Angelina Photography

Out with the Old, in with the NEW!

2010-06-21T16:23:00.000-07:00

Angelina Photography has OFFICIALLY MOVED!

This site will stay active, but I will now be posting at the new site:

angelinaphotographyblog.com

Go check it out and let me know what you think! I'm so excited for all of the changes and I hope you are too, so make sure to update your bookmark in your browser and subscribe to the NEW blog! :)

Alie and Dane are Married! Patuxent River, MD | May 22, 2010

2010-06-09T15:04:00.000-07:00

I think it is beyond reasonable to say that on May 22, 2010, the photographer at a certain (awesome) event was more nervous than the bride at that said event. Alie pulled up to the church in multicolored socks, soccer cleats and a veil in her hair. I asked her if she was nervous, she shrugged her shoulders and replied, "Naaaah, but wait! This is your first wedding! You must be nervous! Girl, you're gonna do great!" Can you believe that she was more concerned about if I was nervous than herself? Alie, you are not only a fantastic person, but a fantastic bride! But this whole situation gets better- she married the love of her life that day, Dane, and I was lucky enough to witness it all! How amazing is this job?! I get to capture one of the most important days in people's lives.

Not only are Dane and Alie amazing, cool people- their families and friends are too! They were all so nice and inviting! I think this might've had to do with the fact that some of them are from my hometown (what up, Manalapan!?)- it's a small small world!

The girls all made their bouquets before the wedding- I think that's a great way to add a personal touch!

I LOVE the next two pictures! Dane just looked so so happy to be standing up there. As soon as Alie started walking down the aisle, a huge smile spread across his face. Priceless.

One of the funniest moments of the night: Alie forgetting her bouquet when she walked down the aisle, but none of that mattered. She laughed and whispered loudly down the aisle, making fun of her mistake, but as soon as she caught a good glimpse of Dane, she rushed down to the aisle to meet her soon-to-be husband. :)

Yay, she got her bouquet! (Yes, that rhymes)

Of course it started to pour once we got to the beautiful Patuxent River Naval Base, where the reception was to be held, but after that rain, the lighting was perfect. Couldn't have asked for better light!

Love this next picture!

Seriously, how cute are they?!

Walking around in mud in cute shoes is a big no-no, so luckily Cara, my awesome sister/second shooter, offered to lend Alie her shoes for a little while.

Work it, work it!

*sigh*

First dance as Mr. and Mrs. Taylor!

And let the fuuuuun begin!

This last shot basically sums up the fun and laid-back night. These two are just awesome. :)

Alie and Dane, thank you so so much for letting me spend this day with you, your families and your friends. Your day was special to me on so many levels, and I will never forget it. You are both incredible people and I know you'll make each other very happy for many many years to come. Congratulations!

Memorial Day in Philly!

2010-06-02T18:24:00.000-07:00

Fishing, hockey, barbeques.

Ok, one of those things is not like the others. I'll give you a hint- ok, no, I'll just tell you. Fishing? Hockey? Psssh, this girl doesn't usually do that. Barbeques? Ohhh yeah, I looove barbeques.

But regardless of whether or not I usually go fishing (or maybe just watch someone fish) or watch hockey (and pretend to know what's going on), I had an awesome time doing ALL of it in Philly this weekend.

Tom and I had fun following Joe around like the paparazzi (cue GaGa here...)- he was definitely a good sport, until he went all i'm-going-to-shave-my-head-like-Britney crazy. He just couldn't handle...what a shame.

And of course I had to get some shots of Tom with his new awesome camera (I'm not jealous. Ok, yes I am)

I had to trek down a steep muddy hill in a dress and flip flops to get down to the water, but it was totally worth it.

What I didn't include in that list was kickball, beer, sightseeing, and Mets bashing. I don't think you have to guess which one of those I was NOT pleased about. Whatever, they're just jealous of my awesome team. ;)

The next day Tom, Pat and I walked around downtown just snapping some pictures. I just can't get enough of this city. :)

Ohh, and then I got to see them play an aweeesome game of kickball!

I was sad to say goodbye to Philly, but I'll be back soon! After getting back to DC, I met up with Kaelyn for some headshots! Here's a sneak peek! :) The shoot was full of boom box, salsa dancing, old pickup trucks goodness!

And, of course, the weekend was memorable because we were celebrating our Freedom. Our Freedom that so many people take for granted.
Our Freedom that we owe to the men and women serving our country so selflessly.
Thank you for everything you do.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and remembered to thank someone who served or is currently serving in the military.
:)

Pure Craziness and a Sneak Peek!

2010-05-26T15:09:00.000-07:00

Things have definitely been crazy lately- CRAZY! While I know that's no excuse for my lack of blog posts (shame on me!), that's the best excuse I've got! Summer is right around the corner and it's going to be an awesome one. I don't think I've ever had a busier summer (ok, maybe that's lie), but I've definitely never had so many weekends booked so ahead of time. As of three months ago, I NEVER used a planner. I'd buy them every year in college, use it for a week, and then decide that it was useless because I'd never use it. It would sit at the bottom of a junk pile, with a few homework assignments from the first week of class (because I'd try to be good and actually use it!), but after that first week- nope, wasn't going to happen!

I now rely religiously on my planner. Has it made me more organized? Yeah, I think so. I'm kind of impressed that I've been using it so much- let's see how long this lasts ;) I have wonderful people filling it up- whether it's for WEDDINGS (!!), engagement shoots, family shoots, a little bit of vacation time, or even just ME time. It all goes in there- thaaank goodness.

So, as I was saying, I apologize for the lack of posts, but I think I'll blame it on my full planner. ;) Not only do I have AWESOME shoots to post (including my very first wedding), but my new blog/website is on its way! How excited am I?! VERY! So be patient with me- it's going to be a heck of a summer! ;)

Oh, and for you guys that do keep reading (you are insanely awesome- no, seriously), here's a little sneak peek of the oh-so-cool Mr. and Mrs. Taylor :)

Mother's Day Shoot | Old Town Alexandria

2010-05-17T14:51:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago I spent some time with a beautiful family on a very special weekend- Mother's Day weekend! Kathleen asked me if I could do a quick shoot with her and her two beautiful daughters in Old Town before I drove home to spend some time with my Mom. Of course I couldn't say no to that!

You might recognize Kathleen and little Katharine Grace from this shoot! Katharine has gotten so big since the last time I saw her- plus, she walks/runs EVERYWHERE! She's tough to keep up with!!

Oh, and did I mention that it was SUPER windy? Sheesh! We finished the shoot just as it started to pouuuur!

Look at that cutie ;)

They'd sit Katharine down for a second and she'd automatically want to get up. She was a crawling machiiine!

Isn't Beth gorgeous- plus she's a smarty-pants!

I LOVE this picture because every time the wind would start gusting Katharine would get all excited and go "woooooo!"

I had such a fun time hanging out with these fabulous ladies! I hope every mother had a wonderful Mother's Day! Everything you do means so much to your children- we should celebrate mother's every day of the year! (Although, I do feel like there should be "kids day" too- I know, I know- eeeeveryday is kid's day!) ;)

Nina and Chris | DC Engagement

2010-05-12T16:43:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago I had so much fun hanging out with Nina and Chris at the Franciscan Monastery in DC. Nina and Chris were such a blast to work with! I had never met them before, but as soon as they saw my car pull up in the parking lot they were both waving. Right when I got out of my car Chris walked up to me and complemented me (his momma taught him well) and we all just started talking like we already knew each other. This super fun and lovable couple is getting married on October 2nd, and I am thrilled to be shooting their wedding!

On another note, seriously, the Franciscan Monastery is BEAUTIFUL! If you haven't been, go! Ok, well go after you're done checking out the pictures, of course. ;)

Here are a few of my faves, but if you want to check out the rest of the pics, CLICK HERE!

We got to the Monastery nice and early so we could roam the place and not worry about having to duck out of the way when the big tour groups game- it was great.

This picture has some funky shadows, but it's just so peaceful.

So cute, right?!

It's so sparkly and preeeetty ;)

Nina and Chris are both very spiritual, so we took a little break in one of the many beautiful gardens along with some beautiful statues.

They asked if we could take a few pictures in the church- ohhh boy, was that church stunning or what?!

They're seriously adorable!

Nina and Chris- thanks so much for spending the morning with me and suggesting such a magnificent place to take pictures at! It was such a pleasure and I caaaaaannot wait to shoot your wedding in October! yay! :)

If you want to check out the rest of the pics, CLICK HERE!

Gracie and Ron | Fredericksburg Engagement

2010-05-03T16:30:00.000-07:00

Meet Gracie and Ron! They're adorable together, so comfortable around eachother, and I'm sooo excited to be shooting their wedding on September 18th! Yaaaay! They met each other in high school at their church and then continued onto the University of Mary Washington (ahem, myyy alma mater...whaaaat up!).

You know what this means, right? I got to take a trip to the beeeautiful UMW campus that I miss oh-so-much to meet this awesome couple! I hadn't met them before, but because UMW is a fairly small school, I definitely recognized them. My roomie, Kay, joined me for the shoot (thanks for carrying my 500 lb. Mary Poppins bag) because she worked on the school paper with Gracie.

Ron was a business major (totally the best major EVER) and now he's earning his masters degree (smarty pants) at the UMW Grad School. Gracie currently works at a newspaper going on with her awesome journalist-self. ;)

Gracie and Ron will be married on September 18th RIGHT on the Rappahannock river. Kay and I stopped by the ceremony/reception venue after the shoot and I was thrilled to see it! Ohhh man, I already have the shots in my head- they have colorful canoes and a vintage bus and, of course, the beautiful river. Aweeeesome. :)

So we started off at one of my favorite buildings on campus, Lee Hall.

Then we headed down to the amphitheater- another one of my favorite places on campus, that I didn't take full advantage of when I was in school. Not many people go down there, but it is definitely a hidden gem on campus.

There are beautiful carved trees all around the area...looove it.

Oh, and then we thought it would be cute to blow on dandelions- except they were the MOST stubborn things eveeer!

