Fairfax Newborn Photographer - Alert!

This little guy was one tough customer. He wanted to stay awake for the whole session. You will see from some of these pictures that he had NO intention of going to sleep and missing the party. I used that to my advantage though and got some great shots of him looking in the camera and FINALLY, when I almost had to pack up and go home, he decided to take a nap. And in that short amount of time, I was able to get some super sweet shots.

I love going and seeing my clients who hire me for maternity sessions (You can see momma's maternity photographs here)and then newborn sessions. The air crackles with anticipation at the maternity session and at the newborn session it is almost as if you can feel the sense of calm. Like everything is as it should be. This session was no different. He was awake but we just hung out for a few hours and did what needed to be done and there was no stress about it at all.

It was great seeing you again "J" family. I hope to see you again when he gets a little older.

Safe in Daddy's arms

Vienna Newborn Photographer - Awake!

This little guy was a tough one. He wanted to stay up and see what all the fuss was about. Even though he tried to stay up and enjoy the party, we outlasted him and were able to get some sweet, sweet shots of this precious little boy.

Thanks again for having me in your home. It was a pleasure and I look forward to seeing you all again very soon!






This is more of an outtake but I just love the seeing the difference in size between dad's hands and the baby.

Chevy Chase Family Photographer - 100 years young!

Earlier this month my entire family on my father's side traveled to Portland Oregon to celebrate my Grandmother's 100th birthday. It was wonderful to see my relatives that I see so rarely. We are spread all over the world from London, Washington DC, Chicago, Florida, Alabama and Southern California. It takes a special occasion to get us all in the same room at the same time and this was a very special occasion.

We took some time out to have a portrait session with the lovely Azure of Azure Marie Photography in Portland. You can check out some of our family session with her on her blog at www.azuremarie.com. However, I told her ahead of time that I wouldn't be able to leave my camera in its bag the whole time. I did pretty well but had to pull it out to capture my own version of Grandma's official 100th birthday portrait.

I had the whole family send me pictures that they had in the archives of Grandma and put together a slide show that we ran during her party. These are two of my favorites that came from that show.

Her wedding picture from her wedding to my grandfather.

I love this picture of her and my grandfather for so many reasons. The fact that it truly represents her adventurous spirit. One thing my Grandmother loved to do is travel. If you ask her if she has been to a certain country her response is most likely, "why yes, I have been there several times, have you?" I love how she is sitting on this camel with her nails painted, her pocketbook sitting neatly, and her headdress. I love how my grandfather is holding the umbrella but probably pretty oblivious to the fact that none of the shade is on his wife. And look at the expression of the local man leading them around. PRICELESS!

Happy Birthday Grandma! May we all live to be as vibrant as you are at any age!

Loudoun Family Photographer - Energy!

While visiting Portland Oregon earlier this month, I was able to connect with a dear friend of mine from High School. Thanks to the miracle of social networking and Facebook, I have reconnected with many of my friends from my teen years and have loved being able to catch up with them.

We spent the afternoon sitting on her lovely porch watching the kids run around in the front yard but only after we did a session with her sweet son. He was a good sport and we had a great time walking around their beautiful neighborhood and ended up in this giant sand pit where he showed me some pretty great tricks.

Thanks for a wonderful afternoon!

Talk about energy!

Fairfax Family Photographer - Sweet Hero!

A few weeks back I met with this great family who had applied for, and been accepted to receive a free photo session as a part of The Littlest Heroes Project . The Littlest Heroes Project provides free photo sessions to families with children who are dealing or suffering from serious illnesses or life altering disabilities. I was the lucky one who was able to photograph them as a part of this program.

They were so much fun and we had a great afternoon. It figured that it was the hottest day of the year so far and we just about melted. They were all great sports and between clothing changes, finding locations and staying out of the way of a newly married bride and groom, we had a great time.

Thank you so much for sharing your afternoon with me "H" family. It was an absolute pleasure meeting you.

The reason for our session is this little girl. At the tender age of two she started having some issues and it was discovered that she had a condition called Chiari Malformation. (You can find out more about this through this link.) She had to have brain surgery and is doing very well. Only time will tell if the surgery will permanently fix the situation but at our meeting all indications were that she was doing great.

Her very pretty big sister.

And oh so handsome big brother.

The whole family had t-shirts that described their relationship to this little girl. I have to admit, I liked her t-shirt best.

And the whole family.

I truly believe that we find our greatest joys in life by giving back in some way. I love using my camera to give joy to families who need a little pick me up in their daily lives. It is my hope that these photos (along with the rest of the gallery) will bring smiles to this family for many years to come.

If you know of someone who could use a gift like this, please contact The Littlest Heroes Project at this link. You can request me as your photographer in the DC metro area but there is a list a mile long of photographers all over the world who are ready to do the same thing that I did. Please nominate or encourage others to apply.