The Wilsons :: Family Photo Shoot

When I met with the Wilsons at the beginning of the month, we were doing pictures for the second time.  Unfortunately, it wasn't because they had loved the first shoot I did for them!  It was because when our computer crashed, I lost their whole shoot! They were so kind and understanding and allowed me to redo their shoot.  We had better weather and light so I think the pictures turned out even better than the first round.  (And I learned a valuable lesson about saving photos in more than one spot and backing them up..twice or three times!)

Ben graduated this year so we did some photos with his cap and gown!  (Congrats Ben!)

It's really not a teenage boy's dream to have his photo taken, not once but TWICE in the same month!  I was thankful that Ben and Chris were forgiving and that we were able to get some great individual shots of the two of them.  :)

I loved the light coming from behind these trees!  Made for a really beautiful shot!

Thank you Wilsons, for letting me do your photos AGAIN!  You are a great family and I hope you are double pleased with the pictures.  :)

Brock Family :: Father's Day Shoot

My friend Marty is a nanny for the Brocks.  She is super sweet and set up a photo shoot to have pictures taken of the kids for their Dad for Father's Day!  I had never done photographs of teens so I was definitely a bit nervous.  They were so funny--always messing with one another and laughing.  It really worked out well and made for some fun candid shots.  :)

This is one of my favorites.  These two were messing around...fighting really!  But I told them to keep it up because it was making for great pictures!  

The individual photos are the ones I love the most.  They are little windows into the personalities of these kids.  I love it when I can capture personality!

Marty said she didn't think she had any pictures of her with the kids so we definitely had to remedy that!

Although the kids messed around with each other and picked on one another, I really saw a closeness between them.  All that "fighting" was just their way of interacting as siblings.  I think this crew will stay really close into adulthood.  It was fun to be able to capture their playfulness at this stage of their lives.  I think they'll look back as adults and laugh!

This last shot reminds me of an album cover.  Very fun!

  

After the shoot, Marty sent me this kind note about their session:

"There are big changes coming up for the Brock Family.  Getting all of the kids together for a photo shoot in the future may be difficult. So I thought this would make a special Father's Day gift for them to give their Dad.  Misty was offering a special, so I asked her to take the pictures for us.  She suggested we go to the Battlefield outside of Manassas, VA for some unique and beautiful backgrounds.  My hat was off to Misty, for the kids were in top form by picking on one another (they are kids after all!).  But Misty was persistent and quick.  Some of the moments she captured on her camera actually look like the kids were having fun together instead of fighting!  Well done!  The pictures are great moments of "real life" and give glimpses into each of their characters and personalities.  I highly recommend Misty Rodda and Small Wonders Photography for your Family pictures!  Thanks Misty!"

Thank you, Marty!!!  And thanks to the Brock "kids" (is that appropriate language for pre-teens and teens?).  I really had a great time!

Announcing Mini Shoots!

To kick off summer, I am offering mini shoots this Saturday, the 26th!  Here are the details:

Time :: 8-10:30 am, 6-8:30 pm
                **Sign up for a 20 minute time slot within these hours

Place :: Manassas Battlefield

Investment :: $45 for a 20 minute session (you, your kiddos, your family, your friends...you get the picture)
                    10-15 high resolution portraits on DVD for you to print and use as you choose

Contact me for more information and to set up a time!

And speaking of kicking off summer....and things that are "mini"....

Here's my baby girl, who is quite mini, kicking off summer with her favorite fruit. :)

Keegan is 2! :: Birthday Shoot

Meet Keegan!  I had the privilege of photographing his family and his birthday party last month.  Keegan is our buddy and a born entertainer.  He's got some of the best dance moves and is always cracking us up with his funny faces!  He had his 2nd birthday party at the park.  Perfect location for toddler fun!

Before the party began, I got some shots of Keegan with his parents.  They are a really special family!  Travis and Amanda couldn't love their boy more and it's evident in everything they do.

As guests arrived, I started taking pics of all of Keegan's friends.  It was very hard to choose which ones to use here.  They were all absolutely adorable!  Here are a just a few of Keegan's buddies.

