Fairfax Photographer - Headshots

This past weekend I had the pleasure taking some headshots for Ronnie Bell. Ronnie is a recent graduate of George Mason with a degree in Vocal Performance. And let me tell you, he can Sing! He is currently auditioning for graduate programs all over the country and needed some headshots for his submissions. I was more than happy to help him out with that.

Besides being incredibly handsome and talented, Ronnie is just an all around great guy. I wish him all the best in his future studies and if you have a chance to hear him sing, don't miss out. You won't be disappointed!

Northern Virginia Photographer - Headshots

Recently I opened a small studio in my home. I am loving this new space and the opportunity that I have to photograph my clients in a new way. One area that I am really enjoying are the headshot sessions that I have with adults. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE working with children but it is a nice break working with adults.

This is a repeat client of mine who is taking a brave new step in her life. After working downtown at some large law firms she is opening up her own Law firm. I have great admiration for people who take take that leap of faith and decide to go into business for themselves. I wish Aimee all the best and know that she is going to have a thriving business in no time.

If you need legal help Aimee can be reached at attorneydoyle at comcast dot net

Thanks Aimee, it was great seeing you again!

{Northern Virginia Newborn Photographer} Sleepy!

I had such a fun session this morning. I went to go visit with some friends of mine who just added a baby girl to their family of three, making it a family of four. I walked in and Big Sister was rocking out to her tunes in her room and baby was just sleeping away in the living room completely oblivious to it all. And that is how the session went. Grace's big sister, Ella, ran around and did her thing during the session, and this sweet little baby just slept and slept.
An added bonus was that Grandma was in town so I go the chance to get some three generation shots that are my favorite.

Thanks for a fun morning "D" family. The girls are just gorgeous!

I love how in this shot all three ladies put their hands into the picture the exact same way. No thumbs. I bet they didn't even notice.

{Northern Virginia Family Photographer} Sweet "R"

Yesterday I had such a fun session with this family. They won a free session with me by posting a timely comment on my blog. This little one is two days younger than my little one so I knew what I was in for. I wore my sneakers and was ready to get my workout in chasing her around with my big ole' camera. Well, she took it easy on me and was as sweet as could be. After a few choruses of "The Wheels on the Bus" and several helpings of Goldfish, she was good to go and I think had just as much fun as I did.

Thanks Mom and Dad for meeting me at this new location. I hope you'll agree that they turned out great. I can't wait for you to see the whole gallery.

{Northern Virginia Photographer} Oasis

Today my little one and I joined my Mother in Law for an outing that I wasn't expecting. We went to a small, very out of the way park in the District. It was nice to have my camera out for the pure enjoyment of taking a picture or two. You see, as I wrote in a previous post, I have a new camera. My new camera and I are still dating and things are going very well. But, we haven't quite hit that old couple groove yet. You know what I mean? I still fumble with the controls a little bit, lose track of where my fingers are and what button does what. I feel confident that my clients will like what they see but it will take a few more weeks I think before Mr. New Camera and I hit our groove together.

So today was a treat to have someone with me who could watch the wee one and I could concentrate on what I love to do, take pictures. The flowers were lovely and so different than what I find in my normal locations. You will be able to see that many of them were HUGE, even taller than I am in some instances. Even the lily pads were huge. A fun morning in a great location that was different than your normal walk in the park, and I loved it!

I would love to know how some photographers UV filter ended up out in the middle of this pond on one of the giant lily pads.

{Northern Virginia Photographer} Winner!

Yesterday morning I met with the grand daughter of my latest session winner at the US Botanic Gardens on Capital Hill in downtown Washington, D.C. I had never done a session down there and was looking forward to finding great little areas that I could use location ideas in the future. Capital Hill is a beautiful place and we couldn't have asked for nicer weather. You see, we had previously scheduled our session for the evening before but we were rained out. My family was only in town for the weekend and we had to try and make this happen before they got in the car for their two and a half hour ride home.

I expected a little ball of energy and that is exactly what I got. Little Miss "L" is exactly one day younger than my little one and it was so fun to see the similarities in their behavior. I got lots of "no's", shaking of heads, running in the opposite direction and a few tears. But in between it all I also got some really great shots. And true to form, a little candy can also work wonders in getting a little cooperation from an almost two year old.

Thanks for a great morning "C" family. Enjoy your sneak peak.

