Cody - February 20, 2011

Today I went for my first horseback ride in many, many, many years. When I was growing up in Virginia I had a pony and rode non stop between the ages 6-18. Then I went to college, sold my pony and never really looked back. It is a great sport but one that didn't seem to fit into the life I grew into. Enter my friend Joni. She runs 100 mile races, jumps out of airplanes, snowboards and takes the hardest yoga class that I have ever attempted. She also has a new, very large horse named Cody who is boarded very close to our homes. I went to meet him today planning only to take a few pics of this lovely large animal.

Joni mentioned that he was a bit skittish in his new surroundings and that he had been a bit difficult for her on the first few times she had visited him since she got him last week. Then she asked if I wanted to go for a short ride. I figured if she runs 1oo mile races that surely I can take the steed around the ring for a few spins. I was a bit scared but it was lovely and I will absolutely do it again soon. She owns another horse so soon we can ride together on trails through golf courses and palatial suburban homes. The country close into DC is not what it was back in the day, but there are still glimpses of what was so much open space until recently.

As soon as I clean the stable dust off me we are off to a yoga class together. I will, however, never jump out of an airplane or run 100 miles. Joni you add spice to my life!!


Joni and Cody







Susan and Cody.




Back to Joni and Cody.

Family Portraits in my Studio - February 12, 2011

This lovely family came to me via a donation I made to a local school's fund raising auction. Every year I donate shoots to many schools in the area. It is a great way to help out all our local schools as well as meet new portrait clients.

In just a short time we were able to do as many configurations as we could do of everyone and I especially liked the costume changes that the kids brought that showed their favorite activities.

Sobel Family - February 5, 2011

Yesterday I spent the afternoon photographing the Sobel family. This lovely family came to me via Gustavo Mottola, a good friend and very talented make-up artist. I have worked with Gustavo for years as he does the make up for many of the brides whose weddings I shoot. Leanne is a long-time client of his. She hired him to do hair and make-up for the portrait session to celebrate her son's first birthday. Gustavo recommended me for the job and thus we were connected. Leanne and her husband, David, have an adorable son who was a great sport during our two hour shoot. He has a happy child with a serious face and we did everything we could to get a smile out of him. By the end of the session I do believe that we were successful in catching a few.

What a nice family to spend an afternoon with. I do hope we get to do this again someday.

Ethan's Bar Mitzvah - January 29, 2011

Ethan had his bar mitzvah this past Saturday at Washington Hebrew Congregation. I met Ethan's mother through my friend, Anna, whose daughter's bat mitzvah I had photographed last March. Many thanks to Anna for passing my name on as Ethan and his family were as fun to work with as Anna's had been. Ethan's mother, Melinda, put the whole event together and did a fabulous job. She hired me last summer but we never met until a couple of weeks ago. I look forward to seeing her again soon to share the hard copies of the images as well as getting to work on her album.

Congratulations to Ethan - you did a great job and you are a great young man. Melinda and Brian - you have a beautiful family and a wonderful group of friends who turned out to celebrate with you.

Many thanks to Rena Schild for second shooting with me. Other vendors were:

Shelley Poulos at Creative Balloons and More.
VIP Entertainment
NYX Entertainment
Da Vinci's Florist