Wedding: Curtis & Kristy

It seems like it was only yesterday that Curtis, Kristy, and myself were talking about the big wedding day and all of the details that would potentially go into it. That time came and went so fast! Fast forward to their wedding, which took place on their family's private estate in Accokeek, MD.

Curtis and Kristy had been waiting their whole lives for this day to arrive and it certainly showed. The effort that they put in was clearly visible from the details and decor, to the coordination of the day as a whole. From the huge candy stand that made me feel like I was at Willy Wonka's factory, to the hand-crafted decor, to the restored wagon used for the ring-bearers, to the vintage Cadillac used to transport them, to the fine-grained timeline for everyone to adhere to - this wedding was definitely one to remember for me.

Curtis & Kristy -- my sincere wishes for love and happiness to you both. Have lots of kids and of course... call me to photograph them!

Special thanks to my colleagues and second shooters Roland and Kingston for helping to shoot this memorable wedding.

Looking for a portrait or wedding photographer in the Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland Area? I know --shameless plug, but I have to do it...

Hello World!: Peyton

Back in February, I spoke with Kerri and found out she was pregnant and expecting sometime this past spring. In late March, Tim and Kerri introduced Peyton to the world! A few months later, I met up with Tim and Kerri to capture some photographs of Peyton at their home in Leesburg, VA.

We both wanted to get creative with Peyton's newborn photographs, but as our session progressed, we started to realize that our time would revolve around Peyton's world and it certainly did. She is so precious with so many facial expressions. As with all newborns, I constantly wonder what they are thinking about and what they're trying to communicate to us. Being first time parents, you could see a constant glow on Tim and Kerri's faces, as they held Peyton in their arms for various photos. I'm sure they knew that this would be one of the rare times that they get to hold someone so small that means so much to them.

Even though the weather was a bit gloomy with spots of rain here and there, we had a great time capturing as much as we could. I look forward to taking more photos of Peyton, as she continues to grow. Welcome aboard Peyton!

Special thanks for Kingston Ko for helping to capture some of these moments with me.

Looking for a portrait or wedding photographer in the Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland Area? I know --shameless plug, but I have to do it...

A Family & Their Best Friend: Mike & Krista

As we prepared for our portrait session in Ashburn, VA, Krista told me that she wanted to capture her family and especially the relationship that has blossomed between her two daughters, Elizabeth (nicknamed E) and Anna (nicknamed Lou). Also included in this mix would be Bailey, their 9 year old dog and best friend, who had never been included in their previous photo sessions.

As the day of the session came, I felt bad because Lou was a bit under the weather with a cold, but it didn't take long before she was out and about with E, running and dancing. E was always ready for the camera, which made things easy. I told E that there would be times that I had to use the "pretty girl" lens, which automatically brought a smile to her face.

The interaction between the family as a whole was nice to see. If you saw E, Lou was not too far behind. As Krista played a Miley Cyrus song off of her iPhone, you could catch the girls (and even Mike!) dancing to it. It was nice to see such a strong bond between siblings at such a young age. I can only remember hating my brother for throwing boogers at me, farting in my face, blowing morning breath in my face while I was still sleeping, and other gross things when I was younger. Amazingly, we're the best of friends now, so I think E and Lou are off to a great start.

One of the funnier moments of the day was watching the family play around on the lawn. Krista was the loving and playful Mom. Mike, on the other hand, has clearly taught E a thing or two about wrestling. You could catch E wrestling with Dad and even copying Mike's signature "claw" move (reference the movie Liar Liar). I believe that she has found a couple of her own signature moves as well. Mike probably could've used a jock strap, but thankfully for me, I was standing behind the camera all morning to capture some of those entertaining moments.

Looking for a portrait or wedding photographer in the Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland Area? I know --shameless plug, but I have to do it...