My son, Ashton, adores Keegan!  He even asked if he could have a copy of this picture for his room.  So sweet!

Keegan barely stopped the whole morning.  He was busy on the playground, running around and playing soccer!  Some of my favorite pictures of the day are of him kicking the ball around.  He was so focused!

After lunch, it was time for cupcakes!  The party theme was My Friends Tigger and Pooh, which meant Super Sleuth cupcakes.  Yum!

After cupcakes and a little more play time, it was goody bags and goodbyes.  I'm fairly sure all the kiddos slept well that afternoon!

Leaving you with my favorite shots of the day.  When I picture Keegan, this is how I see him in my mind!  Here's to the terrific 2s!

Beth, Olivia and Carly :: Father's Day Shoot

Beth is a friend of a friend and contacted me about six weeks ago about photographing her and her girls as a gift for her husband for Father's Day.  The amazing part was, her second daughter, Carly, hadn't been born yet!  Those who know me understand just how excited I was about photographing a newborn!  I was even more excited when these lovely ladies showed up on my doorstep!

Beth looked so beautiful and no one would have ever guessed she had just given birth to a baby!  Her girls, Olivia and Carly, are precious and remind me of little porcelain dolls!  Beth's Mom, who I got to know as "Nana", came along to help.

Olivia is a busy, busy girl!  I set up some books and toys for her, and she wasted no time getting down to business!  Her favorite things were reading in the rocking chair and looking for birds out the window.  Made for some great pictures!

Little miss Carly had a bit of a tummy ache, but we were still able to get some sweet shots of her.  I was amazed at how wide eyed she was at such a young age!  I had prepared to do sleepy pictures but she was ready for her close-up!

Olivia was very timid toward me and wasn't going to give up a smile easily.  But, after I assured her we were two of a kind (both of us loving to read and all...) she did give me a beautiful shy grin!  What a pretty girl!

I love this sleepy shot of Carly on her momma's shoulder.  Just had to include it!

Am I posting more pictures than usual?  Well, that's because I had such a terribly hard time narrowing them down!  I absolutely can't wait to hear how Beth's husband responds to these photos of his girls.  I hope he enjoys them as much as I have!  I'll leave you with one last set....two of my favorites.

Thank you Beth, for allowing me to spend time with you, your Mom and your girls.  It was a joy!

05.29.10--Family Shoot

Since I am a beginner, almost 100% of my clients have been personal friends.  This has made my job both easy, and hard.  Easy, because these people are friends...people who are rooting for me and who I am sure will be patient with me.  Hard because these are families I care about and want to do my very best for.  I agonize over getting just the right shots...pictures that capture how very wonderful these people are!  But overall, I've absolutely loved having the opportunity to take pictures of the very people who have made me feel so welcome and cared for, since making the move out east.  :)  (No need to adjust your monitor...this family really is as beautiful as they appear!)

Driving home from this shoot, I couldn't WAIT to get home so I could look at the photos.  I just had so much fun and knew there would be some precious pictures for me to share with the family.  Some of my favorites were  those we took with these rocking horses, which are family heirlooms.  (Please, please, please include special items in your family pictures.  Whether it's a rocking horse, rocking chair, rocking guitar...a portrait is so special when it includes an item that matters to your family.)


































At one point the kids ran off to play and Dad yelled "quick!  we're alone!".  I laughed because, having three kids of my own, I completely understood what he meant.  We were able to get some great shots with just Mom and Dad.  It's incredibly beautiful to see couples with kids who are still very much in love.

And again, most of my favorite pictures are candids.  I am especially excited to get photos of families playing together, laughing, enjoying time with one another.  My hope is that they can look back on these and really remember what life was like at that special moment in time.

Yes, I know I am sharing TONS of photos, but how in the world was I supposed to choose only a few?  Plus, I know you're enjoying them!






It was a privilege to work with this family.  Happy kids, loving and patient parents, beautiful sunshine...all around fantastic morning!