Gracie and Ron, I'm so so excited to shoot your wedding in just a few months! You two were so much fun to work with! Thanks for getting me back to UMW- I'll never stop loving that campus! :)

Want to see the rest of the pictures?? CLICK HERE!

Megan and Nick | Annapolis Engagement

2010-04-27T13:44:00.001-07:00

Many many months (or so it seems) ago, Megan contacted me to take her's and Nick's engagement pictures at the Naval Academy. So of course I was excited and I was so ready to make a trip- and then it got cold and rainy and just plain yucky. We had to cancel...:( and then it got even colder and yuckier and snow was everywhere, so the pictures were put off til last week when we were able to take advantage of the beautiful weather on such a beautiful campus. Ok, that was a really long sentence haha!

Back to what I was saying- the night before our shoot the weatherman was predicting rain, so I kept my fingers crossed and hoped for the best, and we had a beeeautiful day! It was super windy which made for some awesome "wind in hair" shots- you can never have enough of those! ;)

Megan and Nick have been dating since their senior year of high school, so when Nick proposed on the "Commitment" bench on the US Naval Academy grounds, of course Megan said yes! Megan and Nick are currently planning their wedding which will be on June 11, 2011 at the beautiful Naval Academy chapel!

Megan was such a trooper- it was chilly and so windy out and she was in a cute little sundress, but I didn't hear one complaint from her!

Here are a few of my faves, but if you want to see more from their shoot, CLICK HERE! ;)

Aren't they cute?!

They're my new models ;)

Ok, seriously, I LOVE this campus...how could you not?! The cherry trees were blossoming all over the place and everything was so green.

Look at that model pose! Work it!

They were just laughing the whole time, I loved it! We were also being pelted by cherry blossom petals, but made it through! phew!

Love these next two...

After walking around campus, we went downtown and Megan and Nick switched it up for a casual look

One of my favorites from the shoot...love it!

gor.ge.ous.

When we were taking these last two shots, there were a bunch of midshipmen hanging out and I was afraid that Nick was going to get embarrassed taking pictures in front of them, but he TOTALLY worked it!

And last but certainly not least, one of my faves from the shoot!

Megan and Nick, you were an absolute pleasure to work with! It was totally worth the wait! Congratulations- your wedding next year is going to be beyond beautiful!! :)

Want to see more pics? CLICK HERE for the slideshow. ;)

Katie and Mike | Colonial Williamsburg Engagement

2010-04-19T17:33:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to post these pictures because these two people are very very important to me. Remember Katie and Mike? I told their story when I posted their last shoot a few months ago. I never get sick of taking pictures of these two- not one bit.

I'd like to think that my super-awesome post about him and Katie inspired him to propose to her on Christmas night, but he has had this planned for years. Yes, years. These two were meant to be together- I know it and they most definitely know it. It makes me so happy and hopeful for them to start a new chapter in their lives together next June. I know, I know, that's sooo cheesy, but I really am so excited for them- and sheesh, I'm allowed to be cheesy every now and then!

It was so tough to pick what pictures I wanted to put up here, so if you'd like to see the SLIDESHOW with MORE pics, CLICK HERE!

Katie, Mike and I first made a trip to their reception site in Williamsburg, then headed down the road to a field that I wanted to experiment with, and THEN headed down to CW. It feels like it was just yesterday that we all met each other seven years ago just 1 mile down the road at WA. We have sometimes gone months without seeing eachother (which totally stunk!), but nothing has ever changed.

We used my grandfather's camera- the one he bought to take videos of my mother when she was just a baby.

Don't you just want to pinch his cheeks?! ;)

I love this photo, not only does it show Katie's stunning Tiffany's ring, but it also shows Mike's great uncle's watch, and his Naval Academy ring.

Mr. Rettig bought Katie beautiful daffodils to use for the pictures- the yellow compliments Katie's dress to well!

I LOVE this picture- the light was so dreamy

Total wind-in-hair shot- Tyra would be proud.

Katie and Mike are just so comfy in front of the camera and it makes me love what I do so so much more. I <3 href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/37615849@N04/4539223176/" title="laughing by ssims08, on Flickr">

We were in CW, of COURSE we were going to hit up the stocks.

We ended the night at Mike and Katie's favorite place in town- the duck pond. They used to come down here and feed the ducks in high school. It just so happened that Mike proposed at the pond too- love it!

Look at those hotties ;) ;)

Here's the bridge that Mike proposed on- it was freezing cold, Katie was sick, and they were both tired after celebrating Christmas with their families. The night, however, turned out perfectly, and of course Katie said 'yes.' How could she not?!

Mike and Katie- I'm so excited for you both. I'm excited to see you soon (again), to help Katie make things/plan her wedding, to wear Mike's uniform jacket (and look like a waiter) to see if your dress matches, and to see you guys get married next summer. I.CAN'T.WAIT.

Want to see the SLIDESHOW of more pics? CLICK HERE!

The Hovey Family

2010-04-15T17:32:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago I met up with Tracey and her awesome family in Colonial Williamsburg! Tracey and I used to work with each other when I lived in Williamsburg, and I hadn't seen her since I moved up to DC. We had planning to get together for pictures for quite awhile, and a few before the shoot, Tracey had to cancel because poor little Lexie had to have surgery! Well, have no fear, little Lexie was up and crawling around (seriously, that little girl would not stop crawling!) in a few days and we were able to do the shoot as scheduled. So not only did I get to snap some shots of 8 month old Lexie, but I also got some fun shots of her awesome older brother, Zachary, who is 7 years old (and who drew me a rockin' picture!). :)

Here are a few of my faves- if you want to see the rest, CLICK HERE!

Seriously, what.a.cute.family!

Zach collected sticks and clovers throughout the shoot to decorate a bright red wagon with!

These kids were just too adorable and so well behaved!

Tracey was inspired by a picture that I had posted a few weeks ago with bright pink shoes. Seriously, the 8 month old is STYLISH!

Look.at.those.eyes!!

First she posed for me...

Then she got bored and crawled away...

Ahhh, I just wanted to steal those kids haha!

Trying on Mom's cool sunglasses. :)

I loooove this pic...they're all just cracking up at Lexie who was definitely feeling cool

Then Zach had to try on his Dad's cool shades!

I had to post this one- she looks like a PORCELAIN DOLL!

Zach was so much fun- he always had a smile on his face and was always ready for a picture. Most 7 year olds would want nothing to do with this, but he was such a good sport.

This pose was his idea hahaha! I might hire him to be my second shooter :)

At the end of the shoot, I got a little science lessen. Scientist Zach told me that if you mix two different neon bottles of bubbles together, they'll work better. Duh. :)

Also, did I mention we're BFFs now? Zach drew me an awesome picture...Whaaat up!

Tracey, Chris, Zach, and Lexie- I had so much fun working with you guys! You are such a wonderful, loving and fun family! I hope you had as much fun as I did! :)

Want to see the rest of the pictures? CLICK HERE!

Boatner Family Party!

2010-04-11T17:12:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I attended a wonderful event- Kay's (my roomie) grandfather's 80th birthday. Kay's parents asked me to come along and take pictures because it's very rare that the whole family is together at one time. The Boatner family came together from all parts of the country (not only from VA, but also Idaho and Colorado- whoa!) to celebrate a man near and dear to each one of their hearts. :)

Here are a few pictures from the night! Want to see more? Check out the rest by clicking HERE.

The party started out with a nice happy hour/open bar when everybody was able to catch up before a yummy yummy dinner!

We got a lot of family shots that night, here's one of Kay, John and Margaret. Silly, silly kids haha.

Here's a picture of the birthday boy!

There was tons of great conversation, lots of jokes, and oh, discussions about what on the earth people are actually supposed to do with endives. Kay and John figured it out for us...

There were multiple toasts filled with wonderful memories.

Oh, and I can't forget the crazy glowing glasses that got passed around the table!

They were a hit among the family haha!

Trying to get everybody on a set of stairs wasn't the easiest task, but we did the best we could!

It was great spending time with an awesome family and meeting new people! Happy 80th Birthday, Grandad Boatner! You don't look a day over 30! ;)

To see the rest of the pictures, CLICK HERE! :)

Life's never too busy for a Sneak Peek...

2010-04-06T16:26:00.000-07:00

Things have been crazy, but that doesn't mean things haven't been great! I spent a wonderful weekend home with my family and friends. It was so nice to be back in Williamsburg for the weekend, see my family, see some of my closest friends, and see old friends that I haven't seen for awhile.

Stay tuned for the Boatner Family party, Hovey family pictures (such cute kids!) and Mike and Katie's engagement (yay!) shoot in Colonial Williamsburg. :)

*sigh* I love what I do. :)

Spring means Hot Pink Shoes time!

2010-04-01T16:05:00.000-07:00

I love Shoes
I love Pink
I love Spring

Most of all, I love wearing pink shoes in the Spring!

Enjoy the beautiful weather, everyone! :)

Alie and Dane | Engagement Session

2010-03-28T18:32:00.000-07:00

Meet Alie and Dane, my May 22nd couple! I'm so so excited to be shooting their wedding in Maryland, because not only is it my first wedding of the season, but it's the first time I'll be shooting a wedding as the main photographer! I'm excited, nervous, anxious, hopeful, thrilled...yadda, yadda, yadda- I could just keep going on and on.

I was excited to meet this fun couple because I have been talking to Alie for a little while online and I could just tell that she was a blast. She automatically told me that she wasn't a bridezilla (phew!) and, to top it all off, some of her family is from the same town in Jersey that I'm from (whaaat up, Manalapan!). Alie is hysterical and seemed so comfortable right from the start of the meeting. This is where Dane comes in- even though we were talking about wedding stuff the whole time, he seemed totally fine with it. Plus, he couldn't stop smiling when we were taking pictures (even when I said to be serious haha). Dane just returned from his deployment in Haiti, and he was basically thrown right back into wedding planning. Seriously, what a trooper!

We decided to get a few pictures before we finished our meeting- we didn't know where to go, so the back of a parking lot just had to work haha! :)

Dane proposed with a ring made with diamonds from his grandmother's engagement ring. :)

These two just work perfectly together! We had already gotten enough "serious" pictures so I started to ask them if they were ever goofy- well, before I could even finish my sentence, they were tackling eachother.