(Oh and dad, sorry your team got spanked by the Nationals. :)

Giving is AWESOME!!! {Northern Virginia Photographer}

The Winner is..... {Northern Virginia Child Photographer}

This past weekend I had a contest listed on my Facebook page. I like to do that occasionally. It is fun for me to photograph new people and I hope that in return they have an experience that they can share for years to come with friends and family.

Congratulations to MaryBeth for winning the free session!!!
I am looking forward to it.

Amazing {Northern Virginia Photographer}

Today was a special day. It isn't often in our household that we can greet a Saturday with absolutely no plans. Usually one of us is going in one direction or another while the other one stays home with our Little One. So before we went to bed last night we planned out our morning. We made a trip to the Farmer's Market, the computer store, the park, and drove by a few garage sales. One of the garage sales was right around the corner from our house and as we were pulling away we saw the most amazing sight. A HUGE wasp nest was hanging up in the tree right by the side of the road. This thing had to be over a foot long and almost a foot wide. I immediately knew that as soon as someone went down for her nap that I would be back with my camera to take a few pictures of it.

When I came back I was standing in the middle of the road when the owner of the house drove up. He got out of his car and said something like, "I'm glad someone else has an appreciation for that like I do." I asked him a few questions about when it was started and how long it took to get so big. He told me that he first noticed it in July and it was the size of his fist. He had been tempted to come and spray it but because the wasps weren't anywhere near the house or bothering anyone, he couldn't bring himself to take it down. I had to agree. The pictures do not do it justice. It is beautiful in it's own way.

Happy, Happy! {Northern Virginia Photographer}

Imagine my surprise when my husband decided this week that I was due for a camera upgrade. Now don't get me wrong, I had been hinting, no blatantly asking, for this particular camera for quite sometime. In fact we had discussed on numerous occasions that I would be getting this camera but the time line was uncertain because, well, we all know that money doesn't grow on trees and once you get to a certain level, this stuff gets WAY expensive. So this week the stars aligned and off he went to the store during his lunch time on Friday and came home with my new very best friend. (He is sneaky and didn't tell me he was going to do this for sure. I found out about his purchase when I logged into Facebook and was greeted by a picture of the box that he put on my page.)

Now before I continue let me say this. I believe that photography is a skill and a creative talent. Many photographers out there are pure artists with the equipment that they use. My photographer friends and I often chuckle at how many times we get asked: "Wow, you take really great pictures, what kind of camera do you have?" I have no problems saying the I am a Canon girl. I have had Canon Cameras ever since I can remember and have always been very pleased with them. But asking a photographer what kind of camera they use is like asking an accountant what kind of calculator they have or Helio Castroneves what kind of car he drives. I think we all would agree that those professions require great equipment but more importantly skill and talent. An expensive camera won't make a great photographer any more than a set of vocal chords makes someone a great singer.

So with all that said, do I feel that this new camera will make me a better photographer? I'm not sure. But, now do I feel like I truly have the equipment to do my job to the best of my ability? ABSOLUTELY!!! I look forward to my sessions now knowing that the limitations that I experienced with my old camera will no longer be an issue.

PS - For those of you who have asked me what kind of camera I use, I take that as a compliment. I have no problems with you asking me anything you want about photography, cameras, post-processing techniques, etc... I love talking about this stuff and hope that what I have learned on my journey can be passed on to someone else.

And because no post is complete without a picture. One of the cutest faces ever! (Courtesy of the new camera :)

Slideshow {Northern Virginia Family Photographer}

I know on this blog I usually only show a few images from the sessions that I hold with my clients. I thought it would be fun to show a slide show of a completed gallery. This was one of my favorite sessions to date. This gives you a little glimpse of what I see behind the lens during a session with some very lively, beautiful children.

Peek {Northern Virginia Photographer}

Today I met Keira, a sweet 17 day old. She wasn't too sure about this whole picture thing and wanted to try and stay up the whole time. I know that made momma nervous wondering if we would get anything done. But never fear, little one, we wore you down and pretty soon you were sound asleep, peaceful as can be. Here is one to tide you over until I can get to the whole session. Thanks for having me in your home today. It was great meeting you!

Facebook {Northern Virginia Photographer}

Do you Facebook? Well, I do and spend entirely WAY too much time there! It is like crack and habit that sucks you in and before you even know it, you are hooked. I love it because it gives me a way to connect with my friends and family near and far in one easy location. My parents are in California, my sister in London and friends are scattered all over the place. I love being able to connect with them through the miracle that is the internet. So if you want to find me you can either click here for my fan page (psst - if you become a fan you might win a session or a great discount) or click below for my personal page. I hope to see you there!

