SISTERS | Goodhart Photography, Loudoun County Family Portrait Photographer

If you know these three beautiful girls, PLEASE do not say anything to their mother about this session! It is a Christmas surprise for her, as she has been wanting them to have their portraits taken for quite a while.

Anyway, it was a perfect afternoon for a portrait session, and these girls were a photographer's dream -- the camera loved them, they had perfect smiles and great personalities and got along very well.




I think they would look great in a storyboard. Let me see if I can mock a few up really quickly. Ignore the white border around the story boards -- it is not part of the storyboard, it is the blog template.




Or here is something a little different:



And my parting shot, with the beloved family dog:



There are TONS of gorgeous photos yet to come! I'll let you know when they're finished - it should be no later than two weeks.

Family Portrait Mini-Sessions | Goodhart Photography, Loudoun County Family Photographer

What a wonderful day! The weather was perfect, the location gorgeous, and my clients beautiful. Look at this little girl, with her creamy skin and deep brown eyes. She was just as lovely inside as she is on the outside, and a very good singer too!



Next up is this amazingly gorgeous tween.   She and her mother had a close bond, which I think comes out in the playful portrait below.



My final shoot of the day was this repeat client -- one of my favorite kinds!

And does she have the makings of a heartbreaker or what?

FAMILY PORTRAITS | Goodhart Photography, Loudoun County family and child portrait photography

Fall is currently my busiest time of year, as families want photographs with some of the gorgeous fall color for their Christmas and holiday cards. I met this beautiful family after school for a weekday session, which is much easier to schedule than weekends but often means portraits without parents. They were friendly and personable children, and quite helpful too, carrying my gear and dragging my wagon.

Mom was just as helpful, cleaning off my coat and hair with a stick when a passing bird left me a present! I am not making that up! It made for some natural giggles though, which I captured -- the show must go on, no matter how badly the photographer wants to go home and take a shower! So when you see me with my "First Aid Kit" in my wagon from now on, you'll know why. Anything can happen on a photoshoot and I will now be prepared with tissues/anti-bacterial wipes, etc..

Anyway, in spite of high spirits and a rapidly setting sun, we managed to get some lovely portraits! The rest of the proofs will be available in two weeks.

FAMILIES AND PHOTOGRAPHS | Goodhart Photography, Loudoun County Family and Child Portrait Photographer

So yesterday I met these adorable early risers at the beautiful, but rather chilly, Claude Moore park in Loudoun County. Above they keep each other warm and create a charming portrait in the process!


Then it was back home to get dinner started, another load of laundry, the polls, and back down to Lansdowne for my last shoot of the day in the "golden hour" before sunset.


These boys were as angelic as they look!! Beautiful eyes, big smiles, and gorgeous portraits.

"C" YOU'RE A CUTIE FULL OF CHARM | Goodhart Photography, Northern Virginia Family Portrait Photographer

Look at the eyes on this boy! Absolutely beautiful. The whole family has amazing blue eyes.

It was a joy to photograph this family, as I've known the parents for -- well, before they were dating! We all worked together on Capitol Hill, they were fresh out of college. What I remember most about them is their energy and the way they used to laugh -- very infectious! They managed to be so much fun even as they worked extremely hard and long hours.




And here they are with four energetic boys! They tumbled out of the house with their nerf guns, busy firing at each other and various targets in the yard (it is a testament to their upbringing that my light stand and I were not targets!).





And yet, a few minutes later, nerf wars were forgotten as the oldest held his baby brother and made him smile for the camera.



And my parting shot, which will never make it onto anyone's wall, but is still one of my favorites...

DAWNS EARLY LIGHT | Goodhart Photography, Northern Virginia Family Portrait Photographer

I've written about the photographer's golden hour in the evening, but dawn's early light can also be magical, albeit a bit cool and dewy. I met two siblings and their families bright and early to take portraits as a gift for their father. I love how beautifully they are dressed.

Apparently Grandfather's most recent photograph of this family does not include the adorable younger child! This is definitely a perfect time to give him an updated family portrait.

I asked this family to traipse through wet grass to pose by this fence. The lines of the fence, the sun peeking through the trees, and the rustic barn seemed a perfect backdrop.



Thank you everyone for meeting me so bright and early! I hope you enjoyed your sneak peek. There are many more photographs to come, and they should be ready within two weeks!

RACHAEL | Goodhart Photography, Northern Virginia Family and Teen Portrait Photographer

I met Rachael and her mother at dawn's early light for a senior portrait session! She is class of 2010, but it is never too late to get the senior portraits you wish you had!

While it was a little early for fall color, we managed to find a red maple next to this pond.


And I brought this black chair as a prop. In my mind, I see the chair in a field of grass, but the problem with that is ticks!! So instead we put the chair against a backdrop of wildflowers.



And just for fun, this last photograph of Rachael adjusting her shoe!

WATER DAMAGE | Goodhart Photography, Northern Virginia Family Photographer

So the above is the way my kitchen has looked for....I guess about a month now! We had water damage caused by both our dishwasher and our sink. Insuranced denied our claim :( citing repeated seepage etc... Getting quotes from various contractors and making decisions about cabinets and flooring has moved a little more slowly than I would like, but I am trying to be patient and keep my eye on the prize -- a beautiful new kitchen!

