Christmas Mini's! 2014

A Little Bit About Me Today...

I recently had a client ask me if I had children. When I told her yes, my husband and I are parents to two funny little boys, ages 4 and 1, she replied "Wow, are they the reason why you started photography"? At first I wanted to say "no", but I realize that yes, actually they are the reason why I started this business. I always knew who I wanted to be, but along the way, I was unsure of what I wanted to do. Since the get-go, I have been Miss Artsy-pants, drawing and coloring and taking pics of everything. I remember begging for Kodak 1-use cameras for field trips, Disney vacations and more, and as I grew up, I always seemed to have a camera in my hand, and ready to upload my world on to the web. When I first became a mom, I never felt satisfied in photographs of my son. I spent hundreds of dollars on photoshoots at mall-chain photo shops and I felt so limited and that I didn't have a voice in what I wanted to pay for. I wanted photographs that capture smiles, laughs, personality and show how my son was not like anyone else's child. Each child is unique, yet I felt like I was stuck with cookie-cutter images that were just "ok". I was at a local Sears Portrait Studio, and the manager there and I were talking and she was telling me how she felt so trapped by her job and that she absolutely has a passion for photography and wishes she could talk to clients, style shoots, and really make unique photos. I thought about this for awhile and realized I felt the exact same way. We bonded well and came up with a game plan for future sessions of our oldest son, who was about a year old at the time. She allowed me to bring props, outfits, you name it to Sears the next time we went in and we created photographs that aren't very typical of chain studios. She was amazing and I am truly thankful for those images. Again, I only received 10 at the time, and by contract I had to purchase a package, etc. The amount of insane money that I spent was crazy to me and I felt that I could do this for someone else, at a fraction of the cost. The manager is no longer working there and is a successful photographer in the Dover area. She is amazing! I started looking at my own digital camera differently and thought, "Maybe I can do this at home". I started researching into backdrops, floor drops, equiptment, and all that I needed to start this little "project". It was not cheap but holidays and other events where I would be given gifts, I requested starter items. My husband from day one told me that if this hobby of mine was going to be give me something to do in my spare time, sure why not. I was told by other family members that I had no clue how to run a business or that I am just doing it for a hobby. Well, I like proving people wrong. More than anything. Cue three almost 4 years later and I am so proud of this small business I am building. Each day, I receive more and more traffic to my Facebook page, I get unique requests by email, and what started as just photographing children, has branched into insanely gorgeous territories, such as engagements and weddings. Every single day I am learning something new. Now that I have two boys, I spend any free moments behind the lens capturing them day to day, because like all kids, they grow too quickly. I don't want to have any regrets of not being to remember certain days because I wasn't able to capture the moment. I have had amazing support from my husband, mother, sister, mother-in-law and more. I have a few certain friends who have been with All Dolled Up Photography from the beginning and allowed me to capture their children as they grow. It will be our 4th anniversary very soon and I have come a long way. I am excited for the future, the growth of my business and extremely thankful for the network of other photographers, some new friends, who are with me by my side, teaching, supporting, and encouraging me with advice, criticism and critiques. This is our littlest son, Zackary. His name was inspired by my husband and mine favorite TV show, one of my favorite designers, Zac Posen, and part of my favorite music, Hanson.

If you are a mom or dad, and you have seen something online that has inspired you, or wished that you could have photographs taken that you feel are so strongly designed in your mind, please reach out to me and let's make it happen! Props, outfits, locations, I promise to make any vision you have come alive.

My vision the other morning was "a little gentlemen exploring some leaves" and all I could think about was a cream cable knit amongst the bright leaves...below is what I came up with. Enjoy!

Smokey Glen Farm: Coffman Wedding Bliss

Get ready to swoon over this beautiful wedding! All Dolled Up Photography was asked to be the photographers for this amazing, country-chic wedding at the Smokey Glen Farm, in Gaithersburg, Maryland last month and the day was nothing but amazing. This beautiful wedding of Diana and Ryan was a little bit country, a little bit vintage, and perfect for the fall! Every detail of their ceremony and reception was Pinterest-worthy and absolutely amazing! Check out a behind-the-scenes glance into the lovely Coffman wedding...

Little Bits of Fall Fun...

It is really getting to be that time of year that cooler weather makes it's way to the beach and takes away the beautiful, rich colors of fall. The leaves have really sparkled for the past week or so, and today as I was driving to work, a lot of the trees have already lost their magic. With one more session outdoors this coming weekend for fall, I hope to find a certain little patch somewhere (maybe Narnia?) that has some beautiful trees left to embrace our portraits.

Featured below is a family session and this family is full of love, laughter and lots of hugs! Some of the best photographs happen when you hide your camera and capture kids doing something silly! They are the photos that I would love to have, versus posed or staged photographs. Thank you to this amazing family for letting me capture your perfect fall night together! and best wishes on your wedding next year! 

I Put A Spell On You...and Now You're Mine

When I was asked by the insanely beautiful bride Kelly to be her photographer, I was so excited. My favorite holiday is Halloween and to be able to shoot a wedding on Halloween was a dream come true! This magical event was at the Northampton Valley Country Club in Pennsylvania and every part of this venue was beautiful. Crystal chandeliers, tapestries, a gorgeous golf course with a romantic fountain, and of course it's fall so leaves and cool weather were a bonus. From the minute I arrived, I knew that this Pinterest-worthy wedding was going to be epic. Every single detail was thought out and planned. The lovely couple Kelly and Chris met at a Starbucks (which started over a fight about a Gingerbread latte) and the rest was history. They kept the Starbucks theme in their details, and small hints of Halloween/fall were present. The most romantic part of this entire day was the ONE request by her soon to be husband: he didn't want to see her until she walked down the aisle. This was tricky, but our bride had a fun masquerade mask and the groomsmen made sure that every single shot we took of them together, he never saw her! and it was to die for!
Her gown was absolutely beautiful, dripping in dainty lace and her makeup was perfect.
The weather was perfect and it ended with a romantic ceremony at dusk, surrounded by tons of lit candles, lanterns, and a lit-arch. There were pumpkins, a special "brew" at the bar concocted by the bride herself and the children' table was full of trick-or-treat buckets of candy and more! Even the flower girl (a total sweetheart) won an award for being a vampire at the end of the night. Our sultry, siren of a bride (so 40's glam!) was a stunner and her handsome groom Chris, was quite the dapper-dan. Thank you guys for allowing us to shoot your wedding and we know you have a lifetime of happiness awaiting you!