Catching Some Zs

Julie — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 01:42:45 +0000

As every parent knows, your baby will always keep you on your toes. You can think he’s settling into a knowable sleep routine, only to have him remind you that routine is overrated.

I usually plan to start infant photo sessions right after nap time with the hope of a nice big chunk of “quiet alert” time in which to capture the baby’s personality. Baby L had napped before my arrival, however he let us know that he still needed some beauty sleep (growth spurt?), so mom coaxed him back to sleep until he was ready to sport some smiles at the very end. I was relieved that both mom and dad went with the flow and trusted that we’d still get great images, which I think we did!

Leena + Matt

Julie — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 02:34:35 +0000

On a hot, steamy evening in July, I met with parents-to-be Leena and Matt. In spite of some quick moving rain showers, always a potential liability at this time of year, we were able to do most of the session outside. Their lovely home was in midst of almost-completed renovations in preparation for the baby’s arrival. It reminded me of my own pregnancy when the nesting instinct kicked in. After my husband’s first attempt to paint the ceiling in the soon-to-be nursery, I resorted to climbing a tall ladder to re-do the work myself in a perfection-driven haze . I swear I was very, VERY careful, but still probably not a wise move. The ceiling, however, did look perfect! I’m sure everything will be just right when this baby arrives too!

Miss Amy

Julie — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:13:45 +0000

For many months, my son and I have been taking music classes with Amy Despres, founder of Miss Amy’s Music Makers, which teaches the nationally recognized childhood music program called Music Together^®. Amy is a fantastic teacher with great musical talent and infectious enthusiasm. She has a way of engaging very young children that has fostered my son’s love and appreciation for music.

I recently spent some time with Amy in my professional capacity as a photographer documenting two Saturday morning classes so she would have new images to spice up her website. Here are some of my favorites:

Tyler Four Months Later

Julie — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:24:26 +0000

Last time I photographed Tyler was back in April. He is now crawling (very fast I might add), has a lot more hair and new chompers, and still sports a winning smile. I once again braved scorching summer weather to do a session outside, but we managed to finish up and head back inside before the heat got too unbearable. Our location this time around was another lovely DC landmark, The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, located within Judiciary Square.

Anna & Liam

Julie — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 03:08:56 +0000

I met up with big sister Anna and little brother Liam and their mom on one of the few cool days in recent memory. We planned the timing of the photo session to ensure we caught Liam in the crawling/cruising stage, just on the verge of, but not quite yet taking, his first step. The weather was extremely fortuitous since our plan was to start out at their house and then head out for a stroll around the Glover Park neighborhood. Rather than having to brave a hot summer afternoon, we were actually able to venture out without fearing sweaty faces and damp hair. It was a lovely way to spend an afternoon!

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Farewell Cecelia

Julie — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 02:11:22 +0000

I first photographed Cecelia when she was only 6 months old. I was thrilled when her mom asked me to do a follow-up photo session, but sad to hear they were relocating to Boston. I hadn’t seen Cecelia since our first session, so it was really fun to see her all grown up, and with hair no less! With their impending move right around the corner, we only had a few potential dates to work with before their departure. And even though we were in the midst of a hot spell, since their house was all boxed up, we braved the weather to do an outdoor session at Meridian Hill Park. Meridian Hill is a park I know well where I often go with my own son, so I was really excited to take photos there after many months of becoming familiar with all its interesting spots. Thankfully there was plenty of shade to keep us from baking in the hot sun, but it was still pretty brutal out there. To Cecelia and her parents: good luck in Boston and hope you all make it back to DC soon!

Introducing Miss Vivienne

Julie — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:32:49 +0000

Eight days old. Her name represents New Orleans where her parents met and Haiti where her father served in the Peace Corps. With a little jazz playing in the background to soothe her, she slept through almost the entire photo session, breaking into sweet little sleep smiles throughout. I’m looking forward to seeing her blossom from baby to little girl over the next year.

Sleepy Tommy

Julie — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 16:34:52 +0000

Whenever I schedule a photo session, my clients and I try to plan the start time close to when they anticipate their baby waking up from a nap. Young babies, who are still napping two to three times a day, usually don’t last more than two to three hours between naps so I like to ensure we have the longest window of time to take photos while the baby is still fresh and happy, during “quiet alert” time. Any parent reading this will probably scoff (including me) at the notion that one could anticipate a baby’s sleep schedule. If a client lives close by, I may even wait to leave my house till I get a phone call from mom alerting me that nap time has ended before I head over to start the photo session. And if an older sibling is involved, all that coordinating will probably get thrown out the window, as the timing may have to depend on two kids on two very different schedules, as it went with little Tommy and his big brother Charlie.

Tommy’s session was planned as his own special solo show, just as Charlie had when he was a still a little baby, so we started while Charlie was off having fun out of the house. The upside of the timing, even though we missed Tommy’s “quiet alert” time was that I had the opportunity to capture sweet sleeping baby photos while Tommy took a little catnap in the middle of our time together. So even when things don’t go as planned (and with babies they never do!), there are still great moments that make great images.

Christopher

Julie — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 03:19:19 +0000

I have known Christopher for about a year and half now. He’s one of the kids that frequents all the same spots as my son and I: Stead Park, Westminster Park, and the Daniel T. Watha Library. I’ve become friendly with Christopher’s fantastic nanny Danielle over the many months of running into each other around the neighborhood. I even had the occasion to attend a playgroup at Christopher’s house. But until our photo session together, I’d never had the pleasure of meeting his parents. We spent the morning hanging out around the block where they live, braving the early heat of the day – thankfully before it got too unbearable, to capture images of the energetic little guy. It was nice to be able to finally put faces to names and see the whole family together after watching Christopher sprout up into a little boy these past several months.

Twins: Take 4

Julie — Thu, 20 May 2010 17:51:22 +0000

Mea and Parrish were my fourth set of twins in just over a year, but my first set of newborn twins. I’ve always been impressed by the calm and collected nature of all the moms of multiples I’ve encountered thus far, but I now have even greater appreciation for the challenge of coordinating the care of two babies at this earliest stage of life. Hanging out with their mom Meg brought back memories of how frazzled I felt for weeks after the birth of my son, yet she seemed to have it all well in hand, with an air of tranquility that belied the situation.

When Meg called me to arrange the session, she shared with me that the photos would be a surprise for her husband’s 50th birthday. I didn’t know until I arrived at their home that he would actually be working downstairs throughout my entire visit, but had been given strict instructions to steer clear of the flurry of activity upstairs. I managed to come and go without him ever knowing I was there! I’m very excited to have been enlisted in the scheme and can’t wait to unveil the gift when the finished artwork is ready.

In honor of their arrival, Mothers Day, and dad’s 50th birthday, here are Parrish and Mea!