It’s been awhile since I’ve had time to really sit down and indulge myself in a good book from cover to end. You know the feeling, when you get so enthralled with a book that it’s hard to put down?  The kind of book you get so caught up in that you’ll even take it to the bathroom and to bed to read? Well I think it’s finally time to make time for some intellectual stimulation, for example, “Domestic Violets” by Matthew Norman.

I was excited when local writer, Matthew Norman, asked me to do his headshot for the bio section of his upcoming book! Matthew Norman works as a copywriter in Baltimore, MD. Born in Nebraska in 1977, he earned an MFA in Fiction Writing from George Mason University. Domestic Violets is his first novel.

Set at the beginning of the financial crisis, Domestic Violets is a comedy about Tom Violet, a young father and husband whose life begins to spin off course when he learns that his world-famous father has just won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Publisher: Harper Collins.
Official Pub Date: September 1, 2011.

Knowing Matt’s sense of humor, I have no doubt that this book will be a great comedic read. I’m looking forward to the novel and hope he enjoys the selects from the shoot!

Don’t forget to pre-order your copy at Amazon!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! Thank-you for all you do- your love, your patience, and kissing away all the boo boos over the years. What better way to celebrate your day than a family photoshoot!

Speaking of moms, Mother Nature has been having a hard time deciding on the weather lately. One week it’s sweltering hot, the next it cold and windy! This Mother’s Day was a windy and a tad chilly but still a beautiful day for photos!

I spent the afternoon with the C Family exploring the park for some great photo spots. I was fortunate to have my sister come along to assist and act as a second shooter. We got some great shots of the family and Little Ella who recently turned the BIG ONE!

Happy Birthday Ella!

Ella is such a sweet baby!  I loved it when she laughed throughout the shoot, she only has two teeth in and looked ubber cute whenever she smiled!

And here’s the lovely picture perfect C Family!

And here are some great shots from my talented sister, Phuong.

Nothing says Spring like standing barefoot in the grass

Birthday wishes!

It’s funny looking back at the family photos lately…I’m hardly ever in any of the photos because:

1.) I’m usually the one taking it.
and
2.) I hate being in photos. I know, strange coming from someone who makes a living out of photographing other people!

My parent’s friends were starting to ask, “I thought you had two daughters”…

I knew I was in need of headshots for my bio page (when I become famous and all… ) and I wouldn’t trust just anyone with it. Who better to ask than my older sister, Phuong! I knew I would be comfortable in front of her and she wouldn’t mind if I sometimes art directed (not that I’m bossy). She did such an incredible job and I’m excited to update my website with a bio pic included this time!! Thanks big sis! I usually hate photos of myself but love these…especially since my 2 boys are in it!

me art directing..."make sure you use the sun as a hair light"...

I can’t believe it’s already May! The April showers (not to mention record breaking winter blizzard) brought Spring in full bloom. Sunday was another hot day but beautiful none-the-less! I had the opportunity to photograph the beautiful “G” Family in Potomac Maryland.

Mr & Mrs G’s son, Miller, is going to grow up to be quite the heart breaker. Look at those gorgeous baby blue eyes and handsome smile!

It’s hard to believe Miller is turning 6 next month!

Today was such a gorgeous day for photos! I spent the morning in Patuxent State Park with the beautiful “S” family. I had the pleasure of meeting Natalie and her daughter Keelyn about a year ago at one of my sister’s mommy meetup groups. Keelyn was so little then, was just learning to sit up, and was one of the prettiest most photogenic babies I’ve met! I was excited to see how much she had grown and even more happy to be able to photograph the entire family this time.

Natalie also wanted to take a generations photo – I absolutely LOVED the idea!
Four generations of women – great grandmom, grandma, mom, and little Keelyn.

This weekend couldn’t have been more perfect! I was so excited to do TWO engagement sessions back to back!

Mariecel is a former co-worker and very good friend of mine. We first met nine years ago in Virginia. Both fresh out of college and working our first “real” design jobs. We’ve shared many laughs, tears, and sweat over the years! YES- SWEAT! We both joined the corporate bootcamp at work, ran miles and miles around Tysons Corner Mall every morning and even worked out in the pouring rain! But enough about us…let’s hear about the bride & groom to-be!

Mariecel is a city girl with a flair for fashion and design. Mike is a small town boy with a carefree and laid back personality. They couldn’t be more opposite yet that’s what makes them perfect for each other. I felt honored to be able to photograph their engagement.

We were hoping to get some great sunset shots at the Washington Monument and Reflecting Pool but there were too many clouds in the sky! It still worked out since the overcast made for great photos! Special thanks to my hubby who acted as my chauffeur, body guard, and photo assistant/flash stand! He was so surprisingly patient!

I love it when couples are up for anything!

Last Saturday I finally got a chance to meet the “S” Family (minus dad who was working). Autumn (Mrs. S) and I have been emailing back and forth for several months trying to set up a photo session and finding ourselves having to reschedule due to snow, snow, and more snow! I was super excited that Saturday turned out to be a beautiful sunny day. The photo session took place at the S Family’s home in Maryland. This time my sister, Phuong, came along to assist. She is an aspiring photographer and it simply amazes me how much she’s grown since I’ve given her my old digital SLR camera to experiment with.

Lila and Noah were fun to photograph. At first, Noah was a bit shy but warmed up quickly and boy has the kid got spunk!

Mom was prepared with many outfit choices and hats! I thought it would be fun to do a hat series with little Lila.

Lila was such a good baby. She was full of smiles and hardly cried at all during the shoot. If all babies were this easy I might reconsider having kids. LOL. But for now, my two labradoodles will have to do…

Sibling Love…

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Saturday’s snow mixed with Sunday’s sunny weather made for a great day for some photos! Check out the B family and their three rambunctious boys! The boys were adorable and a lot of fun to photograph!

Meet Jenny Leigh Freeman, a local aspiring singer and songwriter. Jenny is super talented and can rock it on the guitar… she also has an amazing voice! I was excited when she asked me to update her headshots! We decided on an urban twist and scouted some places in Locust Point.

Check out The Jenny Leigh Band’s Myspace site for upcoming shows and music tracks.

http://www.myspace.com/thejennyleighband

Here are a few selects from our photoshoot. We were lucky to wrap up right before the thunderstorms and rain rolled in!

Last Saturday was a great day for pictures at the park. I had the chance to photograph the “B” family at Sherwood Gardens in Baltimore. We ran into the annual tulip dig that day so a lot of the park was under maintanence. We were still able to get some great shots. Cutie pies, Peyton and Paige had fun exploring!