives.

Thanks for crossing the river to spend some time with me. It was great seeing you, as always.

Mom and I were talking about the twins pants and I loved the fact that they were lined with flannel. She told me that she purchased them at Boden and went on and on about how great the customer service was for returns. They have some super cute stuff on their website that is in styles that aren't usually found in our mall stores.

Northern Virginia Photographer - Until...

I got an e-mail about a month and a half ago from a woman who wanted to book a session in honor of her and her husband's 30th wedding anniversary. I was so excited. I love working with adults. They actually listen to me, I don't have to bribe them with candy, AND I can have real grown up conversation with them during the session. Making animal sounds and singing "The Wheels on the Bus" is fun, but doing a session with adults is such a nice change of pace.

During this session we talked about a lot of stuff. I found out that both of them are lawyers. I also asked them what their secret was for a long, happy marriage. Here are their tips:
1. Have fun together
2. Have common interests
3. Don't go to bed mad
4. Don't hold grudges or get upset over the little things.

All very good points. I could tell that they truly do have fun together. It was a great way to spend the afternoon.

Congratulations Aimee and Bernie on 30 years together! Enjoy your peek.

Northern Virginia Family Photographer - Hawt Momma!

This morning I was scheduled to meet with this great couple at 9:00 for their maternity session. Imagine my surprise when I looked at the thermometer and it read 31 degrees. I don't know about you, but this California girl was sooooo not interested in going outside in 31 degree weather for any period of time, let alone, for over an hour for a session. So I called my clients and we agreed to postpone our session for an hour so it could warm up a bit outside. Thankfully it did warm up quite a bit (not enough for dad though) and we had a great time and got some great shots.

I brought this book along as a little something to do for dad as he waited for me to work with mom. It is a great book for future dads. It is a super quick read. Dad liked it so much he asked if he could keep it so he could finish it. Of course I said yes. If you want to pick it up you can do so here. This is a must for all new and future dad's. Mom's you won't regret getting him a book on child birth that he will actually read.

After spending some time outside we went inside and did a few things that are a bit different in style for me. Mom was such a good sport and let me try anything. I especially liked the way this one turned out.

Thank you so much for a fun morning! I can't wait to meet your precious little girl in December so we can have her first photo session. Enjoy your sneak peek!

Northern Virginia Child Photographer - Secrets

Living here in Washington D.C. if you believe what you see in the movies, you would think that everyone here is involved in some sort of secret agency working undercover in dangerous jobs that protect our freedoms and that we are all keeping secrets from everyone and living double lives. Well, I'm not to sure that is true but I am becoming very good at keeping the secrets of my clients and am honored that they trust me enough to do so.

I have had a session with an FBI agent that couldn't be blogged in order to protect him and his family. It was great too, I wish I could have shown it to you. :) We held it downtown with the Washington and Lincoln Monuments in the background. I had an engagement session where the couple didn't want to be blogged because they hadn't announced their engagement yet. They want to use the pictures we took on their engagement announcement and didn't want the news to leak out. I have also had sessions with a couple of moms who didn't want the name of their future little one leaked out but wanted the name featured in some of the pictures we took to share at a later date. So I had to walk around knowing the name of their little one for weeks, I almost burst!

In any case, in the next few days I have four sessions scheduled for Holiday Cards and again, I know I will have to keep some secrets. After all, who wants the best family picture of the year leaked out over the internet before it arrives in the mail? I will blog these sessions but I won't show any pictures that are close to the final product. Those will be shown after the holidays and after all the cards have been sent out, ooh'ed and aaahh'ed over, and the decorations have been put away.

It is truly an honor to hold these secrets close. Thank you to my clients for allowing me to capture such intimate portions of their lives.

No post is complete without a picture, right? Here is my little one today in the leaves with the one thing that made her sit still for longer than a half a second.

And as promised:
Her vest is by Carter's
shirt by Gymboree
Jeans are by Children's Place
Boots are from (dare I say) Wal-Mart