Month: September 2022

I have been awaiting the arrival of this little one for quite awhile. Baby Miriam belongs to my incredibly amazing, caring, and talented coworker Elaine and I have gotten to watch this baby grow in her tummy since the beginning!  I spent a lovely (albeit rainy) Sunday with Miriam, mom, dad, and little brother AJ.  Thankfully the rain didn’t wash out our newborn session and the sun even peeked through during our afternoon together where I was able to capture some beautiful images of their newest arrival.  Miriam was such a calm and peaceful baby and her mom and dad seem to be adjusting to a 2 child household with ease.  Elaine, thank you for letting my invade your home this weekend and meet your precious new bundle of joy.  Here is a sneak peek of images I hope you’ll cherish for a lifetime.  Congratulations!

Have I ever mentioned how much I love my job? This past weekend I got to photograph not one but two beautiful newborns.  Some of you may remember the recent maternity session I did with Jen.  Daughter Charlotte was born May 14th, 2010 to first time parents Jen and Jeff, and at only 8 days old she was such a perfect little model already. Awake and alert when I arrived we took advantage of the opportunity and took some photos of her all bundled up and spending time with her mom and dad in the nursery.  I loved the details included in their Peter Rabbit themed room and was so impressed with the hand-painted walling hangings Jen made to complete the theme!  By the end of my visit Charlotte was ready for her afternoon nap and had just the most peaceful and angelic expression.

Jen and Jeff, congratulations on your new addition. You two are already fantastic parents and the love for your daughter just radiates from these images. I hope you enjoy this sneak peek from our session together, the rest will be ready soon!

I am always amazed to hear the stories of how clients are referred to me. The S. family came to me via a fellow photographer’s blog posting. If you’ve been following my blog for awhile you may recall the SOAR photography scholarship I applied for in December. Through the application process I have been able to network with many budding photographers from around the globe. Marcia Stuhler of Texas based Classy Kids Photography is one of the amazing women I have gotten to know this year through SOAR and she was kind enough to feature me and my experiences at the LAUNCH photography workshop on her blog back in March.  Well, Marcia also just happens to be originally from the Washington Metropolitan area and this is where the S. family comes in.  They happened to read her blog posting with my feature, clicked over to my site, and when they realized I wasn’t too far away from their Rockville, MD home they contacted me and asked if I’d be willing to come out their way for a family session.

After two reschedules in April we were finally able to connect last weekend and the wait was worth it! We got the perfect weather and I had such a great time with this family of four at the Brookside Gardens in Silver Spring, MD. This place is a photographer’s paradise with sprawling landscapes, fountains, ponds, and flowers.  I am so glad they introduced me to this location because it’s one I hope to use again in the future! We had a fun morning just strolling the gardens and enjoying the weather. One unique thing I learned about the S. family on our morning together? They like to travel and before going on vacation they’ll research on-location photographers in the area they are visiting to do a family sessions while they are there! What a great memory and a great way to get the whole family in vacation photos.

Thanks so much S. family for a wonderful morning and for introducing me to a beautiful location for photos! I hope you enjoy this sneak peek, the rest of your session will be on the way soon.

One of the best things about my job is getting to meet new friends and explore new places and this particular session offered both! Tiffany found me about a month ago through a mutual friend when she was searching for someone to take pictures of her and her husband as a one year anniversary gift.  Old Town Alexandria was the perfect fit for the two of them for our shoot and although I’ve been to Old Town many times to shop, I got to see it instead through my camera lens this time around.  The weather was absolutely perfect on our Saturday morning stroll through Alexandria and I had so much fun getting to know this couple. As it turns out, Tiffany is quite the shutterbug herself (her friends all know they can count on her for photo ops) and she insisted on snapping some of her own shots during our time together as well.

Tiffany and Mike, I hope you like your sneak peek.  I had a great time getting to know you both and I love that you chose to commemorate such a great milestone with photos that I hope you’ll enjoy for years to come. Congrats on your one year wedding anniversary!

Last weekend I had the pleasure of taking photos of a pretty incredible lady.  Sara Hurwitch. my sister, celebrated her college graduation from the University of Kentucky.  Most students upon graduating from college ponder what the next steps will be and where life will take them. Job applications, interviews, the “real world”. Not Sara. She has bigger things in mind. From a young age Sara has always loved the game of golf. And now, after years of practice, hard work, and determination she is going to be able to officially declare herself as a professional golfer and hopefully make a living out of her life long passion. Not too many people can say they’re living their dream, but Sara can!

