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Archive for the ‘kids’ Category

Spring is finally here which means warmer days for my favorite sundresses have suddenly arrived! Clients often ask for recommendations about what to wear for portrait sessions and now I really do have some expert advice to share thanks to Ellie, manager at Dawn Price Baby. We spent a fabulous morning together creating outfit inspirations for spring. The mannequins were very cooperative and surprisingly quiet as you’ll note in the images below.

Trends Ellie sees for spring: rompers are not just for baby anymore – older toddler girls also have great romper options from Tea Collection, Mimi and Maggie and Mayoral. There are also bold prints and plenty of orange [I am biased here I will admit! I LOVE orange and it mixes well with blues, browns and purples too]. Luckily, we are on the same page when it comes to outfits for portraits: go for color and prints and no matchy-matchy khakis and white oxfords!

PHOTOPIA always recommends : Textures, textures, textures, bold color, prints and patterns and layers for cool mornings – and this goes for all ages.

Here’s the scoop on what you’ll see below: the first three images feature Tea Collection with Pink Chicken stripey pants thrown in the mix. Tea Collection is really my go-to for kids’ portrait sessions. Don’t worry about mixing patterns with Tea!  All their prints coordinate with each other so mixing stripes with florals or bold patterns not only works, it is recommended!  Tea Collection carries over colors in both their boys and girls collection which make it a great option for coordinating siblings.

Other favorite lines with funky prints and patterns [again what I love!]

Mimi & Maggie and Pink Chicken

This is just the beginning of our seasonal styling for portrait sessions so keep an eye out for other summer highlights and a fall preview. Enjoy!

The two shots below feature Mayoral - from Spain, with elegant European styling, classic look similar to Catamini but for a fraction the price. Great for more traditional styling and easy to pair with parent outfits too.

Here’s a fun combo for a boy and girl – both rompers. On the left is a real beach-ready stripe from Mayoral with Le Top on the right [race track ready?].

On the left below is a cool little outfit from Monster Republic - hipster boyswear from L.A. I often hear that there are fewer cool options for boys clothing but look no more. Between Tea and Monster Republic you are in good hands. On the right is the same romper from Le Top.

Happy Fall! It is really here, bursting in color all over the Hill and I am so happy to be out and about with my camera! With the help of my fabulous assistant, Susanne, I recently did Picture Day for my girls’ old preschool. Could it really be the sixth year that I have done these school photos? It does feel like ages ago that my girlies were this small. Like all little ones these kiddos are so sweet and shy and wise and funny and amazing. Click on a thumbnail below to link to each full frame image – gotta check out their fab outfits!

Last night my husband and I had a rare night out to hear live music. We went to see one of our favorites, Beth Orton, play at 6th & I Synagogue downtown. She was phenomenal. Her gravelly, delicious voice ephemeral as it echoed through the great space of the synagogue. I cried at least twice it was so beautiful. When she introduced a song about love, she paused and said “Well, really all of my songs are about love!”

I realized that in some ways her work is about love and so is mine. I see the love in your families. I see the way you look at your children and the way they look at you and I want to capture that. I feel I’ve succeeded when I look at a portrait and really feel something in my heart. And I want you to have that same feeling when you see your portraits everyday in your home.

And that’s certainly what I feel when I spend time with this family. I’ve watched them through my lens over the past eight years, from first pregnancy through school age kids, from my old box camera to digital. This is our eighth year of working together. What an honor and what a joy! And what love.

Every so often I photograph kids the same ages as my own and it makes me even more acutely aware of how big my girls are getting! I last photographed these kids when they were closer to 2 and 5 years old and now they are 8 and 11. It was such a treat for me to see them through my lens again but also just to hang out and get to know such interesting young people.  As you can see from all of the smiles below, we spent the better part of the morning just cracking up in between conversations about soccer, science experiments and books. Love it!

Springtime in DC has been quite a teaser this year…..not sure if  I’ll be wearing my gloves to a session or sandals!?! I bike to as many DC sessions as possible and have been grateful for those not too chilly mornings when I can peel of the layers and warm up in the sunshine as I photograph. The azaleas and dogwoods were truly in our favor for this session, as were the gorgeous kids, family and grandma too! Love those blue eyes and all the great patterns amongst the textures outdoors….

One of my favorite clients, whose family I’ve photographed in many great DC locations for the past several years, recently wrote to me saying she wanted to do “something different” for this year’s portrait session, yet still generate some images for holiday cards. After a few email exchanges we came up with a plan for a mini “day in the life” type session. We started at home in the kitchen, where they normally hang out Saturday mornings, then strolled over to Eastern Market, one of their favorite weekend destinations. It was a spectacular fall day and really so much fun…..and I’m so excited about the images that came out of it. Here’s to “something different!”

This has been a wet fall to say the least! I am thankful for the amazing weekend weather we’ve had but I’ve been caught in more downpours, camera in hand, than usual this time of year. Luckily, I’ve spent alot of time with this wonderful family so we were perfectly comfortable crowding together trying to stay dry during the sudden deluge mid-portrait session. Here are some faves of from the morning – thanks for braving the weather with me!

I’m not sure anything I write can be as clever as these preschoolers are on their own. I’ll just say they were all amazing, visions of the grown-ups they will be  – smiley, shy, silly, serious, and all so well dressed in stripes, layers and bright colors. Kudos, parents!

I have more images from Maine to share! Interestingly, like my last post, this portrait session was also right before a move, though this time we focused more on capturing the home that was dear to my clients. Details of their lovely house, interactions with a beloved neighbor, favorite rooms and so simply, the front stoop, one of my favorite urban locations for portraits.

Isn’t she a delight? I love seeing both the quiet, contemplative moments and bright, smiley ones.

When I meet with my clients for their pre-session consultation I always ask them to think of a location for portraits that has meaning to them. I am happy to make suggestions but find that the connection to place brings so much to the mood of the session and even to the feel of the final images themselves. The location can be home, a favorite park or place the family likes to spend time. Last weekend I was honored to photograph an amazing baby at the Jefferson Memorial where his parents had their wedding! Sneak peek of those images coming soon…..

The day I photographed these two sweet sibs was the day before the movers came to their home, the day before they moved to a new house and a new town so it was important that we capture where they lived now. For those of you who know DC, you might recognize Capitol Hill. Brick sidewalks, wrought iron fences, grassy parks and great climbing trees!