Vienna Family Photographer - Family

Another session I had this past weekend was with this great family. I have taken pictures of their sweet little girl on two other occasions. It is always fun to visit with them and see how she has grown. This time while I was there I had the opportunity to photograph her whole family as well as her grandparents that were here to help her celebrate her first birthday. They all just adore this little girl!

Thank you for having me in your home again. It was great seeing you and photographing your lovely family.

The little linen dress she is wearing is part of the Helena line available at Neiman Marcus.

More pictures from this session can be seen on the Facebook Page for Dorie Howell Photography.

Northern Virginia Photographer - Merry Christmas!

May you and your family have a wonderful holiday that includes the blessing of family, fun and memories.

If you are looking for a place to celebrate the coming of a baby savior, might I recommend McLean Bible Church. We have many services this afternoon and this evening. You can find out more on their website. Click here and look on the right hand side to find out times and information about our 5 Christmas Eve Services.

Merry Christmas!

Northern Virginia Photographer - Daybreak

Yesterday I had a wonderful opportunity to go into the inner city of DC and volunteer at DayBreak Ministries. DayBreak is an inner city ministry serving the community Lincoln Heights in northeast Washington, DC. Every year they take donations of new toys and have a Christmas Sale for the neighborhood residents. The toys are sold for 10% of their retail price and it gives residents who need a little help with the Christmas shopping a chance to pick up toys, clothes and other items for their children.

This Christmas Sale is one of the many things that Daybreak does for the community. During the year they are primarily an after school program that provides mentoring, tutoring, arts and crafts and even dinner to school aged children in the surrounding neighborhood.

I spent the day there taking pictures of the sale, our volunteers and the people who came to shop. Because this was a sale that was focused on providing toys for children, no children were allowed inside. So I, of course, found myself outside in the cold hanging out with some of the fun kids that live in that neighborhood. They were very willing to pose for my camera and I hope that they had a fun time while their parents and grandparents were given a chance to shop.

As with all non-profit organizations, Daybreak is always looking for donations and volunteers. If you are interested in helping out in some way, please visit their website or the website of
McLean Bible Church.

I took a ton of pictures yesterday, here are just some of my favorites.

Northern Virginia Photographer - Snow Day!

Well in case you haven't heard, we are having quite the snow storm around here. So far we have over two feet at our house and at the time of this post, it is still snowing outside. It has been quite a long time since we have had a snowstorm like this. So what happens when you absolutely cannot leave your house? How quickly a case of cabin fever develops and everyone is itching to get out! Never mind that earlier in the week we stayed in for three days straight without a thought but now, we can't get out and we NEED to get out! So we did, granted shoveling the long driveway isn't our usual idea of fun but it was something to do together and it needed to be done.

So we layered up in as many layers as we could. Funny how mommy and daddy weren't really prepared with proper clothes but the baby, she was set from head to toe and completely color coordinated. As soon as we opened the door she ran out, fell face first into the snow and started eating it. She loved walking, playing and rolling in it. It was so fun to watch her experience her first major snow storm.

Here is a dogwood tree in our yard. I could almost hear it screaming for spring.

What two feet of snow looks like next to a set of very long legs.

Now, here is what most of the people want to know about. On my facebook page I have been talking about the Cake Balls I have been making this holiday season. I made another batch today because we are supposed to be going to a party tomorrow night and I need to bring something yummy to share.

My good friend Christi over at The Sassy Ruffle got me hooked on these. She found them at www.bakerella.com and they are so yummy. Now don't be fooled, they are a pain to make and take a long time. But I guarantee if you do make them, EVERYONE who tries them will think you are a baking genius. There are a few tricks to this so if you are going to try making them, shoot me an e-mail and I will tell you a few things I have learned along the way that might ease some of your frustration.

Here are my "Cake Pops".

Here are my "Cake Balls"

They are no where near as pretty as what you will find on www.bakerella.com, but they sure do taste good. Enjoy!

Northern Virginia Child Photographer - Happy Fall!

What a beautiful weekend we had here in Northern Virginia. I don't think the weather could have been any nicer. Our family took advantage of this and headed off to do some fall apple picking. I, of course, took this as a sign that we must do a little photo session in the middle of the apple grove. So with her cute dress and hair bow on, we ventured out into the orchards of High Hill Farm in Winchester, VA. We have visited this farm every year for the past 4 years and have always come away with a tons of apples that are so good to eat and cook with.

After a great lunch in Old Town Winchester at the Village Square Restaurant we stopped at Veramar Winery where my husband and father enjoyed a wine tasting given by the owner of the vineyard. It was a fun filled day.

I hope everyone had a chance to get out and enjoy the weekend. Before we know it winter will be here and we will be all bundled up. Happy Fall!