Ok, I dare you to tell me that they're not a good looking couple! Sheesh

Did I mention that they were wearing the same shoes? hahah!

Right around when this shot was taken (and we were freezing, by the way), I saw an alley. For anybody that's worked with before, you know I looove to shoot in alleyways. So, naturally II started yelling, "Ohhhh, I LOVE Alleys!" I think I might've scared Alie a bit hahaha- whooops! :) Also, did I mention that I can sometimes be a bit awkward? haha :)

Alie and Dane, I can't wait to shoot your wedding in less than two months! Woo hoo! :)

Lyndsay and Mak | Annapolis Engagement

2010-03-21T18:39:00.000-07:00

Ohhh, where do I begin? I don't know if I've ever loved sooo many pictures from one shoot, so it was so hard for me to choose which pictures to use. These are just a few of the shots I love.

For a look at all of the shots, click HERE.

Ok, so back to what I was saying...Yes, I complained (a lot) about the winter weather, and I certainly got my wish- beautiful weather, and awesome people to take pictures of. I couldn't have asked for a prettier day in Annapolis on Saturday, and I couldn't have asked for cooler people to work with. What an awesome way to start Spring sessions!

Meet Lyndsay and Mak- they're getting married in Rochester on June 19th and I am toootally jealous of their photographer, friends and family that are attending their wedding because they are going to witness two amazing people start the rest of their lives together. Lyndsay is a 2nd grade teacher and Mak is in his last year at the Naval Academy and they are just perfect together. Mak is constantly cracking jokes and Lyndsay is constantly smiling. They met eachother three years ago and have been together ever since- from the moment they began talking at a bar, to when Mak told Lyndsay he loved her on campus grounds (the shot below is them on the bench where he told her!), to when he proposed to her with his grandmother's ring. Just thinking of these two makes me smile- they were just such a pleasure to work with.

Not only were they more than willing to put up with me running around, promising that we'd only take a feeew more shots ("actually, let's get a picture here...and here...and here..." was my motto that day), making them carry around a random globe, and putting up with Melissa (my handy-dandy bag holder/assistant/awesome friend) and I making silly jokes all day, but they did this for THREE hours. Once I started taking pictures of these two, I just couldn't stop! How could I? They just radiated happiness. I'm pretty sure Mak told Lyndsay he loved her at least ten times (especially after he took countless pictures with random tweens and parents on campus tours. For goodness sake, he was like a celebrity!) and Lyndsay would just look up at him and smile contently. It all just felt so right. :)

Lyndsay, you are gorgeous! Look at those eyes!

I couldn't decide which of the next two pictures to post because I love them both, so of course I just posted both. ;)

Those rebels...

This next picture is one of my favorites from the shoot- I just looove it! What an AWESOME building!

Another favorite- this picture was taken right after Mak got pulled away for some pictures with some giggling tweens (and he toootally loved the attention haha).

This next shot was taken straight out of the camera. Love it.

I didn't include all of Mak's "fan" shots (there are too many!), so I had to include one of "perfected" Blue Steel shots. He must practice that look a lot... :)

Ok, now time for an outfit change...

Sheesh, they even look awesome when they're just walking down the street!

Now introducing the true star of this shoot- the amaaazing vintage globe. We carried that sucker all around town, got some strange looks, even some funny comments, but we sure as heck used it to get some awesome shots.

Seriously, does this girl take any bad shots?!

Goin' all GQ on us...

And what's a photoshoot without a really sweet alley?

I couldn't choose my favorites from the next series of pictures, so I just put in a bunch. These two are just so natural in front of the camera.

Lyndsay was a gymnast for 12 years, so she suggested doing a cartwheel. At first I thought she was kidding, but they did their thing and were even in synch while doing it. Sheesh!

So what will this oh-so-adorable couple do once Mak graduates in May? Well, first get married (duh!) and then move to Quanico where Mak will train to be a Marine. Lyndsay and Mak- thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. Both of you live to serve others, and you both deserve every bit of happiness that your future brings. I had such a wonderful time and I wish the best to both of you. :)

Want to see the rest of the pictures? Click HERE.

Surprise! The Schmidt's 25th Anniversary Party

2010-03-14T10:04:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I was invited to go to The Schmidt's 25th Anniversary Surprise Party which was organized by Lauren and Mike (remember them?).

I've never thrown a Surprise Party before nor have I had one thrown for me (hint hint wink wink). I remember my dad organized a surprise birthday party for my mom many years ago (when you were turning 21, right, mom? ;) ) and I wasn't told about it until the hour before the party...why? Because my dad and sister didn't trust me with such a big secret! I don't know how I got the reputation of not being able to keep a secret, but it's not fair! Come on, tell me a secret- I'll be able to keep it....really! Ok, maybe not.

Lauren and Mike are awesome kids (and they totally made me look bad- and I didn't tell my parents about this party exactly for that reason). I watched as Lauren planned this party months in advance- planning table settings, sending out invites, getting in touch with all of her parents' friends. Yes, there were a few close calls, but the Schmidts were completely surprised!

I'm just glad I didn't see Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt before the party. I might've let it slip...whoops!

Mrs. Schmidt's expressions were priceless! I have a whole series of these pictures posted here.

Despite having to rush to get the party set up as people started to arrive, the party was a total success! People looked like they were having a fantastic time!

Cutting the deeeelicious cake that Kay and I couldn't eat until midnight (thanks to us giving up junk food for Lent).

Kay and I with the wonderful hostess! Thanks for snapping this picture, Mrs. Boatner. :)

Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs, Schmidt! Here's to many more years of marriage and happiness! :)

If you were at the party and want to see if there are any sweet shots of you, check out the album here.

Portraits: The Many Faces of Dean

2010-03-13T13:06:00.000-08:00

This week was great! You want to know why? Because a very entertaining friend of mine, Dean, came to visit me at work. I have to admit, this was the most fun I'd ever had during my lunch break haha!

We only had about 30 or so minutes to get as many pictures as possible and I think we succeeded. Dean is like no other- he does so so much and always has a smile on his face, always wants to entertain, and is always there for his friends. Not only is he in his last year of law school, but he also runs an amazing Wedding Planning Company, Something New, Llc, (check it out!). Seeeriously, this boy's got style (and don't judge him by his Wolverwine T-shirt haha), and if I were getting married (sorry, it's not happening for a looong time), I would totally want him to plan my wedding. Brides-to-be, when you're done checking this out, make sure to send along an email to Dean if you need some help planning a wedding in the future!

Oh, and did I mention that Dean brought approximately 4,567 ties with him? He assured me that he only brought his pink, silver, and black combination ties, though- he had PLENTY more at home and at school. Seriously? And people say I have a lot of clothes?!

So then he did a dance with those ties...

And then cracked himself up...

I looove this next picture...

We call this part of the shoot "Emo Dean"

Dean, you're amazing- keep up all of your hard work! Thanks for visiting me at work and waiting patiently for me to change out lenses over and over again (I've been rpacticing- I'll get much better haha). :)

60 Degrees of Amazingness!

2010-03-08T14:44:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm aware that "amazingness" isn't a word, but how else would I describe the beautiful weather? I don't know if I have ever been so excited for Spring before- this year, the return of warm weather brings a whole new element into my life- photography. Lots and lots and lots and loooots of piiictures!

Just about a year ago, I decided that I was finally going to act on a dream of mine. I decided that I had waited long enough to buy something that I had wanted for years- a nice, brand new DSLR. I admit, I didn't know what to do with it when I got it. First of all, I had to get over the initial shock of my impulsive decision (which Cara didn't mind helping me out with).

Impulsive decisions are common for me. I decide that I want something and then I get it. That's it. Simple. Sometimes, like in this case, it meant that I had to put more money towards my credit card every month (Thank GOODNESS for Best Buy zero percent financing!). Looking back now, that decision was TOTALLY worth it. I did, however, have to promise myself that I would take lots of pictures- this camera couldn't be stored away in my closet and forgotten. I was going to make it worth it...and I did! That following weekend I remember taking 1,500 in one day. I headed into DC for sunrise and I was there til past sunset (ahhh Cherry blossoms!), and I couldn't be happier.

As I progressed and learned more about my new hobby, I began to see everything as pictures. My camera would be nowhere in sight, yet I would picture photographs in my head. How would I position that tree in the picture? The depth of field would be awesome in this picture! Look at that couple, if I had my camera, I'd put them to the left of center, and click! Yes, that can certainly get annoying to my friends who could care two cents about how a dog could be captured in a photograph, but they understood. :)

Flash forward a year- I've learned so much and I'm sooo looking forward to learning a lot more. I enjoy every moment of every photoshoot. I have some AWESOME photoshoots coming up (hellllo lots of Naval Academy pictures!!!) and I have some awesome people to meet (yaaaay my 2010 brides!).

So stay tuned for lots of pictures coming up in the next few months. I'm ecstatic- not only to meet these new people, but to learn with every picture that I take. So, seriously, Mother Nature- you need to back off! Let me take some pictuuures! ;)

And because I want to add some cuteness to this crazy post, here's some Dolce lovin'!
(Yes, it's just her nose, but she's so cute I couldn't help it!)

Dolce also wants to play outside in the pretty weather, although I would be lying if I said she didn't l.o.v.e the snow. She IS a snow dog, after all. :)

Hope

2010-03-02T15:13:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday marked a historical and mournful day in the country of Chile. My thoughts and prayers go out to Chileans everywhere.

The beautiful flowers below were given to a Chilean co-worker and friend of mine whose family lives in Chile. The flowers are just too pretty to not put up here. While I might not have any direct connections to the country, Cindy is always so proud of her heritage and I was so so relieved to hear that her family and friends were safe and sound. :)

If you would like to contribute to emergency efforts, you can visit:

* AmeriCares, https://secure.americares.org/site/Donation2?df_id=5820&5820.donation=form1

* American Red Cross, http://american.redcross.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ntld_main&s_subsrc=RCO_ResponseStateSection

* The Salvation Army, http://www.salvationarmy.org/ihq/www_sa.nsf/vw-news/7172714A0CE8FF75802576D70043BBB1?opendocument

You can also text to donate $10 to the following organizations. You will receive a confirmation text that your donation was received.

