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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GOOOOOOD morning and happy new year!! We are over here getting a fresh start on the week, the month, and the year. This squishy little girl seemed like the freshest way to start off the blog for 2021. She was born smack in the middle of busy season, and her welcome to the world blog […]

New Babies and a New Year | Northern Virginia Newborn Photographer

Newborns

January 4, 2021

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A sunset family session with lots of tips for photography at golden hour!

A Golden Hour Session Full of Glow | Sandy Spring, MD

Families, Photography Tips

December 29, 2020

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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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We are done having babies… but editing session honestly made me reconsider that decision for a minute ?? We spent just about an hour in Manassas, just before sunset. It’s easy to have a sunset session when your baby has just entered thew world and doesn’t have a bedtime yet ? Baby Olivia ate and […]

A Pandemic-Induced Outdoor Newborn Session | Manassas, VA

Families, Newborns

June 25, 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

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?