:: washington dc children's photographer | {first birthday} ::

A week after his Mundun Ceremony, Baby N turned one year old! He and his adoring parents celebrated with dear family and friends at the beautiful Yards Park. Here's a sneak peek of the birthday boy, after his first haircut. Still as darling as ever :-)

:: washington dc children's photographer | {mundun ceremony} ::

One of the biggest advantages of living in Washington, DC is the incredibly diverse and vibrant population. A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to photograph an Indian Mundun Ceremony, in which a first haircut is given to purify and protect the baby.

Here is a sneak peek of the adorable Baby N before the haircut. Can you believe those gorgeous eyes??? Thank you S + R for inviting me to document this incredibly special moment in N's life...

:: fall mini preview | {g family} ::

I had soooo much fun with this squeeza-licious little lady! She is everything and more. There was no doubt who was in charge of the photo session :-) It also helped that her lovely parents are the nicest, happiest people in the world.

:: fall mini preview | {k+b+k+m} ::

Can you believe all the cuteness??? Here is a preview of this adorable family's Fall Mini...

:: fall mini preview | {I family} ::

The awesome I Family and their faithful terrier. Thanks, J and R for keeping me on my toes!!!

:: fall mini preview | {G+A+L} ::

The best part of offering mini sessions every year is the perk of seeing my littlest clients grow up. Here is a preview of the beautiful G and her not-so-littles from our Fall Mini Session :-)

:: merry merry ::

Merry Christmas, everyone! Wishing you the happiest of holidays with your loved ones...

:: 'till next time ::

Our Elf on the Shelf, Sparkle, has seen and heard much these past couple of weeks. Now it is time for her to head back to Santa and enjoy a well-deserved break. See you next year, Sparkle, we will miss you!

:: Dimples | washington dc children's photographer ::

Did I or did I not mention the dimples on Little E?!?!?!

:: Little D | washington dc family lifestyle photographer ::

Finally...FINALLY...I got a chance to meet this adorable little girl in person! Remember when she was still in her beautiful mama's belly?

...and here she is, at six months of age, cute as a button and with the most squishable cheeks ever!

:: P Family | Washington DC Family Lifestyle Photographer ::

Sometimes, the 'in-between' moments during a photo shoot are the most beautiful...this is just a preview of more to come!

:: F Family Preview | washington dc lifestyle photography ::

Finally! After much anticipation, I had the pleasure of photographing this adorable little one earlier today. It was lovely to spend a couple of hours with him and his awesome parents, whom I've known for more than 15 years. Thanks for making the trek from Brooklyn, A + A...it was wonderful to catch up and, more importantly, to meet little O!

Here's a preview that I just have to share. More to come soon!

:: at home | washington dc family lifestyle photographer ::

While I love exploring the city and shooting on-location with my clients, there is just something so special about shooting a photo session at the client's home. To me, there's nothing better than helping to document a family's life together, surrounded by things which are familiar and beloved. And of course having a gorgeous family, such as this, is a bonus. Thank you, M Family!

:: j-s family | new york city family portrait photographer ::

A couple of weeks ago, I travelled to New York City to hang out with a group of talented photogs from near and far -- one came down from Cambridge, Mass., while another made the trip all the way from Germany! During this retreat, I had the privilege of photographing the families of two of the photogs and a couple engaged to be married.

Since the area around Bethesda Fountain in Central Park is such an iconic space, we decided to do the shoots there. We were accompanied by sparkling afternoon sunshine and fresh Spring air. Here is a selection from the mini session with the lovely J-S Family. For more of this session, please visit my Facebook album.

:: miracle baby | washington dc newborn photographer ::

For Steve and Jac, their newborn son, E, is indeed a miracle and the best gift anyone could receive. Late last week, the adoption agency, with whom they've been working for over 2-1/2 years, called them with the most amazing news. They have a healthy baby boy for them, and he can be theirs the following Tuesday! Caught completely off guard, S & J had to prepare for the new arrival in under a week -- purchase the essentials, prepare their home and tell their bosses that they'll be on paternity leave for the next three months (yes! it's about time fathers get the same treatment :-). Around the same time they received this miracle, Steve had a birthday and it was the couple's 16th Anniversary. Talk about the perfect gift!