• Text “4CHILE” to 50555 to donate $10 to support Chile relief efforts through Convoy of Hope

• Text “CHILE” to 50555 to donate $10 to support Chile relief efforts through the World Program

• Text “CHILE” to 25383 to donate $10 to support Chile relief efforts through Habit for Humanity

• Text “REBUILD” to 50555 to donate $10 to support Chile relief efforts through Operation USA

• Text “CHILE” to 52000 to donate $10 to support Chile relief efforts through the Salvation Army

• Text “CHILE” to 20222 to donate $10 to support Chile relief efforts through World Vision

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge: I Wanna Dance!

2010-02-16T17:48:00.000-08:00

This week I entered one of my favorite photos into an "I Heart Faces" contest for their "I Wanna Dance" Challenge! This photo is of Joe and Casey's first dance as husband and wife at the wedding this past summer. The dance was so so cute and I was so happy that I caught their "big stunt" that they had been planning! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T13:37:00.000-08:00

does it keep you up at night?
does it chase you in your dreams?
does it rip you up inside, tearing at the seams?
does it burn up like a star, falling from above?
does it feel like love?

when you wear it on your sleeve
it's hanging by a thread
you're counting butterflies
as you lie awake in bed

it's so hard to contain
and it fits you like a glove

'cause it feels like love
(feels like love- tony lucca)

I hope everyone is spending the day with someone they love. If not, make sure to call the people you love and let them know that you love.them.oh.so.very.much! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Snow Angels, Snow Plows, Snowmen, Oh My!

2010-02-08T13:54:00.000-08:00

Snowmaggedon? Nah, I'll refer to it as Snowtorius B.I.G.
Funny that the last post I had on here was of nice, warm Florida weather. Ok, Karma, you already got back at me for rubbing the warm weather in people's faces, but another blizzard...ANNND another snowstorm tomorrow?! Sheesh, that's just a little ridiculous, don't ya think?

I don't want you all to think I'm a grinch or anything- believe me, I had my fair share of fun in the snow this weekend! Here are a few pics from my snow adventure with my roomie, Kay. It was like Kay's personal photo shoot this weekend haha (I know, I know, I'm sick of her too)! :)

First, we ventured to our cars- Kay wasn't too thrilled that her car was completely submerged in snowy goodness.

See! It was like her own little shoot!

Here's proof that I actually was there!

Climbing to the veeery top of a GINOROUS snowpile...

Apparently the snow was very yummy...I just took her word for it.

Bring it, snow! Victorious!

Ok, last one- she's gonna kill me. Here's Kay right after she jumped in the thigh-high amount of snow and then she almost faceplanted. Awesome.

Hope everyone had fun playing in the snow! And if you didn't get a chance to play in snow, don't worry, we have 10-20 more inches coming tomorrow.

Don't wear 45 SPF sunscreen if you want even a slight chance of getting a tan...

2010-02-02T18:03:00.000-08:00

That is certainly what I learned on my mini vacation down in Ft. Myers, Florida this past weekend! Other than forgetting to look at the sunscreen bottle when I was applying it, I had a nice, relaxing, WARM few days in Florida!

I thoroughly enjoyed the 80 degree weather, while I was making fun of my friends who were snowed-in in DC! Well, karma's a you-know-what and now I'm back in VA and it's snowing again! Annnnd it's supposed to snow (A LOT) this weekend too! C'moooon, Spring- get here soooon! :)

I had so much fun hanging with my family and old family friends! Can't wait to visit again :)
Here are a few shots from my last day down South (when it was snowing in VA haha!):

I just looked out my window- it's still snowing. Maybe if I look at these pictures long enough it'll magically stop snowing and turn 80 degrees? maaaybe?

Hmm...the snowplow just went by outside, so I'm thinking that's probably unlikely haha

Apparently this ice cream man has been roaming the beach with his palm tree and cart for years! He definitely had a tan that I was jealous of!

While I was walking around on the pier, I made a few new friends! Three beautiful pelicans were just chillin' waiting for fishermen to throw them some fish! There was a whole crowd of people around them, but that didn't seem to bother them. One of them seemed to love the photo op, he kept strutting up to me and posing.

Afterwards, we ended an awesome day in beautiful Naples! We caught a college ball game and drank a few beers while looking out on the water- seriously doesn't get more relaxing than that!

Can't wait for my next vacay (and some warm weather)!
:)

Your Significant Other Will TOTALLY love you if...

2010-01-24T19:04:00.000-08:00

...you sign up for a Special Valentine's Shoot!

Here's what they would say upon finding out that you are such an awesome boyfriend/girlfriend/wife/husband/kinda bf-gf/it's complicated gf-bf...
1. WoW! (Insert name here), how thoughtful of you!
2. You're, by far, the sweetest person I know!
3. Yes! Now I can't wait for my photo-op! ANTM here I come!

Ok, so maybe they won't say all of those, maybe they'll say one thing, maybe they'll just give you a big ol' smooch (I hope it's all of them PLUS the smooch!). Why don't you find out?!

In order to be applicable for the special rate, the sessions must take place within 30 miles of where I live. Want more details? Just email me atangelina.photography@yahoo.com

Book by February 5th for you shoot to receive the special rate
Shoots must take place between January 25- February 28

Book ASAP!
Yay! Taking pictures of people in love just make me happy! :)

When life deals you a bad hand...

2010-01-22T15:26:00.000-08:00

...well, just deal with it!
I have never been the philosophical type, so just bear with me haha.
All, I can say is, thank goooodness for patient friends...and a handy cheat sheet :)

Last night I played poker- and when I say "played," I mean "failed miserably," but certainly learned. Luckily we started with $10, so I only lost $9.65 by the end of the night. This obviously just means that I'm hustlin my friends- I just WANT them to think that I'm bad, so next time I'll kick butt. Yeah...that's it. :)

I didn't even have to use the cheat sheet once (ok, no, that's a TOTAL lie)! It only took a quick lesson at work which involved cutting out fake cards and getting quizzed (thanks, Cindy!), and some quick lessons before the game (thanks, Eric and Nathan!), but I think I got it?

I swear I won a few rounds- really! But then everyone's piles of chips started to get bigger and bigger (like enough to make cool towers), and mine started getting smaller and smaller.

Was it worth the $9.65? Definitely!

Watch out, people! I'm a card shark (or maybe I will be eventually...) :)

My friends also thought I was taking pictures of them all last night...psssh, told ya I was actually taking pictures of the table, people!

Everyone have a great weekend! :)

Lauren and Mike Sibling Shoot! :)

2010-01-18T11:04:00.000-08:00

Let me preface this post with: IT WAS SO COLD!

Ok, seriously...so so cold! Lauren and Mike decided to give their parents pictures as a gift (how cute!), so we ventured out into the freeeeezing weather to get some fun shots! What troopers!

The good thing about the freezing weather? Nice rosy cheeks and natural wind-blown hair! Those were definitely some pluses- blush was not needed that day, that's for sure!

Here are a few of my fave shots...Enjoy!

I loooove swings! We stopped for a little while to watch a frisbee game going on in the park. Swings are always fun, but when it's so so cold out, using the swings can only be fun for so long haha...

Love these pictures- I wanted to hop on the swings with them :)

I think this is my favorite picture from the shoot- love it!

I told you I love swings- here are a few more!

Lauren has approximately 6.47 million books in her apartment. Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but still- it's a lot! We used some of her really cool, vintage classics for the shoot. When it comes to books, I definitely judge a book by its cover (don't judge me!), and these books were just too pretty to pass up!

Yeeeees, a slide!!! I think this was about the time that Mike decided he wanted to kill me for making him play on the playground (and the whole cold thing probably didn't help either). Seriously, what a trooper!

Here's a little natural hair-blowing action. This can serve as evidence of what these two went through to get some cute pics :)

Lauren and Mike- thanks so much for coming out with me that day! You two put up with a lot! :) Hope your parents enjoy the pictures!

Like a Kid in a Candy Store...

2010-01-12T18:44:00.000-08:00

New Year's Weekend my roomie and I headed up to MD to see our awesome college friend, Laura, who hosted a fun fun fuuun Gingerbread House party!

Seriously, eating lots and lots of candy and icing might be fun at first, but a half an hour later the crazy sugar high fades away and you just never want to see candy ever again.

It felt like Halloween to me- it was almost as if I overturned my completely full pillow case of candy on the floor, sorted it, and just started eating. And eating. And eating. Ok, you get the picture...

Well, besides crashing after the sugar rush, we had an awesome time! Our personalized gingerbread houses are still sitting all pretty on our kitchen counter. Yay! :)

And the hostess with the mostest....

So I finally have my new computer which means fun stuff is comin at you guys! Please be patient with me as I change around my blog and FINALLY launch my website! Yeeeees!! :)

Jackie and Dylan are Engaged!

2010-01-04T07:07:00.000-08:00

Christmas weekend was awesome, I had a fun trip and spent time with my family, and oh yeah- met a really awesome couple who are getting married in 2011! :)
Jackie and Dylan were referred to me by a friend (Kathleen, you rock!) and I couldn't be happier to work with them. They were such a sweet couple and had absolutely no problem showing people how much they loved each other in public! Jackie and Dylan met in elementary school, but didn't start dating until high school- Jackie admits that she often frequented the movie theater just to see Dylan because, at the time he worked there.

After graduation, Dylan joined the Navy (Let's go Navy!), and has been stationed in Japan for 3 years while Jackie's been studying at JMU. Ok, seriously, Japan is waaay too far away from Virginia, and the two were only able to see eachother a few times during his deployment. It's NO wonder Dylan was alll about kissing his girl during the shoot! :)

I met up with the couple in the heart of DC on a beautiful (surprisingly warm day) and we got some fun shots! Here are a few of my faves :

We started the shoot off at the Navy War Memorial which has a HUGE world map in the middle of it. Jackie and Dylan stood on San Diego, where they'll be moving next! Cute, right?!

Then we moved on to the National Archives. Love love loooove taking pictures there! So pretty...

Congratulations, Dylan and Jackie, and good luck with all of the fun wedding planning! :) It was so fun to work with you both!