I am so excited to share that I get the distinguished honor of being her official photographer. Her golf website is currently under development and I can’t wait to see some of my images on her page. During graduation weekend we went out for a few mini shoots and got some great images for her portfolio. And, we got to showcase some amazing clothing from her first official sponsor, Donna Bonn Designs.  Designed to bring fashion to the golf course, her clothing provides a unique and exciting option to women golfers who want to wear clothing with a more contemporary look and feel.

I know Sara has heard this more than once, but we are all so proud of what she’s accomplished and the new journey she is about to embark upon. Congratulations Sara on this new adventure!

As this Mother’s Day comes to a close I want to wish all the mom’s, mom’s to be, and caring motherly women out there a happy day.  This mother’s day has been one filled of mixed emotion for our little family.  1 year ago today my Calmer and I found out that we would be expecting our first child, our guardian angel, Bella Rose.  There was some sadness leading up to today as we remembered her and what could have been. But, there was also excitement as we celebrated a renewed sense of hope and the anxious arrival of our little girl to be in September.

Most importantly though, we spent the weekend with my mom who has raised two daughters with grace, love, and patience.  She is amazing and I only hope I can be half the mom she has been to my sister and I. Love you mom, I hope you had a wonderful day with your two girls!

B’s mom, Tricia and I have known each other quite awhile.  We went to the same middle and high school together, and then our paths managed to cross again about 6 years later when we worked together as first grade teachers at the same school.  We don’t work together anymore and when she asked me this fall about a photo shoot for her little man to celebrate his 1 year birthday during the spring I was psyched. It feels like we’ve been planning this session for ages, and the unpredictable weather recently caused us to have to reschedule not once, but twice!  Finally, we found ourselves out on a gorgeous Friday evening and I had a great time with B. and his mom and dad in the Leesburg subdivision, River Creek.  B. wasn’t quite sure what to make of me and my camera at first, but after some play time with mom, dad, and me  he quickly began warm up to the idea of pictures.  Here’s a little sneak peek from our evening together, enjoy!

This little guy has been no stranger to my blog. Baby D’s mom and I go way back and have been friends since middle school. So its no surprise that I’ve had the opportunity to watch this guy grow and photograph him as a newborn and again at 3 months when he was Baptized. Mom has been wanting photos of him at 6 months and the beautiful Spring weather this past week seemed the perfect opportunity for a a mini session at Ida Lee park.  Here is a little sneak peak from our time together. This little guy is sitting up, on the move, and is one happy baby!

Spring is in the air here in Virginia and it’s been so great to get outside and take photos.  Last week I took a little Spring Break staycation, playing tourist in my own hometown. For the past 3 years I have really been wanting to make the trek into DC for the annual Cherry Blossom festival but have never found the time to get myself there.

Finally this year I not only made it to the festival, but made the trip during peak blossoms, got to spend a lovely day with a longtime friend, and I got to play around with not one but two cameras. My trusty dslr of course made the trip, but I also dug out the Polaroid One Step for some vintage fun as well.

The Cherry Blossoms did not disappoint and really solidified the exciting fact that Spring is here!

How are you enjoying this breath of fresh air and bringing in the Spring weather? I want to hear your spring stories and see your spring images!

A few weeks ago I put out a Casting Call on my blog requesting models to help me round out my growing portfolio (side note: I am still searching for more models so if you’re interested please contact me). I was so excited when Jen emailed and asked if I’d take her maternity photos. This was my first maternity session and it was great fun. Expecting a little girl in late May, Jen definitely epitomized the glowing pregnant mama and it shows in her images.  We spent a gorgeous spring afternoon at the historic Civil War landmark, Manassas Battlefield. A location with rolling hills, beautiful trees, and historic buildings.  Jen was a great sport too. I felt terrible asking her to stand up, sit down, and walk all over the place at 32 weeks pregnant, but she took it all in stride and enjoyed every minute of being out in the sunshine.

Jen, it was great fun spending the afternoon with you and taking these photos. I hope you enjoy your preview! Your excitement about becoming a mother is definitely apparent and I am so looking forward to meeting your little one for newborn photos not too long from now.