Friday, March 28, 2014

Lyra Kelly | Stuarts Draft, Virginia Newborn Photographer

I had the pleasure of working with Comfort Care Women's Health last week! Now, I don't normally shoot newborns and I don't normally shoot for a company or non-profit but this was something I felt called to do. Comfort Care works with moms to inform them on the options she might be considering, like abortion. And when I say inform, I mean Comfort Care wants them to know what happens during an abortion. They want the mothers to know that they have a living child inside of them before they make any rash decision to rid of it. 

I know this is a hugely controversial topic and I don't write this to change your opinion but I just know what I believe and I thought this would be a really incredible opportunity to meet a few mothers who have weighed the options of abortion and chosen to give life instead. I couldn't wait to meet Shannon and two-month-old Lyra last Thursday!! They were so wonderful letting me put little Lyra in a basket full of blankets! Haha!! Here are a few of the shots I took!










Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Daphne + Mike | Massanutten, Virginia Engagement Photographer

Daphne and Mike's wedding was one of the first weddings I booked for 2014. And guess what? I booked them without meeting them first! Sometimes it makes me nervous to book wedding clients without meeting first but in this case, I felt confident in my email conversation with Mike. But because of not actually knowing them, when I pulled up to Mike's parent's place in Massanutten to meet him and Daphne, I didn't know what to expect!! Thankfully, I was immediately put at ease when I met them and was greeted by smiles and offered a drink. Haha! They're such kind people. I absolutely loved getting to know them throughout our two hours together!! It's always so fun to see a couple interact and witness their love for one another before the wedding day. I'm such a proponent of engagement sessions and this one just made me love them all the more! Mike and Daphne, you two are awesome and I am so thrilled to be photographing your wedding!! Hope you love these photos!

















Monday, March 24, 2014

Alexandria and Washington D.C.

This morning I woke up craving Mexican food. Not just any Mexican food, but Mexican food from Rosa Mexicano. Wow. I should say "Mexican" one more time. Mexican. Okay, moving on. Anyway, this morning's strange food cravings reminded me that I needed to blog about my trip to see Amanda!! I met Amanda in May last year for the first time and this was my second trip to see her! Last weekend, I traveled up in the beautiful, warm, and what I thought was finally spring weather (nope...) and as soon as I got there, we took the metro into Alexandria, which I think we would both agree as being our favorite place. Well, if you've read my blog for more than a month, you know that everything is my favorite but I really do like Alexandria. Promise.

Amanda also loves tea so I wanted her to take me to her favorite tea shops, which ended up being so fun. I learned that there are hundreds of types of tea and that you smell the tea leaves to see if you'd like it brewed. I probably should have known that but I didn't. So we sampled some tea and then took it down to the waterfront to people-watch and take pictures. Oh, and take pictures of the people we were people-watching. ;) I also managed to spill my tea on my pants. Just thought I'd let you know.

So we spent Saturday in Alexandria and then spent Sunday in D.C. Amanda lives 10 minutes from D.C. so she's no longer a "tourist" but me on the other hand.... I act like a tourist in my own town so obviously I'm a tourist in D.C. Haha. I made Amanda pose in front of the Capitol (total tourist move). I think she hates me now. Haha!! But we had so much fun going in museums and art galleries, eating good food (and dessert), and just walking until our legs practically fell off. It was a good weekend. Amanda, thanks for welcoming me to your dorm room (I almost feel like I go to Marymount) and walking a total of 10 miles with me in less than two days. I had a blast and despite having to leave early because of the snow (yes, snow..... in the spring), I'm glad I did get to visit for a little bit!!




















This painting kind of blew my mind.