Outfit by Gymboree
Shoes by Target

Northern Virginia Child Photographer -- Friends

Yesterday afternoon a fellow photographer, Alice of Fern Leaf Photography and I spend the late afternoon at one of my favorite locations. We each have toddlers and wanted to see what we could do to get them to cooperate with our cameras. You see, getting your own child to pose for picture after picture, can be difficult. Working with other people's children is a learned skill that I would like to think I have gotten pretty good at. Well, "Miss R" was a tough one but we finally convinced her to smile a little bit and have some fun. It might have helped to have my overly-friendly little one with us. Who at the end was convinced that they were best friends. Miss R on the other hand, wasn't so sure.

Thanks for a fun afternoon Alice. I am looking forward to getting together again soon!







At this point, someone was getting hugged! Love that just before sunset light.

{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. :)

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.

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 :)

Huggable {Northern Virginia Family Photographer}

We have had quite the busy two weeks on our household. We have traveled to Little Rock, Seattle and Portland. Along the way we have met up with friends and family and had a wonderful time. This past week, while in Portland visiting my 99 year old Grandmother, I met up with some of my friends at a park. I love Facebook (you can become a "fan" of mine here) but there is nothing like sitting down with a good friend face to face. I love this lady and her two adorable kids. Our daughters share the same birthday and being the over achiever that she is, she has had another one since then. Two kids under the age of two. Any woman who does that is my hero! Here are a few of her sweet, sweet little boy. He is the type of baby that when you pick him up he just cuddles right in. I could have played with him for hours. Thanks for a great afternoon, I hope to be able to do it again real soon!!!

We love how he is holding on to her "leash" here.

Energy!!! {Northern VA Family Photographer}

This past week we had the pleasure of traveling to Little Rock, AR to visit with some great friends of ours. We spent 5 days sweltering in the Little Rock heat enjoying the company and catching up on the distance between us. They have a little girl that has so much energy that she puts the electric company to shame. Don't you wish we could just bottle this stuff up and use it as we got older? I got tired just editing these pictures as I remembered the circumstances behind them. Whew!

We did a short family session at the Old Mill in North Little Rock. It was a photographer's dream with fountains, bridges, lakes, steps, a real running mill and foliage to spare. It was hot, hot, hot but I think we got some great shots. I'm not sure you will be able to tell from the pictures but the Old Mill was featured in the opening credits of "Gone with the Wind".

Thank you "M" family for a wonderful vacation. I hope we can do it again real soon!

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.

Afternoon Fun {Dorie Howell Kids}

This afternoon I had the pleasure of hanging out with these two sweet kids. They were just as agreeable as can be and let me drag them all over one of our local gardens on an incredibly hot afternoon. Mom asked as soon as I got there if we could try to stay in the shade. Of course, I agreed as I am the first one to run into an air conditioned building as soon as it gets over 70 degrees. "Miss J" was ready with all her wardrobe changes and "Little J" just smiled and went with the flow. Thanks for a great afternoon, enjoy your sneak peek.

I could not let the afternoon go by without getting a great shot of "Miss J's" eyes. Watch out Dad, she is going to be a heartbreaker!

Drindl {Dorie Howell Kids}

April has been the month of house guests for us. We will have had guests here for 22 of the 30 days in the month. Our last group (before the current group) came to visit us from Munich, Germany. They had a great time seeing all the great Washington, D.C. sights and they absolutely fell head over heels in love with our little one. Spending time with my husband and I was secondary to watching, playing and just laughing at little Miss S. One of the things they brought over for her was a German Drindl. It is a traditional dress worn in southern Germany and Austria, based on the historical costume of Alpine peasants. We couldn't help ourselves one evening and dressed her up for a photo session in our front yard.

14 days old and sweet as can be {Northern VA Photographer}

This little guy was just as sweet as could be this afternoon. He wanted to stay up for the party and did not go to sleep the whole time. His big sister was a great photographers assistant and helped me get these cute pictures of him. Thanks for spending the afternoon with me F family. He is just as precious as can be.

Snow Day! {Family Photography}

We have been waiting for the snow to arrive here for several weeks. It has been cold, cold, cold but no white stuff. Well this morning we woke up to a light dusting on the ground and we took the opportunity to go outside and enjoy it.

Welcome! {Northern Virginia Photographer}

With a new year comes a new blog. I hope that you enjoy visiting this space on the internet to see sneak peaks from my latest sessions, hear about studio news and just keep in touch. The calendar is open for 2009. I am currently still building my portfolio so that means great savings for you on customized photography. Please give me a call at 703.766.8399 or e-mail me at info@howellstudios.com to book a session.

Happy New Year to All!

Here is our little one "helping" take down Christmas decorations.