Bring it, 2010!

2010-01-02T13:49:00.000-08:00

Wow wow wow...2009 went by in a whirlwind. In the last 6 months, my life has completely changed. My hectic (but amaazingly fun) life now includes something that I absolutely love- photography. Last January I would've NEVER thought I'd have my own photography business by the end of the year- just insane. Just thinking about me practically makes me speechless, which, believe me, hardly EVER happens.

I've met some amazing people (new clients and other photographers who've become friends) and I just can't wait to meet even more people in 2010. I'm shooting my first weddings (on my own!!) this year and I'll be assisting a fantaaastic photographer (I don't want to name her because I'm afraid I'll jinx it!!) who has been such an inspiration to me. :)

So, here's to a new and exciting year- a year of personal growth. I have so many new goals for this year (launching a new website, booking more weddings, and oh yeah...running my first half marathons and marathon!).

Thank you so so much to everyone who has inspired and pushed me to pursue one of my biggest dreams this year- without you guys, none of this would've happened! Thank you to everyone who was patient with and who will be patient with me in the coming years as I learn to become a better photographer. I have so so much to learn, but you guys helping me along sure makes it lot easier!

A Happy and Safe New Year to you and your families!

Here are just a few of my favorite pics from 2009:

A Very Merry Christmas

2009-12-30T17:55:00.000-08:00

Ok, this is a little late, but I wanted to post up a few pictures from my Christmas this year. The crazy blizzard two weeks ago messed up our Christmas plans a little, but it turned out for the best- we got to spend the holiday with our family up in Jersey and PA!

I <3>

The pups got to play in the snow...

We had some fun, even if it was just with a silly pair of glasses (whose were those anyway?!)

We got to eat some DELICIOUS food (I just might have to run approximately 9130.6 miles to burn off all of those calories, but it was toootally worth it)

And, oh yeah, I got to play with my NEW LENS!! Did I mention that my sister, Cara, and my brother-in-law, James, are basically AWESOME! They bought me a kick-butt 35mm lens that I definitely had some fun playing around on. Yeeees!

I got fantastic presents this year (thaaanks Mom and Dad, Cara and James, and faaamily!) and I think I gave some pretty sweet presents too, if I do say so myself. :)

Presents are great and all, but being able to spend time with my wonderful family (but my immediate and my extended) was amazing!

Check back soon for my Engagement shoot in DC with Jackie and Dylan! So cute! :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! :) :)

Sarah and Josh Couple Shoot in Yorktown, VA

2009-12-15T07:34:00.000-08:00

Ohhh Sarah and Josh- they were just too darn cute!

I went to high school with Sarah and a few months ago Sarah got in touch with me to talk about taking pictures of her and her husband before he's deployed in January. First of all, it's so good to hear from old friends that you've lost touch with. Second, it was an honor to take pictures of a Sailor who continues to serve our country. Third, they're just adorable!! :)

I met up with Sarah and Josh in Yorktown a few days after Thanksgiving (still fighting the sleep-deprivation from a looong, yet successful, day of shopping on Black Friday). Lucky for us, we had a BEAUTIFUL day to work with, which ended in an even MORE beautiful sunset. Yes!! Oh, and did I mention we found a reeally cool vintage boatyard. Sweet, right?!

And last but not least, one of my fave shots of the night!

Sarah and Josh- congratulations on getting married! You two were so fun to work with! :) Sarah, it was wonderful to see you again, and Josh, it was great to meet you. Thank you for your service and come home to your sweet wife nice and safe!

Alison O'Brien Shoot in Washington, DC!

2009-12-08T15:23:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of finally meeting Miss Alison O'Brien, an aspiring singer/songwriter who is currently recording her first album! Alison is a classically-trained singer and pianist and decided to go pursue the pop route- her music kind of has a nice Sarah Bareilles feel to it! Long story short- Alison heard about me through a friend (sheesh, Jen! Thanks...again!!) and is also friends with Julia and Johnny.

Alison was so excited to do this shoot, as was I, because it was totally different from anything I've ever done before. Alison wanted to push the envelope and get some edgy shots, as well as some fun and sophisticated shots- well, we got them all!

We had a lot more ideas planned, but could only do so much before Mother Nature took the darn Sun away!

A super-duper-awesome-pecial shout-out to my amazing roomie, Kay (who spent 7 hours in the city helping me out like whoa!), Izzie Painter (who did an AMAZING job on Alison's makeup. Craazy stuff! If you ever need your makeup done, hit this girl up!), and Andrew (Alison's awesome boyfriend who stuck around with 3 girls allll day!).

Hellllllloooo, wind-in-hair-awesome-model-walk! Ohhh, Tyra would be proud!

So apparently Alison has a song about a Martian, sooo the crazy UFO-looking things outside of the Urban Housing Building worked perfectly for the theme!

Ok, ok...are you ready for some awesome makeup courtesy of Miss Izzle Painter? Here's a before and after...Alison was definitely turning heads in Chinatown that night!

Alison's posse (yes, she has a posse...including myself) commandeered a table at a crowded Starbucks while Izzle was working her magic!

Alison definitely had a lot of admirers that night- some very nice and others just very creepy haha!

...and NOW it feels like Christmas! :)

2009-12-06T13:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I woke up to a beautiful snowfall- our first one in Northern Virginia this season! I have my Christmas tree up and I've started my Christmas shopping, yet it just didn't feel like Christmas time- that is, until everything was covered in snow yesterday!

Oh, and did I mention that I LOVE waking up and seeing a Christmas tree in my family room every morning?! *sigh* so happy!

Now I'm excited!

Sneak Peeks!

2009-11-30T17:57:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I totally knew this was coming...the inevitable.

My laptop crashed on Wednesday night.

Thank goodness my pictures were backed up (yikes! can you imagine?!), but unfortunately, I lost all of my presets that I always use in Lightroom. :( So, for now, I'm going to post a few pictures that I edited (with makeshift presets) and once I get all of the settings back, I'll go back to editing, editing, editing! Keep your fingers crossed!!

Here's a few shots from my shoot with singer/songwriter Alison O'Brien in Washington, D.C. More to come soon (including her crazy awesome, Lady Gaga-esque shots in the middle of crowded Chinatown!)

And here are a few shots from my couple shoot with Sarah and Josh down in Yorktown, VA! I can't wait to go through them all and edit! :)

Stay tuned!

Thank you...a few days late! :)

2009-11-25T10:18:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that just five months ago I did my very first photo shoot. 5 months. Wow.

Over the last few months, my amazing family and friends have inspired me beyond belief to continue with my new-found passion, photography.

So today, I am so so thankful for more that I can express in simple words.

I am thankful for the endless support from my amazing family and friends.
For the constant words of encouragement
For the constructive (and maybe not so constructive...but what do you expect? If a picture is THAT bad, nothing's going to help it!) criticism that has helped me grow
For the people who truly believe in me
For the people who trust a new photographer, without a doubt, to capture such special times in their lives
For the people that believe in me and tell me I have a future in this business and want to help me get there

But most of all, I am thankful for love, because without love I wouldn't have the support of the people that I love the most and the people that love me. And without love- I wouldn't be able to capture and photograph my favorite thing in the whole world- people in love (whether they be in love with eachother or just love eachother...you know what I mean!).

So thank you! Thank you thank you thank you.

I hope everyone had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving!

Stay tuned for some pictures from my two last aweeesome shoots coming this week! :)

The Ryan Family

2009-11-24T18:11:00.000-08:00

A few weekends ago I met up with Katie (remember her? I did two engagement shoots with her and her fiance Rob), Erin and Keith in Baltimore. We started niiice and early on a beautiful Saturday morning down at the Inner Harbor- the harbor wasn't bustling yet, and it was just perfect for a shoot!

These three were just a blast to work with- there was a lot of wrestling, pulling ears, running and, I can't forget- Jumping! Yes! They were so much fun to run around the Harbor with- and did I also mention that this shoot was a gift for their parents for Christmas?! How sweet is that? Katie had told me beforehand that every year her mom tries to get goofy pictures of her and her siblings, but they just never come out right! So don't worry, Mrs. Ryan, we got plenty of goofy shots for you (although, I was threatened to not put them up on the blog, so I won't!!). Enjoy! :)

Thanks to my awesome-o "assistant" Katie for the idea for the next few pictures! I knew I kept her around for sooome reason :)

And, of course, a shoot wouldn't be the same without some action shots.

Ok, now for a few of my favorite shots of the day. How many of you can actually say you can do this? Probably not many...I know I can't! Keith entertained us (and a few onlookers) for a bit as he ran back and forth on the bridge and did a few heel taps for us!

I absolutely love being able to see the dynamics between brothers and sisters! The three of them were messing with eachother during the whole shoot- can't get more fun than that!

I might've made them jump approximately 453 times, but at least we got good results haha!

Keith wanted to show everyone how strong he was by doing a push-up with his sisters on his back...while it looked impressive at first, the look on his face in the second picture shows that it was a lot harder than he said it was! (I can't even do a regular push-up!)

I loooved watching all of the craziness! So much fun!

And last, but definitely not least, throwing around some beeautiful leaves!! I love the fall! :)

Thanks again, guys! I had a blast! I hope your parents LOVE their Christmas present! :)

Jess and Bill Couple Shoot!

2009-11-12T14:19:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday I made a trip out to Stanardsville, VA...don't know where that is? Yep, neither did Google (and google is basically my life)! Stanardsville and everything around it happens to be one of the prettiest and serene places I have ever been to...no, really! Coming over from bustlin' NOVA over to the country was definitely a treat!

It was so nice to meet up with Jess and Bill because they are such a fun couple! Jess is a self-proclaimed blog stalker (really?! I never thought I'd have one of those! yeeees!) and she is always sending me the nicest comments on my pictures, so I definitely wanted to get out there and take some pictures for her! What.a.trooper- Jess was still getting over the flu (yuck!) and her a Bill came out dressed in winter clothes and it was 80 degrees and soooo sunny out. If I were them, I would've been complaining the whooole time, but they just smiled and did their modeling thing the whole time. :)

I drove up to Bill's mom's house and my mouth literally dropped- the place was just drop dead gorgeous! I actually thought the family's house was an inn because it was so put together and just so sooooo beautiful (which I might've told them approximately 93058 times)!!