So in the meantime, our downstairs bathroom is doing double duty as a dishwashing staging area, our family room and garage hold the contents of our kitchen, and -- we eat out a lot.

Here are some pics from a recent outting in search of food:









Have a wonderful fall!

LOVE AND MARRIAGE | Goodhart Photography, Northern Virginia Event and Wedding Photography

Last weekend I was a second shooter for Dancer Burns of Moxie Photos in downtown Winchester. What a beautiful wedding! The couple, A and R were a dream, so in love, so comfortable, so happy and relaxed.

The ceremony took place at the historic Frances Barton Event Center in the heart of Winchester.

They were married outside, against a backdrop of ivy and sunshine.







They were surrounded by friends, family, and man's best friend (their dog).






Then after the ceremony, the newlyweds walked through downtown Winchester to the reception hall.







And here are a few miscellaneous shots....





And my parting shot, I love the way they are gazing at each other! Best of luck to both A and R as they embark on their journey together.

A PRINCESS IN A TUTU | Goodhart Photography, Loudoun County Child and Family Portraiture

Isn't she lovely? Little Miss A is three years old and full of spirit and energy. She is modeling a tutu for me because I am considering putting together a portfolio to show to some of the small local dance schools in Loudoun and Fairfax County. And perhaps preschools. Last year I did the Team and Individual photographs for a local swim team, and I really enjoyed it! So I am interested in exploring other opportunities in the same genre.

I know dance photographs are typically done with a studio look, and I do in fact have a session lined up in my living-room-doubling-as-a-studio for later this month. But I just love to take these kinds of portraits out doors! There is just something particularly magical about that. This is another photo I did over a year ago...

ENGAGED! | Goodhart Photography, Loudoun County Portrait Photographer

So I've been second shooting weddings for a few months now, and loving every minute of it! In fact, I will be second shooting for another local photographer on Saturday in downtown Winchester, VA.

Anyway, I had the honor of photographing engagement photographs for this lovely young couple in Fredrick County. The setting was idyllic!

Laura and Mike were so playful and natural in front of the camera.

I am sure they have a wonderful future together!!

THE GOLDEN HOUR BEFORE SUNSET | Goodhart Photography, Loudoun County Family and Portrait Photographer

It's fairly common knowledge that light is at its most beautiful around sunrise and sunset.   In fact, photographers call an hour before sunset and an hour after sunrise the "Golden Hour".  Lighting is warmer, and softer, and the contrast between highlight and shadow is much less intense than in the middle of the day.  Even though these family portraits were taken a little before the "Golden Hour", they still have some of that golden quality, particularly in the water behind the family in the portrait above. 


You do have to work fast, though, if you are trying to use the "Golden Hour", because once the sun sets, light has a much cooler tone, as below, in this portrait I took as a second wedding photographer on behalf of Shelley Miller of Shellpix Studios:



Which still can be lovely, but definitely isn't golden!

"A" YOU'RE ADORABLE | Goodhart Photography, Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area Portrait Photographer

Yes, this was an absolutely adorable little girl!  Those eyes just melt my heart.  She had her own agenda yesterday, as sometimes three year olds do, so we just went with the flow and still got some beautiful portraits.  I did get a few lovely photographs of her smiling, but this serious expression shows her eyes in their full wide-eyed glory.

Here are her parents and her equally adorable sister, baby E: 

And yesterday, my baby turned eight!  How time flies, it seems like just yesterday you were as wee and jolly as baby E, and now you are such a little man.  So I took celebrated the occasion by setting up my new studio strobe and softbox and bribing him to sit for a quick portrait. 



I was delighted with the soft, gorgeous light and can't wait to start using this set-up with my clients who want a studio with or instead of an on-location look.

MUSINGS | Goodhart Photography, Loudoun County Family and Portrait Photographer

So I was up early yesterday with insomnia, and drove to Baltimore to meet one of my dearest friends who sadly moved to Pennsylvania two years ago.  I had such a wonderful time!  Some friends make you feel so comfortable, there isn't anything you can't share, you have the same sense of humor, you love the way they look at the world, you are energized by talking with them - that is the kind of friend L is.  Unfortunately I did NOT bring my camera so I am posing a few sunflower photographs I took in July at the McKee-Besher Wildlife Management Area because that is how I felt after my trip to Baltimore - bright and cheerful.



I have a busy weekend ahead, a portrait session on Saturday, a wedding back up in Baltimore on Saturday evening, a session on Sunday, and a session on Monday! 

For the wedding, I will be second shooting for Paula Lockhart of Four Seasons Photography , and it will be my first time working with her!  I can't wait -- I love weddings, for their fairy tale nature, but also the way a wedding allows a photographer to do it all -- weddings combine portraiture with photojournalism and storytelling, macro photography, environmental portraiture, etc....

On that note I'll close with a few images I took at a wedding in Baltimore earlier this year, as a second shooter for Shelley Miller of Shellpix Studios.