This morning, I met up with the McCain family for their annual holiday portraits. Last year, I jumped on the trampoline with the kids for some fun shots so as soon as I showed up today, they were ready to recreate last year’s session. So much fun!
Family Day at Black Ankle Vineyard
Date: Saturday November 28, 2009Posted in: Photography, Portrait Photography
Yesterday, 17 families and I braved the cold and wind (and few minutes of sleet) for some memorable portraits at Black Ankle Vineyard. Thankfully, being at the vineyard, as soon as we wrapped each portrait session, parents could run inside to taste some amazing wine.
After the long day of portraits, I came home with a bottle of BAV’s 2006 syrah and an assortment of handmade truffles. Perfect ending to the day.
I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving full of family, friends, laughter, and memories.
When I was a kid, we used to have the tradition of my dad taking my brothers and me hiking every Thanksgiving morning and start the day by giving thanks for the wonderful Earth around us (I realized later that this tradition stemmed from my mom needing my dad to get us out of the house so she could cook without being interrupted for a few hours). This year, my brothers and Jason and I decided to start our Thanksgiving day in Gambrill State Park. It was perfect.
The rest of Thanksgiving was filled with lots of family and friends. I’m definitely thankful for everything and everyone in my life.
Now I’m off to Black Ankle Vineyard for the day to meet 14 families for family portraits! 
Check back tomorrow for the update.
Erin and Adam – Middletown, Maryland
Date: Monday November 16, 2009Posted in: Photography, Wedding Photography
I was so excited this past Saturday for Erin and Adam’s wedding! Last winter, we had a really fun engagement session and I knew their wedding would be fantastic. We started out with the girls getting ready, headed to the church for a beautiful ceremony, and then to Musket Ridge Golf Club for the reception full of dancing, laughter, and a perfect sunset. Congratulations Erin and Adam!
Portrait Party – Bethesda, Maryland
Date: Sunday November 8, 2009Posted in: Photography, Portrait Photography
Today, Nancy and I spent the afternoon in Bethesda, enjoying the awesome weather, and photographing lots of families at Claire’s portrait party. What a great day!! We had so much fun with all of the families and got some really cute pictures! I don’t think this post will show everything from the day but it will be a glimpse into the fun we had.
This afternoon, I hung out with Sadira and Skyler as we explored part of the grounds of Lucy School, where I taught last year. Sadira was in my kindergarten class last year and this year, I get to pick her up from school every Tuesday and spend the afternoon with her for art lessons. Skyler will be in the 3-year-old class next year at Lucy School and just by watching him, you can tell he is raised as a Lucy School kid – exploring and investigating EVERYTHING and absolutely fearless! It was such a great afternoon!
After teaching for six years, this is my first year NOT in the classroom. It’s been an adjustment but SO awesome to have the time to spend on building Hough Photography. That said, I couldn’t quit cold turkey (nor do I ever intend to…). I teach private art lessons during the week. Here is one of my little girl groups. How cute are they??
I think families who have become my regular clients have come to realize they are not only getting a children’s photographer but also someone with a lot of energy to chase the kids around for the duration of a shoot. Before yesterday’s cold and rainy shoot, my little guy, Trey, was cold so we set off on a race across the parking lot and back to warm up. It was a tough race and I thought I had it in the bag but he MAY have sneaked by me right at the end…
Nancy’s solo shoot – Trash the dress!
Date: Sunday November 1, 2009Posted in: Me, Photography, Portrait Photography
This afternoon, after we finished with our family shoots, Nancy did a solo trash the dress session with none other than me and my husband, Jason, as her subjects. I had staked out the park a long time ago to find where I wanted to do this so once I changed into my dress, the three of us took off on a hike… we followed a trail, winding through the woods, and ended up at the perfect stable for our shoot.
Nancy did AWESOME and we had a lot of fun bouncing ideas back and forth. I should always stay behind the camera…but this one time, I lived through being on the other side…
And we thought it would be funny to take a picture of the wedding photographer taking pictures in a wedding dress – fitting…
Occoquan Learning Session #2
Date: Sunday November 1, 2009Posted in: Photography, Portrait Photography
Nancy and I used today as our 2nd learning session. We recruited three groups to be part of this rainy day and all were troopers to even show up in the rain! We are SO thankful for everyone involved (I don’t know that I would be thrilled with being told to smile in the cold and rain…). We had some fun, embraced the weather, and learned a lot!
Here are a couple of shots of Nancy and I hard at work…ha, or play (thanks to Jason).
