Gorgeous Mama and 7 Month Old Baby Girl | Northern VA Motherhood-Baby Photographer

These two are simply stunning together. I loved working with them. Baby x was beyond adorable, I loved her smile.

Here are some of my favorite images from our time together - enjoy!

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I don't take these photos just for you | Washington DC Newborn Baby Photographer

It's been a whirlwind around here lately. I love photographing mothers and babies, so many gorgeous families, but I think it's time I confess something that might change the way you view what I do:

I don't take these photos just for you.

I love showing moms how beautiful and gorgeous they are. They, you, are my client and I will always take the opportunity to show you how amazing and wonderful you are with your children. But the honest truth is, I don't do it just for that.

I take these images for your children and grandchildren to have one day.

I take them so one day you can share stories with your children of how they were when they were small. So they know how you were with them. So they can see how from the very beginning they were loved so very much.

I do it so your grandchildren know what their parents looked like. To show how all of you have the same color hair, that dimple in your right cheek, or the same eyes. These images are proof that you were young once, just like them, and that you too were a parent who had no idea what you were doing, but you loved them so hard that you tried everyday to do better than you did yesterday. 

I do it because photographs aren't just images to be looked at. They are stories that you share. They are memories and shared histories.

They are how we remember and are remembered.

And I think that's worth capturing.

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Dear Jackson | Letters to My Son | Washington DC Family Photographer

Dear Jackson,

You're turning two tomorrow and I'm already forgetting things. I'm forgetting how big you were when you were six months old. I can't remember when exactly it was that you first said "mama" or "dada." I can't for the life of me remember when it was that you got so big.

It's true what they say: the days are long, but the years are short. Having a child has been the most life-altering experience of my life. More than getting my first job or getting married. More than owning a home or graduating college. And I won't lie to you, it's been hard. I miss having free time and not worrying that the house isn't toddler-proofed.

But even with the chronic sleep deprivation, it has been so wonderful. You are amazing and so so sweet. And now, you're not a baby anymore. You're a little boy. You climb on everything. You sing songs. The first time we heard you sing we stopped and just listened to you. You get shy when you realize someone is listening, but I think, also proud. You like that we stop to listen. Your favorites to sing are Wheels on the Bus, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and your ABCs. You've recently discovered Elmo, so we already have half a dozen Elmo books ready to read at any given moment. If your current infatuation is any indication, I have a feeling Elmo will a prominent figure in your childhood.

I can't believe another year with you has passed. It feels like I was just coming home with a brand new squirmy baby, unsure of what I was doing. I wish so many things for your future. I want you to be happy. To be kind. To remember that you are luckier than most, and to pay it forward. I hope you never let go of your persistence, even if it does sometimes make parenting harder, because it's so important to shoot for the moon and never ever give up.

Happy birthday baby boy.

Love you bunches,
Mom

Outdoor Spring Session with Fabulous Family of Five | Fairfax VA Family Photographer

There is so much beautiful greenery this time of year - I love it! Outdoor Spring family sessions are quickly become one of my favorite types of sessions. Getting to go outside on a beautiful day with wonderful people, it's the best combination. As I mentioned before, I didn't get to offer family sessions last year, so photographing families this Spring has been a great change of pace for me.

This family of five was so much fun, I got such a kick out of meeting them. Older brothers Hunter and Grayson were a riot together and baby of the family, Laurel, was as cute as can be. In the beginning three year old Grayson wasn't sure if he wanted to join everyone else in the session, but he was hamming it up for the camera soon enough. His smile is just infectious, I love it. And I gotta give a shout out to big brother Hunter. He was a trooper even as his little brother climbed all over him. He is a great big brother for sure.

Here are some of my favorite images from our time together, enjoy!

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I Believe in the Tangible | Northern VA Fine Art Maternity, Newborn, & Motherhood Family Photographer

I believe in the tangible.
What we can hold. What we can feel.

Technology moves fast.
One day those digital files will be obsolete.
Or lost. Or destroyed. Harddrives crash. Sites are hacked. Discs are lost.

Remember VHS tapes?
And Nintendo?
And floppy disks?

Did you ever replace those movies and games and files?

But what about those prints you have?
Of your grandparents. And your parents. And of you when you were young.

What about the images from the days of film?

I bet you still have those.

In thick albums stuffed with so many pages they're about to explode.
Tucked away in a closet. On a bookshelf. In frames on your wall.

Prints exist for you to look back on, flip though and hold.
You can point out old swing sets that you played on, share memories of people pictured but who are no longer here.
See freckles and old friends and pets and faces before they became wrinkled.

Prints don't become obsolete.
A hundred years from now, they will still be here.

That's why I include prints with every order,
and always will.

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