Oh, and you want to know something else that was super suuuper cute?! Their dog Scooter...I totally wanted to scoop up that pup and take him back to NOVA (but they threatened to fight me for him...).

Aww, aren't they just a cute little family?!

Oh, and did I mention that they had a BARN! Ok, we just don't have those where I come from...so of course I had to take advantage of it.

I can say for a FACT that this was the first time I've ever shot a thingamajig of hay (a bail??). Sweet.

They were just laughing and enjoying themselves the whole time...they're so comfortable around eachother- love.it.

I love this picture!!

Jess might've even rapped a few lyrics during the shoot- but really, that was totally expected. :)

At the end of the shoot, Bill's mom, Karen, joined us. She said she wasn't dressed up for pictures...psssh! Uhhh...gorgeous!

Aw, mom and son!

Jess and Bill- thank you so much for inviting me out to your beautiful town! I had an awesome time running around the yard with you all (and bossing you guys around for shots haha! Told you I'm bad at bossing people around!) You two are amazing people and I hope I get to see you all soon (and that means Scooter, too)! :)

And everybody else- if you're in the Charlottesville area make sure to listen in to Jess' radio show on ESPN 840 AM (yeah, she basically knows about every sports team ever. fo real.)

The Wiederman Family

2009-11-01T17:14:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I had the pleasure of working with the Wiederman family and I had a blast! Adam contacted me a little while ago (via Facebook--I love FB!) about doing a shoot of him and his family and of course I couldn't turn that down! Adam, Kathleen and baby Katharine Grace are such a wonderful family. Katharine, who just celebrated her 1st birthday last month, is a doll- no, really...she literally looks like a little baby doll! Her baby blues and her cute little smile were just a few things that made this shoot so much fun! Adam, Kathleen and Katharine also brought along Katharine's grandmother and great-grandmother- how great is it to be able to shoot four generations?!

We were lucky enough to have a beautiful day (I think it was due to my constant finger-crossing) in Alexandria and we took advantage of the beautiful scenery in Founder's Park. Katharine had her own little entourage as her family and I chased her around the park trying to get pictures...you could totally tell that she was loving every minute of it (although, I think she was a little confused by me holding a big black camera right in her face haha!).

I hope that one day Katharine can look back on these pictures and know what a loving and amazing family she is a part of. :)

After taking over a thousand pictures (no...really!), I was able to pick out a few of my faves (but it was so hard because this family is just too.darn.cute!).

This first picture happens to be one of my favorites that I've taken this year...love.it!

I looove this picture...Katharine just looks so peaceful and happy with her grandmother.

Ahhh! Look at that cute little laugh/smile!

Of course we had to get a few shots of Katharine's awesome parents! They were more than willing to model for a few shots. :)

One of my favorite ideas of the day-sitting Katharine down in the beautiful leaves. She had so much fun (and I had just as much fun shooting this!)

Katharine looove dogs...a nice man was nice enough to let his adorable model for this shoot.

Adam, Kathleen and Katharine- thank you so much for letting me capture your wonderful personalities on camera! I look forward to working with you all in the future! :)

It's all in the Family!

2009-10-29T18:18:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I went back home to Williamsburg to see my parents (and do some shopping!!) and it was the first time I had been home since my sister's (hey Cara!) beeautiful wedding in June. The wedding was in Williamsburg so my parents worked for many months to make our already beautiful house even more beautiful. They wanted to make sure that every single person attending the wedding felt comfortable and welcomed in our house-- and they happened to do a fantastic job!

Because my parents were running around so much on my sister's wedding day, (and possibly crashing into my car- Thanks, Dad) they wanted to relive the day and get back into their fancy-schmancee clothes! My parents looked wonderful on that day, as they did the day we took these pictures.

I have to admit- taking pictures of my parents was probably one of the hardest shoots I ever had to do. Let's be honest, I didn't want to have to take pictures of them kissing (ew, gross!) and it felt weird for me to tell them what to do.

My dad's toootally going to kill me for putting these next shots up, but they definitely describe his personality. Now I know why I pose all goofy for shots- like father, like daughter!

And then we found a super awesome tunnel (although I was afraid we were going to get hit by a speeding golf cart!)

You both look fantastic!

Mom and Dad, thank you so so much for all that you do! I know you are both your own biggest critics, but I think you both look wonderful! Love you both very much (even when you yell at me!) :)

Stay tuned for the awesome Wiederman family shoot...can't wait to post the pictures!!

Well, it must be official...

2009-10-22T19:19:00.001-07:00

I finally have business cards! Yeeeeees!
Not only are they cute, but they're mini! I love moo.com for these cards! Yes, they're only little business cards, but for some reason they make things seem much more official now. Now when someone asks me for information, I can flip out a little (and super cute) card to give them.
And that just makes me happy.

I used pictures from engagement shoots, landscapes, pets, flowers, and much much more! They're fantastic and I can't wait to give them all out! :)

:)

Keeping my fingers crossed...

2009-10-20T16:57:00.000-07:00

that this fortune comes true (even if it is spelled wrong...I'll even pretend that I never noticed the misspelling if it comes true...and that's a promise!!).

And, well if it doesn't come true, at least there are still flaming volcanoes to enjoy!

And while I'm at it, why not post a picture from my parents' shoot?

Ok, I guess they're kinda cute. ;) More pictures to come soon!

Life's been crazy lately, but I've got a bunch of shoots coming up that I'm super excited about! Stay tuned!

Tony Lucca at Jammin Java

2009-10-15T15:11:00.000-07:00

"tell me should i shout it?
let it out and tell ya
bout the fire burning in my heart?
if i scream it,
would it mean much more
shoulda said it right from the start
if i tell you, how well you gonna do
if i come right out and say?
you're the sweetest little thing
that i want in my life today"

-In My Life Today, Tony Lucca

I was lucky enough to see the Tony Lucca at Jammin Java in Fairfax last month, and as always, the show was fantastic. All of my friends know how much I've looooved Tony's music for years, so it was so nice to see him in person.

Tony is a beyooond-amazing performer....love love love him! I might've (I'm still working on it) grown out of my teeny-bopper phase, which included me writing "www.tonylucca.com" on every chalkboard in school (I swear that was only in high school!) and claiming that I was going to one day marry him (sorry, girls...he's married!), but I don't think I'll ever grow out of his music. :)

I might've moved to a different state, changed high schools, moved on to college (made my roomie listen to my favorite song of his- Make It Alright- the first night we moved into the dorms), and graduated into the real world, but Tony Lucca is still one of my favorites, and I don't see that changing anytime soon!

Check out Tony's amazing music at www.tonylucca.com
You can also download his music at rhapsody or iTunes (have I already said that it's amazing?! haha!)

Sam the Pup :)

2009-10-11T15:48:00.001-07:00

Samantha happens to be one of the cutest dogs I've ever met! I hadn't seen this pocket-full-of-fun for a few months, and as soon as I saw her last weekend she came running out of the house and jumped right onto my lap! Not only is she one of the cutest dogs ever, she is probably one of the best behaved dogs on this planet, and to make this even better...she's totally girly!

For the shoot, my awesome neighbors (hey, Mr and Mrs G!) made sure she was donning all of her girly accessories, including her pink necklace, her stylish handbag, and her little pink puppy stuffed animal. Very couture. ;)

C'mon...look at that face! Try saying "no" or ignoring this dog. Not gonna happen!

Sam was toootally born to model :)

Ok, for real...how cute is she?!

See! I told you she had some sweeeet accessories. A stylish pup doesn't leave her house without looking like a star!

Annapolis Fuuuun! Katie and Mike Couple Session :)

2009-09-29T05:47:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you love two of your favorite people in the world, they love you, but they love eachother a liiiiittle bit (just a little bit!!) more? Well, you pretend you're choking whenever they kiss in front of you, cover your eyes when they do something way too cute, make fun of them for doing gross-couple things, and the list can go on and on. But besides all of the goofy stuff, you know that you would do anything for those two people and you wish a world of happiness for them no matter what.

That's exactly how it is for me, Katie and Mike.

I met Katie eight years ago when my family was transferred to Virginia my Junior year of high school. On my first day at my brand new (teeny-tiny) school, Katie turned around and said, "Hey! I'm Katie! I'm having a bad hair day!!" I'm pretty sure that was the start of our friendship.

On that very same day, Mike was going through the same drill. His family had just moved down to Virginia from New York, and they were temporarily residing in a town house...a town house that shared a wall of the house I was living in at the time. (Apparently Mike's and my bedrooms shared a wall and Mike hated me bcause I'd leave my TV on at night and it would keep him up. Sorrrry, pal!)

Anyway, two Northerners at a brand-new (Southern) school- we were bound to be friends. (Here is where I'll omit all of the embarrassing stories about Mike.) Flash forward a year or so- Katie and I are pals and she tells me that her and Mike (the really dorky Sophomore haha) have been hanging out...she shows me the Christmas gift that he bought her (a Harry Potter calendar) and it CLICKS! She tooootally likes him! I might've made fun of her for a little bit (ok, a lot), but once I saw them together, I knew there was nothing to make fun of. They were perfect! :)

After over 5 years of being together, knowing that Mike has signed up for the next seven years to fight for our country, Katie has promised to go with him and stick through it. Yeah, there have been haters who want nothing more than to see them break up, but nothing seems to phase these two. They're most definitely in it for the long-run.

Mike is madly in love with Katie (even when she burps and makes innappropriate comments haha) and vice versa. Knowing that two of my best friends are completely in love makes my heart skip a beat. It was so much fun (as always) seeing them and documenting what they have on film. You guys are amazing people, and I love you both (even when you make fun of me...maybe). Thank you for letting me take some shots of you...I had a blast!

So here's to friendship, love (with maybe a wedding in the future *wink wink*), and spending your life with someone who is not only your best friend, but the love of your life. :)

We enjoyed the beeeautiful day down by the water. I loooove Annapolis!

