Welcoming baby Daxel | Baby’s First Year Portraits

• September 15th, 2017 •

So excited to welcome little Daxel to the DSP family!! Baby D was not only SUPER cute, but he was my first baby in the new office!! He was not so sure at first but when we finally got him settled he was a superstar! This shoot was extra great because my new assistant Kennedi got to assist on her first newborn shoot. We had so much fun and we got to try a few new poses… I may be biased but I think they turned out amazing with our little munchkin!

Alex, Daxel’s big brother was also a superstar. It isn’t easy being five sitting in a hot office all day but he did great and we captured some adorable portraits of the two brothers. Beautiful momma Melissa has served our country for 20 years, and we are super thankful for her military service. I’m so grateful to help her welcome her second little munchkin. Take a look at this adorable little family! Enjoy 🙂

Mermaids with Mommy | Hampton Roads Mermaid Portraits

• August 21st, 2017 •

Heidie and Nala were my first and perfect mommy and daughter duo! Heidie decided to make a special surprise for her husband and surprisingly it wasn’t Nala who spilled the beans to dad after the shoot, it was Heidie! She loved her video so much she showed him the video as soon as I produced it!

The session was AMAZING. We shot at Chicks Beach and it was a beautiful day despite the water being just a tad chilly. Nala, our little mermaid was upset when she got her tail wet, but momma stuck it out!

These sessions are still available but not for long as the chilly weather is approaching! Contact me today if you are interested in making your mermaid fantasy a reality!

Gabriel Turning One | Baby’s First Year Photography Hampton Roads

• May 18th, 2017 •

Happy Birthday little man! I love that I have gotten to watch you grow over your first year. You are such a charming and happy little guy. Your first year portraits session was the EASIEST I have ever done! You were a little model- laughing, smiling and clapping for the camera. You DEVOURED your cake- ate more than any other one year old I photographed and hated it when we took it away! Mom and dad don’t like the camera as much as you, but with you they complied to be in the portraits as well!

I hope to be able to photograph you as you grow up. I can tell you are going to be an amazing addition to this world and make it a better place. Honored I was able to photograph the first year!

Sweet Sianna | Baby’s First Year Portraits

• March 22nd, 2017 •

All these little babies!!! I am loving all the newborn session I’ve been photographing lately. Little boys, girls, twins… bring me ALL THE BABIES! I have a great program called my “Baby’s First Year Plan” and I love when my clients book them so I can watch them grow during that amazing first year of growth!

Meet the beautiful Sianna. Her mommy bought my “Bump to Baby” plan so I got to photographed her both in the belly and in person at just a week old. What a great shoot. Mommy wanted it to be just for little Sianna, as daddy was working, and she was a perfect little model. Enjoy some of the highlights from both the maternity and newborn sessions!

My beautiful Livi: Military Ball 2017 | Personal

• March 20th, 2017 •

My Olivia is her own unique girl. She’d rather wear jeans than dresses, brush her hair with her fingers rather than a brush and doesn’t have any social media accounts because it is “all fake hiding behind a computer.” She loves volunteering and helping children. She’s a tomboy with a HUGE heart who knows who she is and what she believes in.

This year was her first big school dance. She picked out a beautiful blue lace dress but, of course, wore converse tennis shoes instead of heels. She even agreed to get her makeup done! (Carly with MakeupbyVega is amazing!) She got her hair re-shaved and was ecstatic to get a mohawk that completed her look.

She HATES having pictures taken (I’m sure that has nothing to do with a mom who has had a camera in her face since she was born!!) but she had no choice in getting portraits taken before the dance. She kept running away though, saying “Enough MOM!!!” (I do get some validation though as when she sat down to view her portraits she said “Are there anymore?” When I told her no because she wouldn’t let me shot for more than 5 minutes, she begrudgingly agreed that she should have let me take more!!)

My sweet girl looked stunning. She is such a beautiful soul inside and out. To see her in a beautiful dress, all dolled up, wearing makeup… momma wasn’t ready. She no longer looked like a little girl, but a woman. I’m not ready. She is beautiful and amazing but I’m not ready for womanhood yet. That said, she is handling it with grace and beauty. I am so proud of my girl.

Her date, Shanyn, is a very nice young man. He was respectful and a perfect first date to her first dance. They had a great time dancing and laughing together. When I picked them up they told me stories about the evening, which took forever to tell between the bouts of laughter. 🙂 I am so glad they had fun together… I remember awkward moments of silence and uncomfortable conversation during my dances back in the day!

My favorite part of the whole night was when she got home and curled up in her daddy’s lap to tell him about her night. Always has been and will always be a daddy’s girl. <3 <3

A Year in Review | Hampton Roads Photographer

• December 31st, 2016 •

Another amazing year has passed. Last year at this exact time, I was just so thankful 2015 was almost OVER. It was a year filled with so much sadness and loss. I prayed for 2016 to be a BORING year at least! I just wanted to get past all the pain of 2015. God answers prayers and more. Like he states “There is a time and a season for everything.” The BORING year I was praying for didn’t happen, instead He gave me so much more.

