Cherie and Terry are the perfect DC couple.  She loves the news and he loves sports.  Living just about half a mile from the White House we decided for their engagement session to stroll around their neighborhood and take some images along the way.  Of course we can’t forget about their dog Eve who joined us for the first half of the session.  Eve was more interested in laying down and having her belly rubbed then participating in the pictures.  But who can blame her, who doesn’t love a good belly rub.  :)

Brighten up your Monday with a little Pixar inspiration and 3 week old Baby Johnny.

I went back through my weddings of 2012 and picked out my very favorite images and made them into an entertaining little slideshow.  Enjoy

Last weekend I went and photographed 5 week old baby Mateo and his parents.  We started out with some Christmas shots with the tree and a sleepy baby.  After a little diaper changing break we transitioned into  the nursery where Mateo perked up and allowed us to see his cute face and beautiful eyes in all their glory.

On a chilly November Sunday a couple weekends ago I had a family portrait session with Santiago and his family at Black Hills Park in Boyds, Maryland.   Santiago, recently waking up from his afternoon nap was probably not super excited about having to pose in front of a camera instead of being inside and warm.  We did manage to get him to smile and laugh with  lots of jumping up and down and making faces from Mom and Dad and his big brother Juan.  But nothing seemed to make him smile more than when I pulled out a huge rainbow lollipop that I had stashed in my bag.  Santiago was even more excited when he got to play and dig in the wood chips on the playground floor.  We may have a future archeologist on our hands.

While Emy and Diego were anxiously awaiting their first child, Mateo,  to arrive, they asked me if I would do a maternity session with them to document this exciting time in both of their lives.  We decided to do it in early September, about a month and a half before the due date.  Emy suggested that we do the session at her boss’ home in Bethesda.  Since the weather was still warm we decided to do it outside.  The backyard was filled with beautiful flowers and trees, and it turned out to be the perfect setting.   On October 26th, Emy and Diego joyfully welcomed the arrival of Mateo.  We wish Mateo and his parents nothing but good health and happiness ( and maybe some extra hours of sleep) for the future.  Congrats!!

Anyone that really knows me, knows how much I love Halloween.   It is by far the best holiday of the year, in my opinion.  What other time of year is it acceptable to dress up and act crazy without judgement? ( well, at least not as much judgement as usual)  This year I became infatuated with zombies.  It all started earlier in the year when I discovered the television show, The Walking Dead.  I’m not a huge fan of guts and gore, but for some reason I just fell in love with the show.  As Halloween approached I knew what I had to be.  So, I went online and researched how to do Zombie makeup and after a few Youtube videos I purchased all the necessary supplies and began to plan.   Of course I couldn’t be a Zombie alone so, I recruited Rene and convinced him to allow me to transform him.

When the weekend before Halloween finally came , it was time.  I carefully laid out all my supplies on the bathroom counter.  Liquid Latex, brushes, toilet paper ( for the wounds and skin) grease makeup in various colors, sponges, teeth stain, and some of my regular eye makeup.  Then I thought to myself, if I am going through all the trouble of doing this makeup, I might as well document it.  So I set up the camera in the corner of the bathroom and proceeded to make a timeplase video ( an other thing I have never tried before) of the zombie transformation.

Once we were both decked out in our Zombie makeup I added some fake blood made  of red food coloring, corn syrup, purple food coloring and some chocolate syrup (mmm… tasty) to add the final touch.    We put together a little studio setup in our living room and did a Zombie photoshoot.   I was thinking our dog Zoe would be a little afraid of us with all the makeup on, but all she wanted to do was lick the  fake blood off of us, so we decided to use her in some of the pictures.    Overall, as my first attempt to do makeup of this scale I was pretty happy with the results.   It  ended up being a lot of fun and a little sticky, but I would definitely do it again.

I hope everyone has a Happy Halloween!!

Last Saturday on a beautiful September day, I had the privilege to photograph one of my favorite couples on their wedding day.   Liz and Trevor got married at Woodlawn Manor which was the perfect setting for their rustic and nature inspired wedding.  From the wedding programs to the the glass jars and river rocks on the tables, there was a perfect balance of simple elegance that carried throughout.  Green was the color of the day and Liz and Trevor made sure to incorporate the color in their signature drink all the was down to the guys’ socks.    One thing that is evident, there was no lack of  love, joy, and excitement on that day.  Congratulations Liz and Trevor!

Last year I didn’t get a chance to visit the annual Montgomery County Fair, even though it’s probably only about a mile from home.  This year I didn’t want to miss it.  So a group of friends and I gathered up and headed on down.  Aside from the rides, games and food, one of my favorite parts of the fair is the animals (and the cotton candy!!).  I don’t know why, but show me a donkey or a pig and you will bring an instant smile to my face.  Maybe I secretly long to be a farm girl, who knows.  Below are some of my favorite shots of the day.

A few of my favorite images from earlier this year.

The Groom being serenaded by the best man before the wedding.

In honor of her Grandmother, the bride danced with her while the grandmother’s wedding song was played.

The Father Daughter Dance