No, folks, that's not an engagement ring on her finger, but who knows what the future holds :)

My models :)

So cute! They were just having fun being there with one another, of course there was the added bonus of having me there--which is just awesome haha! ;)

Katie: "Ohhh! Let's pretend we hate eachother!!"

loooooooove it

Me: "Hey, pop your foot up for me!"

Apparently Mike thought I was talking to him ;)

Katie, you are stuuunning!

Can't resist a guy in whites! ;)

After shooting on the Naval Academy campus, Mike switched into his civilian clothes and we walked around Old Town Annapolis. The little city has so much character, I love it!

Couldn't resist putting this in...this is more like it. Seeing all these cute pictures of them almost made me forget how goofy they normally are!

Katie and Mike, you guys are the beeest! Can't wait to see you both soon. ;) You both never had enough pictures together, well now you have pleeeenty!

Sneak Peek!!

2009-09-27T11:46:00.000-07:00

Here's a sneak peek of my shoot with two of my favorite people in the world, Katie and Mike! Last weekend I headed up to the Naval Academy to get some fun shots of them, and I can't wait to post the rest!! :)

Stay tuned for the rest...I guarantee you're gonna loooove them just as much as I do!

Katie and Rob are getting Married: Part 2!

2009-09-27T11:45:00.001-07:00

You were introduced to Katie and Rob a little while ago when I posted up a few shots from our first engagement session in Old Town Alexandria. They're fun, they're cute, they're in love, and I can't wait to shoot their wedding next summer!

This time we got lucky--no surprise typhoon in the middle of the shoot! Yeeees! The beautiful evening in Old Town couldn't have been better! We were able to hit a few new spots in Alexandria that I've never used in shoots before...I love finding new places to work!

Here are a few of my favorite shots from the day:

See! You guys can toootally touch noses haha!

A slow dance down by the water maybe? Yes, definitely!

Katie and Rob, I'm so happy we got to get a few more shots! I can't wait to shoot your wedding next summer! :)

BFFs Kay and Lauren! Old Town, Clifton

2009-09-21T16:45:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you have two best friends, lots of fun props, an awesome red caboose, and a cute little town that reminds you of Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls?

Well, any other two people would've made this an okay shoot, but Kay and Lauren? They made this a vintage-esque shoot chock-full of awesomeness! My two willing participants sat through a two hour shoot on a hot morning in Old Town Clifton. Lauren got the better end of the deal since she got to wear a cute little dress...Kay, however, was not so lucky! My very mean self forced her to wear a very pretty (yet very very hot) wool jacket, but it was totally worth it (right, Kay?)!

These girls are pros. Hours upon hours of watching America's Next Top Model reruns certainly paid off (Kay, don't try to deny you watch ANTM reruns whenever they're on MTV. I'm a witness and also a participant!).

Classic Kay face!

These took a few tries, but we got it!

We took out my grandfather's old SLR to take a few more shots.

And I know I already posted these last two, but I couldn't leave them out! :)

Thank you, Kay and Lauren, for letting me steal your beeeautiful faces for an hour! :)

Julia and Johnny are getting married--in 3 weeks!

2009-09-17T14:56:00.001-07:00

I'm not quite sure where to begin on this post...there is so much to say about this truly amazing couple. I went to college with both Julia and Johnny, knew their faces, but we didn't actually meet until a month of so ago at a charity event (I'm making it sound a lot classier than it actually was--it was a booze cruise!) down in Old Town Alexandria.

The couple walked away to look out onto the water (it was a beautiful evening-perfect for a nice ride on the Potomac with a gin and tonic in hand...oh, and doing it for a charitable cause!) and my friend Jen asked if I could sneak up and take a picture of them. I was only able to take one shot before they noticed I was creepily taking pictures of them.

This past weekend I was lucky enough to document what these two people feel about eachother. I might not know them very well, but I sure as heck know that they are maaadly in love and are just too-darn cute! Let me tell you--it's not just in front of the camera that they are amazing, but once I put the camera down, they'd still hold hands and kiss and do whisper to eachother. Quite a few times I just put my camera down and looked at them in awe, saying "I can't take it---you are just TOO cute!"

I might've also told about 3.2 million people about how much these two ROCK! Julia and Johnny are getting married on October 10 (so soon!) and they are totally calm and collected! Julia and Johnny, you were such a pleasure to shoot...thank you for being a photographer's dream! I wish I could be there to photograph you're special day, and I can't wait to see the amazing pictures!

Congratulations! :)

Everything was just so natural for them! You could tell they just enjoyed being there together, regardless of my camera right in their faces haha! :)

Ahh...love this next picture!

So what made this shoot even better?! The fact that they decided to jump into a little rowboat...

I actually gasped when I saw this in person...just so perfect!

Look at my faaabulous models!

And she kept saying that she was unphotogenic...reeeally? I don't think so, Miss Julia!

Of course we had to capture some of the beautiful sailboats out that day! Perfect scenery!

Anybody else think of "The Notebook" movie when you see this picture? Hmmm...

And if it's even possible...they decided to get even cuter! What?!

I told Johnny I wouldn't post the picture below on the right...but I couldn't resist! He was trying to give her a kiss! :)

I'm a sucker for self-shot goofy pictures...

And, ohhh wait...it gets better! We found a beautiful garden...and maybe climbed some trees in the process!

I would just like to say that...I LOVE this picture!

After playing around in the garden, we headed down King Street to check out the Art Fair. Johnny, a very proud husband-to-be, informed me that Julia is an excellent artist. Of course he had some pictures of her paintings on his cell phone! She'll definitely be selling art in one of these booths in a few years!

Here was a painting by one of their favorite artists at the show...

It was a must to throw a penny in the fountain for good luck!

Miss I'm-so-unphotogenic-and-hate-pictures-of-myself looks like she should be in a J.Crew catalog!

Umm, excuse me, is this couple not gorgeous or what?!

And, last but not least- one of my faves of the day! They might be itsy-bitsy in this shot, but I just looove it!

Congratulations, Julia and Johnny! You two are such a wonderful couple. I'm so excited for you both! Enjoy your very veeeery special day and thanks for letting me follow you around Ol' Town for a little bit ;)

Uh oh...

2009-09-14T16:38:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I have a little bit of a problem.
One weekend. Three amazing photo shoots. 1,500 pictures.

1,500. awesome. pictures.

Now how in the world am I going to edit all these pictures?! I love them all! Here's a little teaser of the three shoots I had this weekend. More to come soon!

Julia and Johnny

No words can describe this couple. Everything they do looks effortless and completely natural. I can't wait to blog about our shoot in Old Town Alexandria!

Kay and Lauren
Kay and Lauren (bffl's for a long long time...yes, I said "bffl") were willing participants (wow!) in a photo shoot down in Old Town Clifton. Love that place! We got a little crazy, climbed a caboose, ran across the railroad, got yelled at by an old guy, and of course--posed for some cool shots!

And last, but definitely not least...
Katie and Rob
Katie and Rob met me for their second engagement shoot (their first one ended when a typhoon came rolling into Old Town). We got lucky this time and had some beautiful weather down in Old Town (no sneaky storms hitting us this time!).

Hmmm...well I'd say that I had a pretty darn good weekend! Stay tuned for tons more awesome shots! :) :)

Labor Day Weekend '09

2009-09-07T12:15:00.000-07:00

There's nothing better than a niiiice, long three-day weekend...well, except for a four-day weekend, but I'm not gonna push it!

On Saturday, I was lucky enough to head up to Staten Island with my 'rents to celebrate my cousin's 50th Birthday. I.love.my.family. Typical Italians...everyone's trying to crack a joke, talk above one another, hands flying around as they're telling their entertaining stories....love.it.

Samantha, my little cousin, loooves having pictures taken of her, so she was more than willing to be my model for the day! If she had her way, she'd be on America's Next Top Model in a heartbeat! Also, I'm slightly jealous of her tan--ok, maybe more than slightly jealous.

She didn't even wait for me to tell her what to do...she just started twirling and laughing on her own! What a natural! ;)

Yup, we had a great time discussing our favorite Disney Channel Stars...she thinks the boys on Wizards of Waverly Place are hot- and, oh wait! She also wants to marry Mitchell Musso from Hannah Montana. I must admit, the girl has good taste!

We definitely had some fun! :) Silly pictures are a must for a family get-together.

Virginia. New Jersey. New York. Back to Virginia.

So of course I come back to VA for Labor Day and it's raining! Boooo! Luckily, my roommate (Kay) and I were able to head out to Old Town Clifton to check out the a-maz-ing car show before the rain started.

I had never been to Clifton before, and now I LOVE it. It's beyond adorable and there are SOOO many photo-ops there. I can't wait to get back there soon and take some awesome shots! So exciiited!

Oh, and did I forget to mention that I'm a BOY when it comes to classic cars? I'm like a little kid in a toy and/or candy shop when I'm at a classic car show.

Stay tuned for some vintage-y shots from Clifton. My awesome sister read my mind and found me some great props to use at future shoots. Yeeeees! :)

Katie and Rob are getting Married!

2009-09-01T19:34:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you, I am one lucky girl! You know why? Because I get to meet fun and friendly people and then capture them doing what they do best--loving and having fun with one another. I.LOVE.IT.

Thanks to an awesome friend (yes, that's you, Flanny), I got to meet two new people! Meet Katie and Rob! Katie contacted me about getting engagement shots done and also shooting her and Rob's wedding next July. Now that is trust! They both know that I'm new to photography, and they're taking a shot with using me. I'm super excited!

We only got to meet up for less than an hour this weekend because it started to pour...and when I say pour, I mean DOWNPOUR!! They were such troopers, and we're going to get together soon to take more shots!

As soon as we met in Old Town Alexandria, Katie informed me that Rob wasn't into PDA and was definitely going to have a problem being mushy in front of people. Well, that changed about 5 seconds into the shoot when he started initiating some cute pictures/poses! Awesome!

Oh, and did I mention how funny their story about meeting each other is? They both met while working at Michael's (yes, the craft store). Rob started working there because he wanted to meet girls...well, I guess your plan worked!

Here are a few of the shots we got from that day...I can't wait to take more for them soon! Stay tuned! :)

Hmmm and this was about the time that my camera got soaked and we decided to call it a day!

