Danielle and Matt came to me with a familiar story. Their dream wedding planning was getting a little out of hand. Matt said "when we added a thousand dollars a day for seven days in a row to our wedding budget, we decided we needed to change our plans a bit." And did they ever. They scaled the guest list way back, moved the party from Savannah, Georgia to Las Vegas, and reduced the planning timeline by almost a year. The Bellagio will be the amazing location for their wedding this coming spring, but in the meantime, they wanted to capture their engagement in a more DC-distinct style. So fun!

Sima and Richard were so much fun to work with! Engaged for just a while, and dating for fewer than two years, they were so at ease with each other. It's easy to see how they fit together, easy going and fun-loving, both of them. Richard proposed with a balloon as his prop, so their wedding theme will definitely be incorporating balloons. I love that Sima thought to bring one to our session down on the Tidal Basin. It was almost as if it were carpeted in snow, those blossoms were so full. Gorgeous afternoon, gorgeous couple. What more can you ask for?! Congratulations you guys!

Yesterday, I awoke to pouring down rain and crackling thunder. It wasn't forecasted, so I hopped into the car at 6am, hoping that it would clear before our scheduled Cherry Blossom Mini Sessions. After some calls with my early morning clients, we decided to all go down, park and wait it out. Which we did, and which worked out beautifully. Very few tourists (comparatively speaking), great blossoms, and gorgeous light.

Here's Annabelle, my first time working with her, and what a star she was. She loves her great blond hair, and new party dress. She must have felt like a princess yesterday....

 
Followed by Samara, whom I've been working with since the inaugural year of our Cherry Blossom Mini Sessions...how she's grown into a beautiful young girl. 

I returned in the afternoon to shoot an Engagement Session for Sima and Richard, more of their pics later on today or tomorrow. What spirit!

 And here is my last shot of the night....

 Incidentally, four of my five clients from yesterday were stopped by various news channels, asking if they would allow their picture to be taken for publication/web/tweets, etc. So...if you're looking for clothing and accessories inspiration, look no further!

It all started with a crackling, lightning filled sky....
and broke open to a gorgeous morning.

Off to an engagement session, but a quick post of my first frame out of the camera this morning. This is out of the camera, no post-production:

Followed by beautiful Cardin, whom I've been photographing since she was very little....this is the first year she didn't have to wear a coat (or hat, mittens, scarf, a second coat....) to the Cherry Blossom Mini Session! More tonight from our dynamic kids from this morning.

Shooting season begins once again as the taxes, organizing, planning, re-assessing season winds down. I like to think of my business as going through internal and external phases. December 24 - about mid-February is the internal time when I work on the guts of everything...and again in July when it's too darn hot to do anything. The rest of the time is shoot, process images, meet with clients, print, prepare, repeat. Pretty cool to see this cycle repeat itself for the last three years, without fail.

So we're going up up up the roller coaster, winding our way to the top for the shooting cycle kick-off. And what a session to kick off with! Loved working with Caitlin and Mike, who were great to join me so early in the morning, down in Old Town, Alexandria.

They're a fantastic, low-key couple who were clearly great in front of the camera. Happy engagement guys! Enjoy these months of planning and thinking about your wedding and marriage, it's unlike any other stage in your life....

Working with Ashley and Dennis on their engagement session was just perfect. When I asked them what style images they had in mind, or what thoughts they had on the session, they just said "just some pretty pictures. Do what you do." You gotta love a client that gives you free reign. We had a unique shoot in Georgetown, striking a balance between posed and spontaneous, light and serious imagery. When Dennis pulled out this hat, well, who wouldn't be thrilled with that?!
Happy New Year everyone!

What a busy fall! But the leaves are beginning to turn and that fall light is so gorgeous that it just keeps me inspired the whole season long. From shoots with my awesome corporate clients, including Allan Woods Flowers and the American Association of University Women, to mini sessions with little ones and weddings with older ones, the diversity of work is keeping me on my toes. I'm loving every second of it.

Kyle and Andrea came to me for an engagement session, and were so amazing to work with. They're super easy going with each other, and were dedicated to this session enough to get up EARLY. Andrea had her makeup and hair done before our 8am shoot and they arrived at the Lincoln Memorial gorgeous and ready to go. The early start totally paid off, as we got gorgeous light, cool temps, and virtually no tourists. Enjoy!

The very spot Kyle proposed to Andrea. At least they think. Turns out he slightly mis-timed their surprise trip to the Lincoln, where he intended to propose. By the time they got down there it was pretty dark and he was reconsidering the safety of his decision :) It all turned out well though - as he still got down on one knee and she said yes!

Wowee. Got to love that early morning fall light.

Many congratulations you two! It was a joy to work with you!

        

Keigan and Kate were so much fun to work with at their engagement session! A true southern girl, Kate even brought out the cowgirl boots for part of the shoot. Kate's a videographer, so really understands visual impact, and therefore came with a look that matched what they told me they wanted out of their session. We had met beforehand, which is really helpful in this process. They expressed the whimsy and vintage look that they are crafting for their outdoor wedding. And they showed me the most unique thing I have seen in a while, an adorable Save the Date video, starring them, and created by Kate. Congratulations you two! Thanks for sharing your joy...

Candace, Scott and I braved the schizophrenic weather yesterday afternoon for their long-awaited and often rained out engagement session! It was so worth it. Not only are they awesome in front of the camera, but they are awesome with each other. They were so cute during the shoot, that about a hundred 8th graders touring the monuments were cheering them on - oohing and ahhing and shouting "congratulations!".

Hilarious.

Incidentally, a story on this next image, which isn't a fav from the day. Before sending them out onto these grounds, I said to Candace "I sort of wish you had on your wedding dress right now...or something super dramatic to anchor this wide landscape". So, I send them out there, we take this frame and a few others...

 
 and as they're walking back to me, a man in a cowboy hat walks up. He's with our 8th grade fan club.
 He says in his southern drawl " 'mam, are you available to take my picture tomorrow? Because, ya see, tomorrow's the National Day of Prayer, and I'm going to be right here on this same lawn on a white horse. And I think it would be nice to have a picture of that."

A white horse. A man in a cowboy hat. That lawn. Could it get more dramatic than that?
Too bad I'm booked.

-svg

Many congratulations Candace and Scott! 

Caitlin called me in October to reserve a session during peak cherry blossom time. She and her fiance Kyle live in Pennsylvania, but Caitlin said she knew from the time she was a little girl that she would want pictures of her and her future husband under the cherry blossom trees in Washington, DC. What I didn't know, was that when she called, they had not yet gotten engaged! She knew it was coming (the connection between them is contagious and remarkable - I think a squirrel would have known a proposal was coming), so she wanted to be sure to get on the 2011 cherry blossom calendar. I just love her dress and the very vintage feel that they achieved through their clothing and interactions. Many congratulations Caitlin and Kyle!

Catherine and Daniel joined me on Sunday, down by the Tidal Basin, under the cherry blossoms. Their energy with each other is so filled with love, and just so natural. This wasn't an engagement shoot, but just a shoot! Catherine loves photography and said she does a photo session every year. I've gotta love someone who is as passionate about images as I am. How many of you prioritize documenting what's going on in your life each year? I know my husband and I don't do enough of it (cobbler's kids have no shoes, anyone?). Catherine and Daniel inspired me to get on it!