While fairly new to the world of photography, I have always been interested in the principles of good design and how to make things aesthetically pleasing. When I was pregnant with my son, I searched high and low for a photographer who I could trust to take beautiful, elegant black and white photographs of me during that special time. I searched high and low, but couldn't quite find the right combination of elegance (versus cheesiness) and value (I didn't want to take a second mortgage out for these pictures). I found the perfect photographer for me, only she was in Pittsburgh. I drove the 4 hours to Pittsburgh to see her and was so pleased with the results. But it got me to thinking,there must be other people in the Virginia/Maryland/DC area who are looking for the same thing. And so began my quest to learn, learn, learn and practice, practice, practice. The rest, as they say, is history!

I specialize in maternity, newborn, and children's portraiture. While maternity and newborn sessions tend to involve more setup and positioning, it's an entirely different story with children. My goal is to capture your children in their natural environment, being themselves. Often times, the moments parents want to remember are not the ones where their child is sitting perfectly still and smiling for the camera, but the ones that are taken in their natural environment and that really capture their spirit. How to do that best depends on the age and personality of the child(ren).

Young children are meant to explore, play, and run, and I am not there to try to force them to sit still and look at the camera! The last thing I want for you is a set of images that look forced and unnatural. The best way for me to capture the true essence of your child is to see what works with your child; sometimes that means interacting and playing with them, sometimes that means observing them from afar, but always it means waiting for the right moment to snap the shutter.

Older children being photographed tend to never really forget the camera is there so we may do a bit more positioning or placement.but I still try to avoid the "smile and say cheese" kind of composition. I like to engage them in conversation, get them talking, and hope to catch a glimpse of their true personality. If the child has a hobby they particularly enjoy, like playing the guitar or painting, then we should try to capture them being absorbed in that activity as well.

While we can still create more formal, posed portraits, more times than not, the favorite family photos are the moments that I catch after the fact, when everyone has relaxed and is laughing and having a good time. The idea is to capture your spirit as a family, not just your smiles.