Summer Pies : Washington DC Food Photography

Delicious pies by MENUS Catering!  I took these photos in early August for their monthly special. The flavors are Strawberry Rhubarb, Blueberry Crumb and Fresh Peach.

Photographing food is another aspect of photography that I really enjoy. These images were shot with natural light by an open window using Canon's 50mm 1.4 lens. I am pleased with the way they turned out. The best part was getting to taste them when I was done. Yum! 

Gift Certificates :: Maryland Portrait Photographer

Gift certificates are available! Each card is valid for one photography session either on-location or in the studio. They are a great gift idea for baby showers, new moms, one year birthdays, or high school graduations.

Portrait Fun in Florida : Maryland Photographer

We have been on numerous vacations with L and J over the years and we always have an amazing time together. There is always good food, plenty of drinks and lots of laughs! Our mini-trip to Florida was no exception. These pictures were taken during a martini-inspired photo shoot while we waited for the fireworks to start and our next round of cocktails to arrive. I feel very lucky to have such great friends and travel-buddies. Can’t wait for our next trip!

I had some fun playing around with overlays in photoshop. They are addictive!

VA Beach Sessions in August : Bethesda Maryland Photographer

I wanted to post a quick update that I will be traveling to Virginia Beach the weekend of August 7th. If anyone is interested in a child, highschool senior, or family session please send me an email! I have availability the mornings of the 7th and the 8th for one session (maybe two). I won't be back again until late September so if you want to get an early start on photos for holiday cards, now is a great time! 

Here is a sneak peak at a photo from my favorite Florida family (official post coming soon). I'm in love with this picture and had to share it. Check out those arm rolls! She is too cute!

I Heart my iPhone

It is not always ideal to carry around my big camera with me all the time. Especially on the beach with sand and salt water air... it doesn't mix well with camera equipment! So this weekend while we were in Florida for July 4th I left my camera in the room. I was pretty excited to just use my iPhone to capture the weekend. I know it's not a new thing but I had not yet taken full advantage of the iPhone camera. So here is a quick collage of photos I took using the Shake it Photo App. The tunnel photo on the right side was taken inside a new hotel in Jacksonville called One Ocean. We checked it out for cocktails and fireworks. Nice spot to stay if you ever find yourself in the Jacksonville area.

 If anyone is actually reading this blog.....I have two more weekend posts coming soon! One of L & J and the other of some cute kiddos.

Educational Adventure : Photography Workshop

I want to keep improving my photography skills anyway that I can. Attending workshops led by successful photographers is one way to do this. The workshop I attended this weekend was led by an amazing child and baby photographer, Jodie Otte.  One of the biggest things I learned was how to photograph newborns using studio lighting. Jodie was a great teacher and I learned so much! I am grateful she was so open with her experiences and talent, and willing to share her knowledge. The uber-successful business she has built up is truly something I admire.

It is so important to keep learning and challenging myself so that I can offer clients the best experience and the highest quality work. I’m excited to put what I learned into action for upcoming newborn sessions.

Now the fun part..... Part of the workshop was photographing a newborn client so we could watch Jodie in action.  They were awesome first-time parents and allowed the group to watch their session and take turns photographing their beautiful baby girl. She was the tiniest newborn and SO well-behaved. A sleepy little angel the entire time. Here are a few of the shots that I got: 

If you have a newborn on the way, contact me to reserve a date for a newborn session! The best time is when they are between 5 - 10 days old. 

New website!

I haven't done a formal post about my new website yet and I feel it is time to make everything official. My website is officially live and I am in business! I love how it turned out and will continue to add photos to the Gallery sections as I build my portfolio. Check it out: http://www.daniellesaraphotography.com/

Thank you to everyone who has been supporting me and giving me the positive feedback I need to keep going!

The past few weeks have been so busy and I have a ton of post processing to catch up on from recent sessions. My goal is to post a sneak peak after each session so you can see the images right away. Hopefully I can stick to that goal.

I am booking sessions for July and August now so please contact me if you are interested!

I can't do a post without a photo so here is a cutie pie from this weekend.