Dorie Hamilton Howell | Create Your Badge

Blessings {Northern Virginia Family Photographer}

I love these kids. They are so special. They walk in the door and the whole room's energy level gets a huge boost. We have been friends for several years and anytime I see them I can't help but smile and get pulled into their fun world. That world was shaken severely though when several months ago their father was killed in a sudden and tragic motorcycle accident in the District of Columbia. A family of 5 is now a family of 4. Something so precious was taken from them with no warning at all. Luckily they are a family of great faith. We may not understand why this happens but we know that God will provide for this family in ways that we can't see or fathom at this time.

If you would like to help them, you can send donations to the Mark Waller Fund, c/o McLean Bible Church, P.O. Box 9300, McLean, VA 22102. All gifts are tax deductible and truly appreciated.

If you are reading this, hug your family a little bit tighter and tell them you love them. We are never promised tomorrow but we can take a moment to truly appreciate the blessings we have today.

Freedom {Northern Virginia Photographer}

Yesterday our country celebrated it's independence. It is a time where we can reflect about the freedoms we enjoy and the price that many have paid on our behalf so we can enjoy them. My dear friend Erma Bombeck puts a pretty good spin on this day. (OK, so she isn't my dear friend but if she were still alive and we were neighbors, I know we would be great friends)

"You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4th, not with a parade of guns, tanks and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think that you have overeaten, but it is patriotism."

I hope you had a wonderful day, doing something that you enjoy with people you love. God Bless America, Land that I Love

Fancy Shmancy {Northern Virginia Family Photographer}

This past Friday night we were treated to a special dinner out by some dear friends of ours. You see, my wonderful husband has a real knack for computers, networks, routers, and hard drives. All the things that make my brain hear "Blah, Blah, Blah" whenever he talks about such things. He spends a large amount of his time helping out our friends and family (as well as his wonderful clients) with all their computer problems. As a thank you for all his hard work, our friends Chris and Graham took us out to dinner at one of the best restaurants in Washington, DC and as an added bonus, two of their beautiful daughters babysat our little one so we could enjoy the evening.

We had heard wonderful things about this restaurant but had never taken the time to dine there ourselves even though it is close and gets rave reviews from anyone we know who has eaten there. When we heard of their dining selection we were both excited to be finally going to this eating establishment.

Well, it certainly didn't disappoint. It was probably one of the best meals we have had in a VERY long time.

So if you are in the DC/Northern Virginia area and are looking for a wonderful, long, dining experience with great service. Please visit L'Auberge Chez Francois in Great Falls.
http://www.laubergechezfrancois.com/

It won't disappoint.

And of course, my camera came along for the ride.

(For you non-photographers out there, the blurry parts are on purpose. I was shooting using a very narrow depth of field so my camera focused clearly on a very small portion of the picture.)

The incredible menu with so many choices it took almost an hour to pick what we all wanted.

My appetizer

Main Dish

And Dessert

SHHHHH!!!! {Dorie Howell Kids}

Today's session was so much fun. I love this family. I have known them for a couple years and they are just as nice as can be. Today we had a session to take pictures as a gift for Father's Day. Dad doesn't know about them yet so if you know these kids, don't let the cat out of the bag. I had such a hard time picking which ones to show here. I know that Dad is going to love all of them.

Here is your "Personal Picture" B.

Southern Charm {Dorie Howell Babes}

This is one of the sweetest families you will ever meet. Oozing with good old Southern Charm and hospitality. I had a wonderful time photographing them and their precious little boy this afternoon. This is the third time I have had the pleasure of photographing little "J". The first was at his pretty mom's maternity session and the second time was at the hospital a day after he was born. Thanks for inviting me into your home today. I had a great time catching up with you and spending time with your precious little boy. Leaving your home with a take home package of Red Velvet Cake was a pure bonus! Yumm!!!

What a sweet, beautiful family

This hat is his daddy's. It will be fun to photograph him next to it and see how he grows over the next year. "J's" Daddy is really into Civil War History so I thought it would be fitting to show this photo in Black and White.

Monday Morning Smiles {Dorie Howell Babes}

This morning my daughter and I went and had a session with this little cutie. She was a good sport even though she wasn't too sure about me. She did, however, love the sound of my camera as I clicked away. I think we got some great stuff. Enjoy your sneak peek mom. Thanks for letting me photograph your sweet little girl.

This picture was inspired by a photograph I saw recently by Stephanie Johnson. Not only is she a great photographer but she is a wonderful, long time friend. Her work can be seen at www.babysnapportraits.com.