Fairfax Virginia Family Photographer - FIGHT!

The day after Christmas I went and had a session with this great, fun family. I have known them for a little bit and our paths have crossed at church and at some mutual friends home for various events. We have always been friendly and I have always enjoyed chatting with them on a casual basis. About three weeks ago I got an e-mail that promptly brought them to the forefront of my mind regularly. Chris, the dad, has been diagnosed with stage 4 Melanoma cancer and is now in a very real fight for his life. What was a busy time of preparing for Christmas became a time of doctor visits, MRI's, extreme diet changes and questions. Some of those questions would get prompt answers and other questions will not be answered for weeks, if not months in the future.

When I got the news of their situation I was really at a loss of what I could do for them. I took the plunge and contacted them offering a free session. It might have seemed to come out of the blue but I honestly feel that there is no better time like the present to document family memories. We don't have to wait until we are at the perfect weight, our hair is done exactly right or every single family member is in town. Taking time out to capture what is happening at that moment is priceless. It is a gift to give our children and our children's children.

I always tell my clients that this is why I force myself to have my own picture taken once in awhile with my daughter. They may not be the type of photos that I want out on the internet, but I know that when she looks back on them she won't see my extra weight, my roots or the face where my wrinkles are getting more and more pronounced as time goes on. (Although, I do have to admit, I am guilty of doing a little editing on my own photos. :) I hope that she sees a mom that loves her more than anything and would try to move the moon and stars for her if required.

There is no PERFECT time to have photos taken. Now is the perfect time.

Please join me in praying for this great family as they travel down this scary and unpredictable road. Chris is in a waiting game right now with his treatment as they try to see if one of the courses of treatment will work for his particular type of cancer. We believe in a God of miracles and in a God that is bigger than cancer.

Chris's mantra that he put on his website is this: " 'I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD' its Psalm 118v17 - so get ready for me to pound you with Gods miracles and works."

Chris, we cannot wait!

If you live locally, you might remember that it was snowing this afternoon and just about as dark and dreary as it could me. We did find some great light in their house and just went for it. I think you will be able to tell, we had a pretty fun time!

Northern Virginia Photographer - One!

Well, someone is growing up. Hard to believe that the little girl that is featured this month on the opening page of my website is now a year old. It has been so fun to watch her grow this year.

We had a fun session right before her first birthday party. She was full of smiles and loved having me chase her around as she showed off her incredible walking skills. (The crawling picture is really just so we could get a shot of those cute little birthday bloomers she had on.)

Thanks for a great year little one! And because every birthday girl deserves a present, if we get 20 comments on this blog post I have a great gift for her and her mommy and daddy. Come on, show her some love!

Of course we had cake and as you can see, she completely enjoyed it!

Here is a look back on the year we have shared.

Her mommy and daddy's maternity session
Her Newborn session
Her 3 month session
Her 6 month session
Her 9 month (actually 10 month)session.

Thanks for a great year!

Northern Virginia Portrait Photographer - The Moon

You might have heard that this week we had a full lunar eclipse. Many in the photography world were very excited to get their camera on the moon that night. Well, I did wake up and go outside around 3:30 in the morning to see if it was worth carrying out all my equipment to try and get some pictures of the moon. Not only was it below freezing, but there was a very good cloud cover that prevented me from seeing the moon anywhere. So I just went back inside to my cozy bed and didn't think anything of it.

The next night as we were driving home from dinner I couldn't help but notice how the moon looked in the sky. Just big, round and beautiful. So after putting the little one to bed, I bundled up and headed outside to take some pictures. There was a very fast moving cloud cover so I had to time the photos just right. Every once in awhile there would be a hole that the moon would poke through. When it looked like a hole would be in the right spot I would click the shutter button hoping that the timer and clouds would cooperate at the same time. (Hint - if you want shots like this, use a tripod and the self timer, helps eliminate camera shake and motion from the longer exposures you might need.)

I actually like how the clouds add a different dimension to these photos. Sort of mysterious.

Vienna, VA Family Photographer - Fall!

Two weeks ago I met with this great family to take some pictures of their sweet little girl. You might remember them from their maternity session a few months ago. At our session we also took some new photographs of her big brother and the entire family. We took advantage of the last few fall colors on the ground around my home. I don't think I have taken that many pictures in a session for a long time. It has been so hard narrowing it down.

Thanks for coming over to my house for the session. It is always great to see you and I loved snuggling with Little "A" when we were all done. Nothing like a baby who falls asleep in your arms. Love it!

Anyone who knows me knows that I love those baby toes!

I love this shot. Just happy momma and her adorable baby.

You can see more pictures from this session on my Facebook Page Here: Dorie Howell Photography on Facebook