HIP Studio Photography » Families

Little GQ Times Two | Northern Virginia Family Photographer

Sat, 05 May 2012 14:15:24 +0000

Can I tell you how much I love to photograph these little guys? Don’t get me wrong, they make me work– but they are so handsome and are just bursting with personality!

Breaking the blog silence, shhh!

Fri, 04 May 2012 16:48:42 +0000

Despite photographing countless newborn babies over the past 5 years, I have not had a newborn in my house for quite some time! In December, we welcomed the most perfect little angel, William James. My husband and I were a little rusty, but we quickly found ourselves back in the newborn routine. Changing diapers, no sleep, feeding at all hours… little clothes, toys, and baby stuff EVERYWHERE… there were so many things that I remembered, planned for, and expected…. but by far the biggest unexpected was how quickly the TIME has passed me by (he’ll turn 5 months Sunday) and how little time I have been able to find for my “late night” work such as blog posting and catching up on email– even deleting all my spam has become a chore. I’ve been back shooting for a month now and am gradually getting back in the groove. Please bear with me and feel free to call or email again if you don’t get an immediate response!

Since I neglected to post these months ago… I’m going to begin my promise to catch up on my blog posting with these beautiful photos that my friend and colleague, Andrea Hallett, took of my family and then of William. I am so grateful for these photos. Its a gift that I can’t even put a value on…and I’m still trying to figure out how I will ever return the favor. I wanted maternity photos, but I really wanted to capture the entire family… keep in mind that my window for maternity images fell right during the busiest time of year for portrait photography… October! So we tentatively planned to do these in early October, I had ideas and visions in my head, but time and crappy weather was not on our side, and by the time we could do the photos, it was November. I was ready to pop, the weather was cold, BUT Andrea convinced me that I should do it… and I’m so thankful that I listened! Then we had high expectations for the newborn session…I shopped for special props, drove to Andrea’s house so that it would be less chaotic (imagine my house with 3 kids and 2 dogs and remember this was during the holidays) but little Will had something else in mind… NO SLEEP and LOTS OF EATING! Now how could he do that to his photographer momma at 9 days old??? Luckily, my hormones were at bay and I didn’t lose it– I guess after 3 uncooperative children, I’ve learned to let it go! I was so grateful and thankful that Andrea was able to capture the few sleeping ones. We were a little desperate– so despite my gross appearance (I did have a shower, but very little else) I jumped in the photos with him. So that’s it, the beginning of my inability to tear myself away from a couple hours of sleep or baby long enough to post to this blog… if you’ve made it this far, thanks for indulging… here are Andrea’s photos:

Anyone up for a game of speed photography? | Colvin Run Mill Family photographer

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 18:11:21 +0000

We met before 9 am. The air temperature was almost 80, but I guarantee with the humidity it felt like 90! Even with the heat, all was ok… BUT the BUGS just couldn’t stay away from us! I must have wiped a half dozen from my eyes in the hour that we were there and the little boys kept swatting at them in between and during shots! We were already nearing naptime for little brother, so we had extra incentive to move quickly! I think we wrapped up in 40 minutes and that was definitely a record for a non mini session for me!

I rarely shoot at Colvin Run Mill, and sadly this is probably the last time I will shoot there. As we were leaving, one of the employees gave me a copy of their new photography policy which includes a minimum usage rate of $100 per session. I wish them the best of luck, but photography usage at most of the plantation homes are less than that and Meadowlark is only $20. Oh well!

Turning 2! | DC Metro Child Photographer

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 02:09:07 +0000

Our goal for this Washington, DC photo session was to beat the heat by getting a super early start– but by 8:30 it was already unbearably humid and hot! So we shot in a beautiful nearby park until we couldn’t take anymore and then retreated to a shady alley. We all know that a 2 year old has a tough life! All the running, exploring, discovering, struggling to understand and communicate is exhausting– and I think the toddler feels the same way. She may have been the only one that wasn’t slowed down by the sun, heat, and humidity. The last time I saw this adorable little girl was for her newborn photos and she has grown from a cute and cuddly little bundle to a gorgeous little girl! This time around, I was thrilled to meet her Oma and Opa who were visiting from a few thousand miles away! Enjoy the sneak peeks and the rest of your vacation!

Capturing a toddler | Meadowlark Botanical Gardens Child Photographer

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 18:58:32 +0000

This is one of my baby planners who I’ve photographed as a newborn and at 9 months. Due to some weather and seasonal complications, we pushed the “walking” session out and here we are at 21 months! I will say at 21 months, walkers are much more confident and much faster… and the resulting photos are quite different than those you would get between 11-15 months (typical time for capturing the first steps). Despite a rough start with a few tantrums (see first photo, I promise no toddlers were injured during this shoot-LOL), we were lucky enough to have great weather and a mostly cooperative, happy to explore and run, and certainly independent toddler! Enjoy!

Beautiful day and family at Oatlands Plantation | Leesburg Virginia Child Photographer

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 16:53:13 +0000

The weather cooperated (super sunny and humid, but no rain), the bugs were annoying, the setting was gorgeous, as was “Mom and Daughter”. I love that she had that little band-aid on her hand– I know Mom kept trying to hide it in the photos… but someday when she is all grown up, that band-aid will be a wonderful reminder of childhood! Of course, I knew my favorites would have the band-aid in full view– because these were the ones that just happened naturally without posing! I hope you enjoy these photos! I realize this post falls on the heels of a little blog hiatus… more on that soon!

Nothing Like a Sister | Great Falls Newborn Photography

Sat, 28 May 2011 02:25:26 +0000

Yay! Some sneak peeks for you guys! Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

Family | Prince William County Newborn Photographer

Sat, 05 Mar 2011 04:23:18 +0000

What a fun session! I was amazed by how quickly we finished this session! A combination newborn, sibling, and cousin session… I thought we were being overly optimistic in what could be achieved… but we finished our entire wish list with a few minutes to spare. I’d like to take the credit, but I think it was more likely the cooperation from the children involved and the lovely weather we had for a February day Hope you enjoy the sneak peek!

Love and Happiness | Leesburg Virginia Family Photographer

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 22:31:56 +0000

Even though these photos were taken before the holidays, I promised my friend Krista that I wouldn’t share them until after New Year’s so that they could be a surprise! So now that it is after the holidays, I’m posting them! Amazing that Mom and Dad didn’t intend to be in these photos until the day before. Thanks Amy for convincing them otherwise! Love, peace, and happiness always!

Three out of four smiling aint half bad! | Northern Virginia Child Photographer

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 02:28:39 +0000

I have been photographing my friend, Erin’s children for pretty much their whole life… well at least once every year! I really don’t think they could possibly get any cuter! Even when Miss M pouts, she’s cute! So this year, we’ll consider it a success even though we just couldn’t get a smile out of her. Like I said above, 3 out of 4 smiling isn’t bad… especially since all 4 are looking at the camera