I met them this Saturday in their home for a newborn session. While I was on the verge of tears the entire time, the lucky fathers were calm, serene and cracking jokes like they've been doing this for ages. It couldn't have been a more wonderful experience and I am so incredibly grateful to have captured these images for them. Steve & Jac, Baby E is perfect! You guys are so lucky to have each other...XO

Steve & Jac's "first born", Ruby the Beagle, looking on.

:: new year's resolution | washington dc portrait photographer ::

As the saying goes: "If you don’t have time to write down your goals, where are you going to find the time to accomplish them?"

So here are my goals for 2012:

1. Expand my business to include clients of adult size -- engagements and weddings! For those of you who know me, you know that I swore up and down when I started that I'd NEVER do weddings -- not because I hate weddings, but because the enormous responsibility of capturing one of the most important days in someone's life is so humbling. So to start, I will be taking a limited number of engagement/wedding bookings this year. Please e-mail me for more info on engagement/wedding packages.
2. Create a line of Photoshop templates -- stationary, photo cards & forms/documents pertinent to a photography business. After working with my clients on their holiday cards this year, I am hooked! The products will include downloadable Photoshop templates that are easily customizable. Look for them in Spring 2012!
3. Start a series of workshops aimed to help moms, dads and/or aspiring photographers take beautiful photographs of their little ones. The series will include on-location photo sessions and in-studio workshops on basic digital processing techniques.
4. Start a series of editing/processing workshops for photographers. We will delve into the fabulous ins and outs of Lightroom and Photoshop -- I will show you how to streamline your workflow using these incredibly powerful tools. Many thanks to my fellow photographer and friend, JJ, for kick starting this goal for me :-).
5. And FINALLY -- I'd like to eat healthier to include more of the major food groups :-), and to spend more time playing with my growing children and taking walks with my aging hounds. And most importantly, to make sure I thank Architectdad more often for his support and love. XO

What are your goals for 2012???

Architectdad was finally able to take a pic of me (not without a big camera stuck to my face!) during our trip to Assateaque National Seashore this holiday season.

:: happy h-O-lidays | washington dc holiday photographer ::

Between various holiday family photo sessions, O's 5th birthday party and the holidays, I am running on fumes! To top it off, I had the pleasure of giving my first photography-related tutorial online to a group of terrific and talented ladies! It has been a whirlwind of a year and I hope my *dumb* luck continues and allows me to work with more wonderful people.

I took this shot on Black Friday at the U.S. Botanic Garden Conservatory. The microcosm inside this tiny ornament is both amazing and humbling. Happy h-O-lidays!!! Now back to the bat cave for some more editing...

:: wonderfully wonderful | washington dc family portrait photographer ::

I just love these two. They have been part of our family for almost 5 years. M has been O's friend since they were babies, and Mom and I have been through some interesting motherhood experiences together :-)

Here's to you - wonderfully wonderful and happily happy M + E!

:: 3 generations | washington dc family photographer ::

As a child, I felt so lucky to have all four of my grandparents around me while growing up. I looked forward to cozy weekends at Puo's and lazy summers at Ah Ma's. Now that I have children of my own, I wish my grandparents are still alive to see how these little ones are so much like them in so many ways.

This past weekend, I had the privilege of photographing three generations of a close family - The Grand Dame, the Adventurous Mom, the Energetic Older Sister and the Mellow Younger Brother. Thank you G, M, A + L for letting me capture priceless family moments for you!

Little brother does EVERYTHING big sister does - how sweet is that?!



One of my very favorite moments - Mom's earring came loose and A tried to help mom put it back in.

 



:: loss and healing| northern virginia family portrait photographer ::

One of the mom models with whom I worked during the workshop weekend, is fellow photographer, Beryl Young. After losing her first child during late pregnancy, she sought refuge and healing behind the camera lens. In turn, she has combined her own experience of healing and her love of photography into a series of workshops to help other mothers who are coping with a similar loss. For more details, please visit her website. Here are some more shots of Beryl with her beautiful family: