Leaves and Laughs with 'L' and 'L' | Alexandria, VA Family Photographer

I recently had the pleasure of photographing the 'vG' Family for their 3rd annual holiday session. The kids are sweet and playful and always make me laugh, which makes for a great time together. This year, we scheduled the session for when their grandparents would be visiting, so we would be able to get some rare extended family photos as well.

Little Miss 'L' cracks me up. She knows she's beautiful and loves to pose for me and my camera - on a bench, by a railing, on a rock, by a tree. (Even when the camera was turned off, she was still striking a pose, ha!) She had lots of ideas of her own of where we should go and who should sit where, so I just followed her lead, which made my job easier! This year, her little brother 'L' finally stood up for himself and demanded that he get his fair share of time in front of the camera as well. Good for him!

We wanted to keep the session simple and casual for the sake of the grandparents, so we stayed close to their lovely home in Alexandria, VA. There were lots of colorful leaves on the ground and the kids were more than happy to play with them, so I was able to get some fun leafy action shots in addition to the posed ones.

As always, I had a wonderful time with the 'vG' Family!

Here's a sneak peak of our session:

Free to be you, me, and a tree | Alexandria, VA Child and Family Photographer

I love my sessions with the "B" Family, not only because they are loyal repeat clients, but because their sessions are the perfect example of what works well.

First of all, the parents have realistic expectations that their daughters will never sit still for the camera. And that is absolutely fine with me, as I want the girls to feel free to be themselves, to interact with their surroundings and with me without parental restrictions. If they want to play with leaves, climb trees, play chase, or scream silly, I am more than happy to capture the spontaneity. Besides, those are the types of images that I love the most because they fully reflect who the kids are.

Second, the girls are overflowing with personality, energy, and spunk, and are absolutely beautiful. They challenge me to keep up with them. Their laughter is contagious. I couldn't ask for more active, interesting, or inspiring subjects.

Third, they fully engage with me as a playmate and we all have a blast together. After the session was over, the little one actually expected me to get into their car with them so that we could continue to play together. So sweet!

Another happy family, another successful session. 
Thank you "B" Family, for reminding me of how much I love my job.

The dad was such a sport, letting her transform him into a tree -- too funny!

Friends with benefits get their turn in the limelight | Alexandria, VA Family Photographer

The "D" Family are dear friends of ours. They are smart, funny, and truly wonderful people. We see them often and I've taken many photos of their kids over the years (added benefits of being my friend, ha!). But like many other families, they don't have a single photo of their entire family. So this year, they decided that it was time to finally have a dedicated photo session with me.

Despite being so familiar with me, the older boy was rather reluctant to participate at first. But I worked my magic and he soon realized that there really wasn't anything to be nervous about and that my sessions are just one big playdate. He laughed at my goofiness, ran around the gardens with his brother, got tickled by his parents, and totally loosened up. Then, after his dad and I gushed about how handsome he was and he saw some of his images on my camera, he really started to get it. From then on, he was super cooperative and was practically beaming for the camera. That's when I know I've been successful!

Meanwhile, his sweet little brother is always glowing with a smile - no wonder my daughter loves him! He is a shy one, but armed with his favorite stuffed dog, he was a jovial participant during our session.

Here is a sneak peak.

While I was at it, I also took some glamour shots of the dad for professional usage. Future book cover, perhaps? What a handsome devil ;)

At the end of the day, it's not just about the images, it's about having a good laugh and enjoying our time together!

Cruising, Cobblestones, and Jimmy Choos | Alexandria, VA Baby Photographer

I was so pleased to FINALLY meet the lovely "N" Family this past weekend. They had originally contacted me back in the spring, hoping to get photos of their baby girl sitting up on her own during the peak of the cherry blossoms. Unfortunately, the cold weather thwarted our plans and we had to reschedule a couple more times during the summer due to illness. During that time, she went from sitting on her own, to crawling, to cruising, and is now on the cusp of taking her first steps. So much happens in the span of a few months!

When good weather and good health allowed us to finally meet for our session, we decided to celebrate her desire to be on her feet and on the move. We met in Old Town Alexandria, where she could hold hands and walk around interesting alleyways and gardens.

When they arrived, she was fresh from a nap and ready for her closeup. She's such a little cutie and seemed to enjoy exploring her new surroundings.  And her parents are not only warm and loving, but were also relaxed and open to trying new things, which made for a wonderfully pleasant session. I truly enjoyed spending time with this beautiful family!

Here's a sneak peak of our session.

Love the look of determination and excitement as she tries to stand up by herself.

 

I was so impressed by her mom, who carried her baby girl around cobblestoney Old Town while wearing Jimmy Choos. Talk about some spikey heels!

The Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious "D" Family | Alexandria, VA Family Photographer

This October weather has been so unpredictable. Two weekends ago, the weather was dreary, cold, and wet, not optimal for little people to be outdoors. But this past weekend was summery and sunny, perfect for FOUR family photo sessions!

First up was a fantastic family that I had met in a new mom's group when my son was an infant. The last time I saw them was at a Halloween party almost exactly three years ago. Since then, both of our families have added little girls and life unfortunately got too busy for playgroup get togethers. So I was absolutely thrilled when we recently reconnected and they asked if I would do a photo session with them.

We met early one morning in a lovely park in Alexandria, VA. I brought my own family to the park as well for a little reunion and for us all to meet the new siblings. It sure was wonderful to see them again. Since the last time I saw him, the boy has gotten bigger, more mature, and even more handsome! And the little girl is an absolute doll, with strong opinions, just like my own 2 year old (ha!). The mom had cleverly brought along an iPad loaded with some of their favorite tunes, including songs from Mary Poppins, so we were dancing and laughing all morning long. So fun! I sure hope it doesn't take another three years before we get together again!

Here's a sneak peak of our session together.

See, doesn't she totally look like a little doll?  So adorable!

Here are all four kids together!

Walking through Winkler | Alexandria, VA Child Photographer

I recently took my little muse to scope out another local park that I had heard might be a good spot for photos. Winkler Botanical Preserve in Alexandria, VA is a beautiful, tranquil woodsy getaway right off a major highway (I-395), well-hidden from the hustle and bustle of a very busy residential area.  You'd really never know that this nature sanctuary existed unless someone told you about it. And it doesn't even have its own website. The link above is just to the Friends of Winkler group that recently won a major battle against Virginia Dept of Transportation that had wanted to destroy nearly 1/3 of the Preserve to put in an exit ramp and a roadway - way to go Friends!

The 44 1/2 acre property is devoted to preserving local area plants and trees and providing free environmental education to Alexandria City Public Schools.  And sure enough, when we were there, we came across a couple elementary school groups learning about levers, leaves, and lily pads. A trail map does not exist, but the hiking trails are well-maintained, straightforward, and great for easy strolling -- totally doable for little people. There is a lovely man-made waterfall, mountain lodge, fun wooden benches, a little stream, cute bridges, and stone outcroppings. At this time of year, there aren't really any flowers, but there is abundant shade, which is great for photos. I had heard that deer and fox live in the Preserve, but to the disappointment of my little one, we didn't see any critters -- I'm sure they were hiding with all the kids around.

The Winkler Preserve is truly an urban treasure and definitely worth visiting again.  Here are a few photos from our quick visit.

  Here's another view of the super cute wooden bridge. I let out an audible gasp of excitement when we came around the corner and saw it.

Lovely stone bridge. Would be sweet to have a family walk over it.

 

There were several cute little wooden benches along the trail. Couldn't convince her to sit on one by herself, but she was somewhat agreeable to at least standing on one briefly.

 

Fun little stream to explore.

 

Happy girl = Successful visit!  

We will definitely come back again, even just to play.