Thank you so much, Katie and Rob! I can't waaaait to take more shots for you all! You are such a fun couple! :)

Kerri and Josh are Engaged! :)

2009-08-19T19:16:00.001-07:00

Ok, seriously...Josh and Kerri are beyond amazing! I met Kerri a few years back in college and one of the first times I met Josh he was wearing a giant banana costume. Yup...a banana costume. But that's beyond the point, people! Kerri and Josh are such a cute couple and they're definitely troopers. We went out to the Prince William County fair on Sunday and it was literally 98 degrees out...pheeew, it was a hot one!

They were both such sports...both so patient with me! We spent about an hour and a half at the fair, all sweaty and gross, but they were both still laughing and having fun!

They got to ride on some cool rides, play some games, and win some awesome prizes! Oh, and Josh got to dunk an awful, smoking clown who was insulting people...twice in a row. He showed that clown a thing or two!

I'm still getting used to telling people what to do in pictures, so when I asked Kerri to give Josh a little kiss, she made sure that her tiger/giraffe/who-knows stuffed animal gave Josh a kiss instead.

A carousel ride was a must, of course! However, we got yelled at by the ride director as we got on because apparently adults aren't allowed...we found out the reason why as the horses started to break from the ceiling of the ride! Not so good...but we still got a few awesome shots before any major damage was done!

I loooove this picture! It totally captures their chemistry. Josh is always making Kerri laugh! I love it when people feel comfortable enough in front of the camera to act normally and laugh like that. Just awesome!

Josh and Kerri, Congratualtions! Thanks for letting me capture some fun memories for you all! :) Enjoy getting ready for your wedding!

A special thanks to Kristin for helping me make these pictures all big and clear!

Kerri and Josh Sneak Peek!

2009-08-16T19:09:00.000-07:00

Can't wait to get the rest of these shots up! Kerri and Josh have an amazing chemistry that I can only hope I captured through pictures! Just a-maz-ing!

Meet Kailan...the Spanish-Speaking Dog!

2009-08-12T18:39:00.001-07:00

"Come again? Baxter, you know I don't speak Spanish. In English, please. What? You pooped in the refrigerator? And you ate the whole... wheel of cheese? How'd you do that? Hey I'm not even mad. That's amazing." -Anchorman

No, I'm not kidding...this dog only knows Spanish! Cindy's dog, Kailan, usually lives in Chile with her family, but he's been visiting in VA for awhile. What a cute pup...too bad he didn't understand me!

Apparently the only way he'll listen is if you yell at him en Espanol! "Ven, Kailan!!"

Dog kisses! A little gross, but always so cute! :)

Joe and Casey got MARRIED! August 8, 2009

2009-08-10T16:45:00.000-07:00

Fly me to the moon
Let me sing among those stars
Let me see what spring is like
On jupiter and mars

In other words, hold my hand

In other words, baby kiss me

Ok ok, stop what you're doing! Seriously! I did just that when I got home from Joe and Casey's wedding on Saturday...forget those 4509486 Cali pictures that I still need to edit (I'll eventually get back to those, but sheesh, there are soo many!)

Saturday was a fabulous day because I got to witness two amazing people get married! Who could ask for more on a Saturday afternoon?! Julia MacInnis photographed the wedding, but of course I had to bring my camera along to grab a few quick shots!

Talk about a fairytale/happily-ever-after! Joe first met Casey in high school when they both were in show choir (yeah, it's ok to laugh!), and apparently Joe realized back then that he was going to do whatever he had to do to get Casey! They didn't start dating until they got to college, but after that, it was smooth-sailing. :)

Joe and Casey are such a great couple! I'm lucky enough to work with a sweet (but sometimes mean haha!) person like Joe and through him I got to know his wife (ahh...that sounds weird) Casey. Casey, a kindergarten teacher, is such a fun-spirit! Joe and Casey are the epitome of the perfect couple--always so happy around one another. :)

The wedding party was so funny--they all wore funny outfits/props or did a funny dance when being introduced at the reception. Then when Joe and Casey were introduced, they made a tunnel.

They whipped out some of their show-choir moves for their first dance ;)

The dance floor was paaacked, which gave me a good excuse to take some pictures instead of dancing.

Joe looks like he has an eye-patch in this pic, but I still wanted to put it up because they are just a-dor-a-blllleeee!

Psh- you all WISH you looked this good on the dance floor! Ahhhh! SO cute! :)

Fill my heart with song
Let me sing for ever more
You are all I long for
All I worship and adore

In other words, please be true
In other words, I love you

Joe and Casey, Congratulations! Thanks for letting me share your magical day with you--it was an honor. :)

Clouds Roll Out For Now, as Sunshine Paints the Breeze

2009-07-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

finally time to smile
welcome to the bay
laughing like a child
dare i ask to stay

so much to tell her
and nothing to say
looks like she's taken
all my breath away

clouds roll out for now
as sunshine paints the breeze

-Tony Lucca, Welcome to the Bay

I love love love the Golden Gate Bridge. I basically love anything about it. This might have to do with my slight obsession with "Full House" as a child, but you can be the judge of that. This was my second time walking over the bridge and it was just as amazing as the first time. This time it was a little less foggy (but still very foggy) and I was able to take some cool shots. I took over 400 shots just walking across it...there's noooo way I can edit all of those pictures and I'm pretty sure none of you would want to see all of them anyway!

It's been so busy over here so I haven't had a lot of time to edit pictures, but I promise to post more as I find the time! When I get back to VA, I'll post pictures from the rest of my Cali adventures! :)

Welcome to San Francisco

2009-07-26T18:43:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Hotel California aka my cousin's and great aunt's and uncle's houses outside of San Francisco! The flight over was aweeesome due to Virgin America's crazy features! Not only was there purple "mood" lighting, but there was wi-fi annnd I could watch the Disney Chennel for the 5 hour flight...not too shabby (and yes, I'm a 23 year old that still watched Hannah Montana-deal with it). :)

We just relaxed and caught up with our family this weekend, so no sightseeing. That, of course, does not mean that I didn't take a huge amount of pictures, though...duh. I can't believe how beautiful the area is--beautiful weather, and definitely beautiful flowers everywhere! You just don't see lemon and orange trees in good ol' VA, and everytime I see them, they still amaze me.

My family is great--straight over from Italy and some of the nicest people you will meet. My Zio Dino happens to be one of the peppiest men I've ever met, and he always has something to say!

My dad was eyeing one of their orange trees for about a half an hour before he finally just started climbing up it and getting the ripest ones. Yum!

Mom and Dad :)

Always so goofy. :)

Ok, so here comes the 2098305 pictures of beautiful flowers. I couldn't help myself!

Uhh...a hornet started flying at me as I was taking this picture. I DEFINITELY ran away screaming as soon as my shutter snapped. Jeeze...

My cousin's backyard is so so pretty! This shot just reminds me of a postcard or something. Love the lavender!

Talk about taking pictures of randomness...

So the sightseeing has yet to begin, and I already have a bazillion pics. Just wait til I actually go into the city! I'm looking forward to seeing some Redwoods, the Golden Gate (yeees...again!!), the wine country, the Phillies/Giants game, and so so much more! I'll try to update throughout the trip!

Great...now I have the O.C. opening credit song stuck in my head...Califoooornia!

Abs and Sarah...Married! | July 18, 2009

2009-07-23T18:56:00.000-07:00

So last weekend was definitely a whirlwind! Late on Friday night, (when I was supposed to be packing up my apartment so I could move early the next morning) I saw Kristen Leigh's Facebook status asking if anyone was available to second shoot a wedding down at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria. Well, I knew that Saturday was going to be a crazy day, but it was too good of an opportunity to pass up! Kristen is an amazing photographer and I was so excited to able to shoot with her! :) So I packed all night, moved the next morning, and then was off to photograph a fab-u-lous wedding!

Abs and Sarah were absolutely adorable! Both were so calm and collected before the ceremony...I couldn't believe it! Everyone in the wedding party was so sweet (even when they thought I was some creepy person taking random pictures of them...oops!).

You could tell Abs felt perfectly comfortable in front of the camera...even when all of his groomsmen were making fun of him!

You couldn't ask for a prettier day in Alexandria...walking around by the water was so nice. Of course there were a ton of people snapping pictures of the beeeautiful wedding party as they were walking by!

The bouquets were so pretty and fresh looking!

So of course I couldn't miss the opportunity to take a picture of the mother of the groom's shoes (stuart weitzmans!). Apparently they were killing her, but the fashion was definitely worth the pain!

The groomsmen were such good sports and hysterical! They poked fun of one another the whole time...rock, paper, scissors, shoot!

Right before the ceremony and Sarah is still super-calm...I don't understand it!

There were so many little details in this wedding that I loved! I think helping plan my sister's wedding (and also being in another one--hey Amy!) definitely made me notice the little details.

It was sooo dark in the Torpedo Factory, so I was shooting at 800 and 1600 ISO during the ceremony. The lighting accents were perfect, though!

The tables were so well done...loved them!

The Torpedo Factory definitely had a lot of character...what a great place to have an event!

Congratulations to Abs and Sarah--thank you so much for letting me join your celebration and capture some of the moments! I loved being able to watch you two skip down the aisle at the end of the ceremony!

Thank you, Kristen, for letting me tag along! This was such a great experience--hopefully you'll let me shoot with you again soon! ;)

Also, a shout-out to Ica...thank you so much for helping me out! You girls are amaaazing people and photographers and I hope I get to shoot with you both again! :)

(Check out their blogs, everyone--fo' real)

Self Portraits= the Worst Idea EVER!

2009-07-13T18:40:00.000-07:00

So I had this crazy idea today to go out and learn how to do self portraits. Really, really bad idea. Apparently I can't figure out how to get my face in the picture...no biggie, right?? What did I get out of this experiment? I skirt soaked with bubbles. Well, now I know I have to add another thing to my "to learn" list (and maybe I'll also be able to experiment with using bubbles when I'm photographing someone other than myself)!

What I do know is that I LOVE photographing people and I need more and more people to photograph! If you'd like to get shots done or know someone/family that would be interested...let me know!! :)