Wow, I am really on my blogging game this week! I’m excited to cap this week’s posts off with this sweet boy. I was lucky enough to photograph Carter for his first birthday (see the post here) and meet his parents. Last year, we shot on the hottest day of the year in the middle of the summer in Alexandria.

This was such a fun session! Baby Elena and her parents are such a joyful, silly family. They decided to take things up a notch and have a more formal family portrait session. We started with a few more traditional posed shots, but with a baby, it’s hard to make anything tooo formal. Even on the floor, their chic outfits and Elena’s “black swan” dress, as her Dad referred to it, looked amazing!

Hello! Last month we had the opportunity to visit Bavaria, Germany over Patrick’s spring break with his parents. It was a wonderful trip.. I had few expectations and was lucky enough not to have to do much research because Pat and his family have been to the area a few times before. The weather was beautiful, cool and sunny, and it ended up being the kind of trip where you’re just going with the flow and having fun and then realize you did a ton!

These two.. where to begin :) Kathleen + Mike are getting married this fall after dating for a DECADE! Yes, I know they look way too young to have been together for 10 years, but they started dating when she was a sophomore and he was a senior in high school. He was a teacher’s assistant for one of her classes and luckily the teacher never found out, but everyone else knew. As you could say, the rest is history!

George’s best man Fleming said it best when he began his speech with the phrase, “it’s later than you think.” He was referencing the fact that time always move a big faster than you anticipate. Isn’t that true?

Sweet Adeline! This little lady is one year old now! Her sweet family came to my home studio to celebrate the occasion last weekend. We laughed, danced, sang, and ate gummies (a little bribing is ok!) to create some adorable family photos and individuals of Addy. Her big brother Ethan was a great example by posing for each shot!

In a day of online connection, it’s rare and special for two people to meet in person. Annie was at her Baltimore neighborhood bar for a birthday party. Danny is friends with the owner and crashed said party. As they say, the rest is history! They walked away with the biggest gift that night because five years later, they’re getting married!!

Sweet baby Sofia. This little lady turned one recently and her adorable family came over to celebrate with a cake smash session. Sofia’s mom, Maria, wanted to keep things clean and simple for the theme. This is why I always allow families to bring their own props and cake! There are so many styles and I want the images to match your vision, not a set of props I could pick out and provide.

It was a super hot day in July and Melissa and I were worried about our bride and groom overheating, but John had just returned from a tour in Africa so he didn’t mind, even in full uniform. Lorraine caught a breeze by riding up to the first look on her famous pink vespa with a huge smile, veil and all!

We have been lucky enough to know Brent and Corbin since Patrick began teaching. Brent was a source of guidance for Patrick in the early days when he felt overwhelmed in his role. With a smile and a joke, Brent always knew how to help Pat with his classroom challenges. I was lucky enough to spend time with him outside of the school setting at lots of social gatherings.

When Carla and I made our flight arrangements to visit our best friend Nicole in Florida, the first thing I said I wanted to do while there was a quick engagement session with her and her husband one evening. My favorite people to photograph are the people I know and love and being able to share images with them, of them, in which they look and feel beautiful is the most fulfilling part of my role as a photographer.

Last Thursday, my sister Carla and I hopped on a plane to finally visit my best friend Nicole. The trip was a long time coming. Nicole has lived in Florida with her husband for a year (he’s military) and I’ve been promising to visit since they moved.

I'm a big, big fan of the cozy at-home engagement session. I’ve noticed there’s something about being in someone’s space that allows their personalities to really shine through. The comfort of being at home means I get to observe and capture who you are when no one’s looking.