06 Mar

Guess who’s getting Married???

admin / Engagement, event, Professional Portraits / March 6, 2020 / 0 Comments

Town Center in Virginia Beach is a beautiful spot in Hampton Roads. It’s the perfect place to relax, grab a bite, take a walk, listen to music and more. It’s also a place where a fairy tales come true.

Dwayne and Dariane had their first date there and on Tuesday, a new chapter in their love story began! He led her there with her eyes closed while their family and friends snuck up on them. He then told her to open her eyes for the best surprise of her life.

It was such a beautiful experience and I am so very honored to have been asked to photograph it. Join me in wishing them years and years of joy, happiness and blessings!

Family and friends celebrating the love!

16 Aug

Love began with a Slurpee | Virginia Beach Engagement

admin / Engagement, Professional Portraits / August 16, 2019 / 0 Comments

I was SO excited when Conner messaged to tell me he was getting MARRIED! It is so hard to believe since I have been photographing him since middle school and I still see him as little boy! But he has found a phenomenal woman and turned into a handsome and responsible young man. I am OVERJOYED to celebrate their engagement with them!

I met to talk with Abigail and Connor and I LOVED their story of their first date. They went to 7-11, grabbed some smoothies and went for a walk at the oceanfront. The sat and talked on the long walkway near 5th street for hours. We talked about doing their engagement pictures in the same location and decided we HAD to incorporate 7-11 into their session!

But we didn’t stop there! We weren’t going to have a “typical” engagement session so when we saw the Bird scooters, we knew they had to be a part of the session as well!

Photographing people in love is always a favorite of mine but getting to photograph young people in love, being silly, laughing and enjoying each other and the quirks of their first dates- well, lets just say this will be a session to remember!!

05 Feb

Why Hanging Portraits Help Children | Hampton Roads Photographer

admin / Baby's First Year, Children, Christmas, Engagement, Family, Maternity, Mermaid Portraits, Newborn, Photographers, Professional Portraits, Senior / February 5, 2018 / 0 Comments

Many parents, like mine, have hung every portrait ever taken whether it be just their children or family portraits. It has been proven to boost a child’s self esteem when they see themselves in portraits hanging around the house.

According to David Krauss, who is a psychologist from Cleveland Ohio it’s important to have those family/children portraits. It helps children see themselves as an important and valued part of the family unit.

As a photographer, I am biased, they say that there is something powerful in touching your fingers to an actual print. There’s stimulation of the brain when you have that sensory experience like touching a portrait. There isn’t really any of that in the digital world with all the social media that exists. You are touching a keyboard, mouse or a touchscreen but you are not touching the actual image that involves your child or family.

Children like to feel like they belong, especially in this world that we live in today. Photographers get to create an image where the child feels safe and protected. They can look back on this even when they’re older and remember that safe feeling.

So yes, not hanging portraits doesn’t do any harm, but hanging them could help your child!

Here are some photos from my clients of them hanging portraits I captured!

31 Dec

A Year in Review | Hampton Roads Photographer

admin / Baby's First Year, Business, Children, Christmas, Engagement, Family, Maternity, Model for a Day, Newborn, Personal, Professional Portraits, Renew, Senior / December 31, 2016 / 0 Comments

Another amazing year has passed. Last year at this exact time, I was just so thankful 2015 was almost OVER. It was a year filled with so much sadness and loss. I prayed for 2016 to be a BORING year at least! I just wanted to get past all the pain of 2015. God answers prayers and more. Like he states “There is a time and a season for everything.” The BORING year I was praying for didn’t happen, instead He gave me so much more.

Personal highlights of 2016… I started the year off on a cruise with my family. The first cruise we have done together and it was a beautiful welcome to the new year! In the spring, I visited NYC with my son and godson and got to see my childhood crush, Will Smith (aaaaahhhhhhh) film the movie Collateral Beauty. (Seriously, I was like a giddy child- and the coolest thing was it was an unexpected surprise to see him on set!! Thanks to an amazing friend who set it up!) In the summer, I visited Ethiopia again, with Habesha Momma, and got to start the process of opening a home for homeless and trafficked children. I also FINALLY got to take my husband to NYC. I love NYC and Brett has said for years “NEVER” when I ask if he’d like to go with me. However, he finally agreed and we had a fabulous time together enjoying the big city!

One of the biggest personal and business highlights was I moved my business out of my house and into a true commercial space!! It was a HUGE leap of faith but I am so very thankful I took the risk. I LOVE having my own space. I’ve been a successful photographer for years BUT having my own name on the outside of a building makes me feel “I’ve made it!” It has been an amazing whirlwind of a year! I had a phenomenal Open House in my new space and felt so much love poured out. I have been blessed by the opportunity to photograph so many amazing people, families and projects. I truly love my job and don’t take for granted the fact that I am given the gift of creating moments in time for each of you.

This blog every year is one of my hardest… to go through the year and pick my favorite images to share. Each one of you are so special to me, all of our shoots hold special moments and laughs. In every single session- I am creating memories that I pray will be cherished for generations to come. Narrowing that down to 15-20 images to show my year in review… it is SO HARD! But here are some of the highlights I was able to narrow it down too… and once again thank you. Thank you for trusting me, thank you for supporting me, thank you for allowing me into your family.

I pray blessings, love and lots of laughter in 2017!

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22 Jul

Tia and Nigel: She said YES! | Virginia Beach Photographer

admin / Engagement / July 22, 2015 / 0 Comments

I can’t believe I haven’t blogged this amazing sunrise session yet! I was so excited to hear from Nigel about his surprise engagement he had planned for Tia. It was going to be a romantic sunrise engagement on the boardwalk. We had it all planned… and them Nigel couldn’t wait and proposed early! 🙂 So we planned for some romantic beach portraits instead to CELEBRATE their engagement. We had a wonderful morning session and I LOVED photographing their love for each other. Their faith is a big part of their life, and we made sure to incorporate that into their portraits.

Nigel and Tia, stay committed to God and your marriage will be blessed. There will be good times and bad but I know your love for each other can withstand it all. Be blessed and find time always to love on each other!

21 Jul

Ninon and Pen… The unconventional Engagement! | Virginia Beach Photographer

admin / Engagement / July 21, 2014 / 0 Comments

I have known Ninon for years and love this lady so much! In the past few months, I have gotten to know her husband Pen as well and simply love them as a couple! They have so much love for eachother and I love the father Pen has become to little Aiden!

Although technically they are married (they just couldn’t wait to be married so they did a quick Justice of the Peace ceremony) they are still planning their actual wedding for next year. So we of course had to so some engagement shots for their “Save the Dates” and to celebrate their love and connection.

We headed down to the First Landing beach and had a glorious time! I love how comfortable they both were in front of the camera and with each other. They truly love each other so much and it shows through every time they look at each other. It was such a blessing to be a part of capture their love and I can’t wait for their wedding!