Orson Street Pictures

Fall Minis Coming Soon!

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Hey you guys! It's that time! Fall is my favorite and it's just around the corner. I'm such a fall nerd, my kid already has one of her Halloween costumes. We usually do two. Because I can never just pick one. And she loves that about me. (me too).

So, along with apple picking (we love Marker Miller and Great Country Farm), and Cox Farm Fall Fest as many times as I possibly can (31 days till preview weekend), and leaf collecting, and acorn collecting and sweater wearing... I also do lots of picture taking. Lots, and lots. Last fall nearly killed me. I don't know if it was a fluke, or beginners luck or what, but I was double booked with two families most Saturdays and Sundays and had something every weekend until AFTER Christmas, people. I don't even know that many humans.

I am so happy about this. I mean, I'm super flattered. And also dead. I'm still dead from that. Mostly because I have a hard time saying no. I do have a great friend and neighbor who promises to teach me how to do that when she gets back from Maine in a few weeks. I'm going over there and we're going to drink wine and say NO to each other. I'll try to video it. Very promising.

So, for self preservation, and based on tons of feedback I've gotten, I am happy to tell you that I will be offering fall minis this year!

Fall minis will be on specific dates, they will be about a half an hour long and they will be $75. You will receive 7 - 10 high resolution images within 2 weeks of your shoot.They will be at the Manassas Battlefield. These are perfect for holiday cards and gifts. Here are the dates and times I will hold minis:

Friday, September 23

6:00 pm
6:30 pm

Saturday, October 8

5:15 pm
5:45 pm

Friday, October 14

4:15 pm
4:45 pm
5:15 pm
5:45 pm

Friday, October 28

4:15 pm
4:45 pm

Email me with your first, second and third choices. I will message you back with your secured date and time. Check out a few from last fall, done at the battlefield.

Thanks for looking!

Jessica

Baby's First Photoshoot: A Family I Love

Sunday, August 7, 2016

I'm super behind ya'll but that's the new normal. The summer has literally zoomed by and here we are in the last days. Not of warmth, I think we'll have another two months of heat, but definitely the last days of true summer. I'm depressed.

I think we'll try to squeeze in one more long weekend at Rehoboth before we call it. I'll post some of my tips for taking pictures of your family on the beach by uh, Christmas. That'll be handy then.

In the meantime, this blog is dedicated to a family I shot back in the early spring, when the sun was going down LOTS earlier than it does now. And when the little hands and feet I photographed were FREEZING cold because the rays of that cool early spring sun were just barely out of reach.

We were celebrating Emmett's 1st birthday, which technically, had happened a few weeks before. In the cold and snow. But we also took a few snaps of the McCrory's, a family I'm just crazy about.

Jules is in the same class as Liv in preschool, and we've known her since before she could talk. I think. She's a smart kid, she may have been talking already. One of my favorite things Julia used to do when I would drop off or pick up Olivia, was to somehow obtain my car keys. And then she would only push the button that remotely opened my tailgate. I was of course unaware until I was driving down the road and hearing the RUSH of air from a completely open back end. Liv thought it was pretty funny, too. Every single time. You would think I'd have started checking. Nope. I'm just that much of a mess. Trust me.

These guys were troopers! Even as the temps were dropping, they hung in with me (bribed of course by cupcakes).

The eyes on these kids! Adorable! Wow!

This one reminds me of that movie Almost Famous. What a fun day. I can't wait to see these faces again soon.

Thanks for looking!

Jess

Jenna and the Gang

Friday, May 6, 2016

Last month I had the pleasure of a senior session with 4 of the most beautiful teens in all of Northern Va. You'll see, I'm not exaggerating. We met in downtown Clifton about two hours before sunset. It was amazingly warm for late April. The girls were flawless. Jenna's mom Amy was awesome. It was magic. Pure. Magic.

I've really come to enjoy working with teens and young people on the whole. I never would have thought this group could be a sweet spot for me. But they are (in general) FAR LESS uptight and uncomfortable in front of the camera. Call it the millennial advantage, or insta-charm, it doesn't matter. It translates in beautiful and amazing ways. OK, being 18 helps too. Let's not forget to do my favorite thing, state the obvious with authority. It makes me feel smart.

There are so many things I love about downtown Clifton. Obvi, train tracks at sunset are a solid way to go. Beyond that, there are so many options within walking distance. Great benches, an awesome playground with an atrium and an amazing old barn. Go there, and eat at one of a handful of great spots, or just go get ice cream at Peterson's. If you're lucky, you'll get to experience one or possibly two very loud trains screaming through town. It's both startling and charming at once. I get that with my whole heart.

I mean, look at their shoes. This is NOT what I was looking like my last year in high school. I love that these girls are so sophisticated and styled. It gives me hope for my four year old, who on the regular, leaves the house looking like she could possibly set your driveway on fire if left for 3 or 4 seconds alone to her own devices. Clearly at some point, someone will be able to brush her hair, and maybe it will be her? These beautiful girls give me hope. Yes because they have clearly mastered dressing and grooming, but also because they each were so sweet and down to Earth.

Jenna has a little sister. I really, really hope I get another call from Amy in a few years for more senior pictures!

Good luck, girls. You are so ready to take the world on, I'm just so excited for you. Thanks for giving me the chance to capture a few amazing moments of this fleeting time. Hang on now, here we go!

Thanks for looking,

Jessica

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Lately the universe has brought me some amazing shopping experiences. I know that sounds ridiculous, but I promise, it's true. One of my dear friends FINALLY got me to host a Stella & Dot party, after a year of coaxing. It was actually really fun. We made elaborate foods that we bought from Wegmans, and we drank champagne and wine and we let our kids run amok eating finger foods and brownie bites until dark. Stuff got broken (by my own kid playing frisbee in the house). Oh and we shopped for stylish yet affordable jewelry.

In the last few weeks I was also introduced to something called Trunk Club. Um. Pretty much the most amazing shopping experience of my nearly 40 years here this time on Earth. How that works is, you spend a hot minute filling out a profile, then answering some questions. I gave Tracey my pinterest WHAT TO WEAR board (which I am particularly fond and proud of). It's like stitch fix, accept your trunk of clothes and shoes that an amazing stylist has put together just for you, either comes to your house or it comes to your party - and that party can be in their clubhouse (which I haven't been to yet) OR it can be at your house, your stylist's house. You get the point. Again, champagne and shopping and let's just face it, I'm doomed.

So after all of these endorphin-laden experiences, I got an idea. Sometimes that happens. But I thought what if I brought my glamour light (aka ring light or ring flash), Pitbull (or ok, Justin Bieber), lots of wine and champagne, finger food and my camera to a girl party? Add in that my best friend is and always has been (even in high school) a top makeup artist, who did everyone's makeup. Would that be fun? Would people like that? In the world of Facebook profile pictures and Insta-worthy praise, who wouldn't? I found some girls down with the idea and we set it up. This is what I got:

And then Fiona, the goddess appearing first in this blog post, had the brilliant idea that we should recreate this with our littles. OMGEE. Makeup on a 4 year old slays me. So we'll have to set that up, if Aunt Melissa is down. More on the blog later...

I think my experiment was a success! I don't know, what do you think? Would you do this with your girlfriends? If you'd like to, message me to see if we can set something up.

Thanks for looking!

Jessica

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