FABULOUS AT FORTY | Goodhart Photography, Northern Virginia Glamour Portrait Artist

 I suppose the casual reader of my blog could be forgiven for thinking I only photograph gorgeous high school seniors attending northern Virginia schools. But I'm a little more versatile than that! Moms often bring their children of all ages to me to photograph, but sometimes they treat themselves to a glamour portrait session to capture their beauty for posterity, or perhaps for a loved one. With Valentines Day just around the corner, I thought it was a great time to feature my latest fabulous at 40 mom of 4.


 I think the only word for this picture is fierce, right? Do you want to mess with her?

And this picture is amazing, she looks like a powerful business executive, and yet she is completely feminine.



And one of my favorites!   Such serenity and wisdom in her face.

You too can have beautiful portraits! Whether you are a spring chicken of 30, a fabulous 40, a fantastic 50 or beyond, it's not too late to treat yourself to a really special night and release your inner diva.  Give me a call today -- 703. 431. 3508!

 If you really want to be pampered, I can have a truly talented makeup artist, Meredith Ehler of Potomac Falls, Virginia on hand to highlight your natural radiance and hide any signs of the natural exhaustion I think all mothers have.

MEMORIAL DAY | Goodhart Photography, Northern Virginia Professional Photographer

These were taken a few years ago at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. I am always amazed at what a holy, solemn place the wall is, a public sanctuary in the middle of the hustle and bustle of modern every day life. Cell phones are silenced, voices are hushed, as people walk along this enormous black wall of marble, engraved with the names of soldiers who died believing in their country and in a cause larger than themselves.

This was taken years ago on a homeschooling field trip to Arlington Cemetery. My daughter was seven, and, at seeing the endless rows of headstones, spontaneously stopped to pray at a few of them.

VACATION | Goodhart Photography, Loudoun County and Northern Virginia Family Portraits

A few Downeast Maine family vacation pictures! I was so glad to be out of Loudoun County for the record heat wave....











It was wonderful R & R, but now I'm ready to get back to work! Check out my website GoodhartPhotographyllc.com and consider me for your senior pictures or family portraits!

WHY | Goodhart Photography

Life can be so unfair and full of terrible questions, like why does a mother die when she is in the prime of her life? I don't know the answer, and it is heartbreaking that some kids face that question. And yet, I am awed by the human spirit, and how people can and do go on in spite of such unspeakable loss. Life is wild and unpredictable, and yet it is beautiful and tender -- the curve of a baby's foot, a dew-covered spider's web, a single rosebud, the memory of a mother's embrace. May you find beauty, and comfort in that beauty, wherever life takes you. Peace Be with You.

WHY CUSTOM PHOTOGRAPHY? | Goodhart Photography, Loudoun County and Northern Virginia Family and Baby Portrait Photographer

Have you ever dressed your kids, strapped them into the car, driven to a studio in a shopping mall or big-box store, loaded everyone into a stroller, arrived at the studio, waited for a room to be free, and then watched your kids melt down in front of the camera due to sensory overload?

You can avoid that scenario with custom photography!

A custom photography session at Goodhart Photography gives you the option of outdoor portraits at a location where your children are comfortable, or that has special meaning for your family. Or, we can take portraits in my home studio, where your children can enjoy a fun photography session in a calm, comfortable environment. Our photography session will progress at a pace that is comfortable for your children, and not dictated by the crowd in the waiting room.

You can experience custom photography today by taking advantage of my current special, "Spring Pics with Baby Chicks". It will be a memorable session for your children, and I promise you'll get portraits you'll treasure for a lifetime.

TRAVELS TO THAILAND | Goodhart Photography, Northern Virginia Family and Child Portrait Photographer

In early January, my husband and I left our three children in the care of Grampy and took off for a short getaway to Thailand to visit my mother! It is a beautiful country, and I really enjoyed photographing it.

My mom has ten pet turtles, one parrot, one dog, and one cat. Here is one of her turtles:

The food in Thailand is so delicious! These are some of my favorite dishes, laab (a minced pork with spices) and crispy pork).

So when I came back from Thailand, I basically slept for 5 days -- no jet lag in Thailand as I guess adrenaline kept me going, but it hit with a vengeance once I returned. Now I am refreshed and energized and ready to create some beautiful portraits for my clients!

Parting shot -- windows on a Buddhist temple grounds.

NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS | Goodhart Photography, Northern Virginia Portrait and Family Photographer

So for Christmas my husband bought me Business Plan Pro software. I had so many plans to get that baby installed on my laptop and to have an epic plan in place to launch 2011.

But then I realized that in between a kitchen remodel, the holidays, and my recent trip to Thailand:




that my epic plan was just going to have to wait. I spent the last week in a jet-lag coma (12 hours time differential for Thailand) and only yesterday felt fully refreshed. That's when I realized that I can't actually find my business plan software, as I tossed it into a box with Lightroom 3 when the hardwood floors were being installed -- or maybe cleaning up for dinner Christmas Eve. But regardless, I still want to take this time to map out some broad, general business goals for 2011.

1. I resolve to pay my monthly sales tax on time. This goal actually encompasses a larger goal of business organization, because in order to pay my sales tax on time, I will have to have systems in place to track clients and payments.


2. I resolve to launch my wedding photography business.





I've spent almost a year second shooting weddings, and I just love it. Wedding photography encompasses all types of photography -- portrait, photojournalism, landscape/environmental, detail/macro -- and I get to do all this in beautiful settings surrounded by happy people.

3. I resolve to establish a permanent studio in my basement, rather than a make-shift one in my living room.



This will allow me to take clients in the winter, and offer my clients another option besides on-location portraiture.

4. I resolve to market my senior portrait photography business.





I love to photography high school seniors, as they are so creative and energetic and they want to look good.

5. I resolve to get a business plan written by February 4th. That gives me a few days to track down the software!

6. I resolve to blog at least 3 times a week. This also encompasses a goal of updating my blog and revising my website, combining the two into a blogsite.

So that's all for now. Hope all of your own dreams and resolutions come true in 2011!

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!

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. 

VACATION | Goodhart Photography, Northern Virginia Family Photographer

So I've been on vacation for most of July, and have just returned. 

We went to a beautiful family wedding in New Jersey:



We spent some time in York, Maine on our way to the ancestral farm:





We took in the sights around Gouldsboro, Maine:







We drove into Campobello Island and St. Andrews, both in Canada:







And I learned how to use Corel Painter: 





A very productive and happy three weeks!

I am refreshed and energized, and looking forward to creating portraits for you and your family.  Fall is a busy time for family portraits, so schedule your appointment today!