Personal highlights of 2016… I started the year off on a cruise with my family. The first cruise we have done together and it was a beautiful welcome to the new year! In the spring, I visited NYC with my son and godson and got to see my childhood crush, Will Smith (aaaaahhhhhhh) film the movie Collateral Beauty. (Seriously, I was like a giddy child- and the coolest thing was it was an unexpected surprise to see him on set!! Thanks to an amazing friend who set it up!) In the summer, I visited Ethiopia again, with Habesha Momma, and got to start the process of opening a home for homeless and trafficked children. I also FINALLY got to take my husband to NYC. I love NYC and Brett has said for years “NEVER” when I ask if he’d like to go with me. However, he finally agreed and we had a fabulous time together enjoying the big city!

One of the biggest personal and business highlights was I moved my business out of my house and into a true commercial space!! It was a HUGE leap of faith but I am so very thankful I took the risk. I LOVE having my own space. I’ve been a successful photographer for years BUT having my own name on the outside of a building makes me feel “I’ve made it!” It has been an amazing whirlwind of a year! I had a phenomenal Open House in my new space and felt so much love poured out. I have been blessed by the opportunity to photograph so many amazing people, families and projects. I truly love my job and don’t take for granted the fact that I am given the gift of creating moments in time for each of you.

This blog every year is one of my hardest… to go through the year and pick my favorite images to share. Each one of you are so special to me, all of our shoots hold special moments and laughs. In every single session- I am creating memories that I pray will be cherished for generations to come. Narrowing that down to 15-20 images to show my year in review… it is SO HARD! But here are some of the highlights I was able to narrow it down too… and once again thank you. Thank you for trusting me, thank you for supporting me, thank you for allowing me into your family.

I pray blessings, love and lots of laughter in 2017!

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An Answer to Prayer: Welcome 3D | Virginia Beach Newborn Photograher

• November 4th, 2016 •

Watching families grow is simply one of the best parts of my job. I can remember years ago photographing the David family while they were praying for another child, and getting to see where they are now is such a honor.

Welcome Little Moses the third!! This little guy is such an answer to prayer for the David family. God’s timing is always perfect and while “not yet” was hard to hear for so many years, we are so very thankful for His perfect timing!

We welcomed Moses (aka 3D as he is Moses David the THIRD) in July and he was such a star during his session. He cooed and smiled and slept like a champ! Already a superstar like his Daddy.

Big sister Amani is in love with him too, I love seeing older siblings love on their baby siblings and I can already tellt hat Amani will be like a second momma to little 3D!

Enjoy the David family and some of their favorite portraits from their session. <3 <3 photography_002

Lifestyle Maternity | Baby’s First Year Photographer

• September 15th, 2016 •

Baby number two is on the way for Raf and Claire!! They are longtime clients that I am OVER THE MOON excited for as they welcome a new sibling for little Jack! Claire called me and asked for a family session that would include a few maternity portraits, but WOULDN’T focus on the “belly” the whole time. She is such an adorable and beautiful pregnant mommy… but just didn’t want a ton of pictures withe focus being on her belly!

Since it was SUPER HOT and had been raining for days, we decided the best bet was a lifestyle session at home. We are all so glad we did as the pictures turned out amazing . As there will likely be a household move in the future, these portraits will be some amazing treasures showing the love in the home where both their children were born and spent their first years.

Of course, as I LOVE maternity portrait showcasing the bump- I did convince Claire to do a FEW in a maternity gown that focused on how beautiful she is with that beautiful baby bump! Enjoy and say a pray for Claire and Raf… they are officially past the due date and ready to welcome their newest little one!

UPDATE: I wrote this blog and guess who arrived the very next day? The beautiful Katherine… a perfect little girl to add to this amazing family!!! Great job Claire, I am finishing up her newborn portraits now and she is so adorable with her chunky little legs! I can’t wait to share with you!

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Jaita Turns Two

• August 22nd, 2016 •

Turning two is a pretty big accomplishment and grandma (GiGi) wanted to celebrate with a photoshoot! Little Jaita totally rocked her two year old session. (Of course, like any two year old, she wasn’t completely cooperative and attentive the entire time… but with a little patience and bribery we made it work.)

We included her momma’s favorite team, the Cowboys, much to dad’s surprise (not HIS favorite team) Elmo and her favorite baby doll. Jaita is such a beautiful little lady and I love seeing her sassy little smile every time I get to photograph her!

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Welcome Mr. Gabriel | Newborn Portrait Photographer

• August 5th, 2016 •

Mr Gabriel was ready to come into this world… so ready he came the very day we had scheduled his mommy for her maternity portraits!!! So sadly, we don’t have maternity portraits for mommy and daddy, but we do have some amazing newborn portraits! He was such a little star during our session. He slept and cooed and was such a joy to photograph. Mom and dad did pretty amazing too! I can’t wait to watch him grow and I look forward to our next session!

Check out Mr. Gabriel in all his adorableness!

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