If you like what you see here, be sure to ask for Felipe by name and we’ll do what we can to make sure he’s your photographer the next time you call for your portrait needs!

These photos were captured early this year, in the bitter cold. Of course, we had the help of some Hot-Hands warmers to stick in our gloves—something I always carry with me to share that time of year—and everyone was well bundled up. However, needless to say, this little guy was having a blast, and mom doing a great job joining in the fun, too.

As is common with photos of toddlers, these images were captured at a small local park just a few minutes from their home.

We had a great time at the wedding and really enjoyed every guest we had the chance to chat with. And, Newton-White is an excellent wedding venue. Congratulations Auntea & Afuw, I wish you the best of luck in your new lives together!

If you’ve worked with us in the past, or even browsed our galleries, you probably know we’re not too about studio photography. Instead, we prefer things more natural, quirky or fun. The winter months prove a challenge when aiming to capture those images. The options really seem limited to taking photographs indoors with a set up of studio lights, or going to a local studio (if that’s your thing, we’ll be happy to recommend some great ones). But most of the time, that’s far from being a satisfying solution.

A studio lighting set up will eat up time that should be used to capture valuable images. Sitting in front of those lights for forty-five minutes can also have the effect of bringing out your most fabulous of fake smiles. And, of course, how much variety can you really accomplish in front of the fire place?

There are better solutions.

For adults and older children, tough it and go outside.

We don’t do much of the “sit there, put your chin there, put your foot there, tilt your head that way, fill your mouth with marshmallows and say ‘chubby-bunny’ “. Instead, we’re usually letting you pose yourself, as much as possible, in order to capture more of you being you. For children, we usually play with them and capture images as we go.

9 out of 10 times, even in the cold, outside is the best place to do this. Because there’s more variety—more to do and more to see—as long as you bundle up, you probably won’t even notice that it’s cold.

Some people may think that they can’t look their best in coats, scarves, gloves and hats. But in reality, the realistic almost always wins over the picture-perfect. The slightest “imperfections” can provide your images with the natural, realistic quality that will give them that life-long likeability that we don’t realize how much we really love until we see them in old photo albums.

So instead of aiming for picture-perfect, aim for natural. That means, look good, but bundle up. Throw a couple extra layers on the kids and take them to a park. Let them play and romp around and before long they won’t even notice the cold. And you probably won’t either.

For small children and babies, your own home is probably the best location.

Some of our smaller friends, however, just won’t be able to handle the cold. That’s a simple reality. Most of the time they can’t tell us how cold they are and the best they can do is exercise their vocal chords in a string of ambiguous vowel sounds. In that case, the best option is usually your own home—even if you don’t think it looks great. It almost always turns out much better than you’d expect.

Toddlers usually have lots of toys to play with and a messy play room often times makes a fantastic setting for natural photographs. Smaller children and babies look great in their crib or enjoying some ‘tummy time’ on the floor with mom or dad.

There are a few limitations and drawbacks to shooting in your own home, however.

For example, most homes don’t have enough natural light and using a single flash is necessary (not a studio light set up); and we can often mimic the look of natural light using clever flash techniques. Also a concern is that homes with very vibrant or very dark colors on the wall will not allow us to use our flash units. And, some children find the camera’s flash to be jarring, though they usually get used to it after a few minutes.

Choose the location that’s best for you.

Whether it’s images of a family, children, babies, couples, teens or whatever else, capturing outstanding images in the winter time, is not a lost cause. It’s simply a matter of choosing what makes the most sense for you. Where possible, get comfortable and go outside. Where little one’s just won’t stand for it, don’t even worry about leaving your home. We’ll come to you, at no additional charge (provided you’re within our standard traveling distance).

Talitha, a self-proclaimed control-freak, had the reigns tight on her wedding day, making absolutely sure that everything was queued up and ready to go, and with ten bride’s maids, it’s a good thing she did! But unlike many of the ‘bridezillas’ we hear about, Talitha was not only on top of things, she was calm, collected, friendly and having a great time, enjoying her day. I was nothing short of impressed. Then there’s David. David, though natively a laid back, go-with-the-flow kind of guy, like any good fiancé, picked up the slack wherever it was needed. Together they were like a powerhouse of productivity and cool-collectedness that really made you feel comfortable.

Talitha & David opted not to use my services to photograph the bulk of their reception, and the creative formals were primarily limited to the couple.

Though it’s difficult to take photographs inside the conservatories at Brookside Gardens, someone must have been feeling very generous because they allowed us to spend a good fifteen minutes there before we moved on to the next spot.

We also happened to be there on the same day as a Montgomery County School’s field trip. Caitlin is a public school teacher and with a little smooth talk between me and the bus-driver we were able sneak onto the bus and grab a shot of the two of them.

Congratulations to Jason and Caitlin on their recent marriage! We wish you the very best!