a space for resources and encouragement

welcome to the blog

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There are so many photographers out there that tell you you need to niche down to one or two types of photography and be REALLY good at them to be successful. I’m not going to argue with that at all, I’m going to encourage it actually, but what no one talks about is HOW to […]

My Step-By-Step Guide to Finding Your Photography Niche

Photography Tips

February 10, 2022

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As a mom, and a lover of Christmas cards, I LOVE the photos where my whole family is looking and smiling at the camera. I love them, and as a photographer I know how important it is to get a few in each location of photos JUST like that. And to be honest, when I […]

Why Emotional and Connection Photos Are Just As Valuable as “Christmas Card Photos”

Photography Tips

January 7, 2022

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Have you ever been to an amazing wedding, party or celebration and thought ‘damn, I can’t imagine what it took to bring this all together?’! Well, today, you get all the inside scoop on event planning and building a brand that allows you to plan and execute a range of celebrations. I am so excited […]

Ep. 43: How to Grow Your Event Planning Business at Your Own Speed, with Betsy McKay

Amidst The Chaos Podcast

November 9, 2021

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Super excited to share my conversation with Ciara Stockeland today — going into this, I had an idea of what she did and what we would talk about and WOW was I blown away by where things went! Ciara has taken her experiences, her failures (which she owns up to!) and her passions to help […]

Episode 35: Giving Boutique Business Owners The Tools To Thrive, with Ciara Stockeland

Amidst The Chaos Podcast

September 14, 2021

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More BOYS!! I just love all the little boys I’ve been seeing lately – they are so fun and bring such a wild joy to our sessions. The T family spent an hour with me mid morning, and boy did we find the CUTEST little area in Fort Hunt Park for their photos. Baby boy […]

A Mid Morning Summer Family Session | Alexandria VA

Families

July 15, 2020

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This family is our home away from home. Dustin was Sean’s Platoon Leader in Afghanistan in 2010-2011, and our families have stayed close ever since. They live just outside of Pittsburg, and we try to get together a few times year. I have to say, for a long distance friendship we do an excellent job […]

A Mid-Afternoon Family Session | Gore, VA

Families, Personal

June 27, 2020

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My little fam headed down to Virginia Beach last week for our OWN family photos before Sean heads out of town for work. I was SO excited to sneak in a mommy and me session with these two GORGEOUS redheads. I honestly wasn’t even thinking about how absolutely glowy this session was going to be; […]

A Marsh Motherhood Session | Virginia Beach, VA

Families

June 13, 2020

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To spare you of the absolutely mundane, technical details… I have a new website, with a new blog. My old blogs were not able to transfer, but I couldn’t care less. There weren’t many anyways (I think I blogged maybe 5 out of 120 sessions in 2019, whoops)! SOOO here we are… welcome! My name […]

A New Virtual Beginning for Dana Graham Photography | Manassas Battlefield Family Self Portraits

Families, Personal

May 18, 2020

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Marley and her mama came in to help me try on some of the new studio dresses for my client closet, and to take some photographs of the updated studio! Boy they did not disappoint! The dress, bow, and wrap are all in the client closet, and this is one of the studio set ups […]

An Ethereal 3 Month Milestone Session | DGP Studio, Falls Church, Virginia

Milestones

January 29, 2020

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You go with the kids’ flow. It’s just a very basic rule that I’ve learned as a photographer. If you want to keep the kiddos happy, don’t force the photo. Just get them to trust and like you by playing with them and paying attention to them, and they’ll do whatever you ask! This family […]

A Winter Waterfront Family Session | Virginia Beach, Virginia

Families

December 6, 2019

Download my free toddler tricks guide and get 6 guaranteed ways to get tricky toddlers smiling!

HEY MAMA! Want to get photos of your tricky toddler smiling?