Smile and Help a Child :: Portrait Promotion

May 21, 2012
by Victoria J

For people in DC and MD :: Portrait Promotion
Please consider helping Ms. Payne and Ms. Braxon’s 3rd and 2nd grade classes raise money for a bus to Great Falls National Park in McClean, VA. By scheduling this promotional mini portrait session for $100 during the next two weeks, you will help Ms. Payne’s class raise $180 for this bus with the proceeds.

Portrait sessions are 30 minutes and can include up to 4 people. The price covers the sitting fee plus a CD with edited images from the session. Additional time and products can be added for an additional fee. Portrait dates will be between May 25th and June 3rd.

Sing!!!

April 21, 2012April 21, 2012
by Victoria J

You may remember a recent sneak peek post… Well, I had a chance a few weeks ago to photograph an singer, evangelist, and entrepreneur in Fort Washington, MD. Select images from this dynamic session are posted below!

Sing!!! :: Sneak Peek

April 12, 2012April 14, 2012
by Victoria J

Last week, I had a portrait session for a singer from Florida. See a sneak peek below.

Doin’ Hair

May 16, 2011
by Victoria J

Back in the day… ok, it was not that long ago – just after my undergraduate experience – but back then, I wanted to “do hair” as my profession. Perhaps I was motivated to do so after creating a retailing plan for an upscale salon and spa in the Atlanta area in a Marketing class, or perhaps it was because I loved creating exotic hairstyles for myself and my friends. It could have even been because I decided to start growing my relaxer out, and I really had to “do” my hair on a regular basis. Whatever the case, I wanted to pursue a cosmetology degree, so I started researching hair schools in the Atlanta area. When I saw Empire Beauty School’s $18,000 tuition, I started re-evaluating my new career aspirations, especially since I had student loans of about that much that I needed to pay off. Needless to say, I never did move in the direction of hair school, but recently I have been blessed with opportunities to work with hair stylists, like the one I photographed in Delaware last week.

View select images below from this “hair-focused” headshot session, and by the way, if you see something you like, don’t forget to leave a comment below!

Taking on Washington!

March 28, 2011
by Victoria J

Through my studies at Howard University, I was afforded the opportunity of meeting a young California man with focus and determination who has set his sights on education and the creation of policies surrounding that. Recently, he commissioned me to take photographs of him for his portfolio, so we chose the Capital area as our venue. Besides similar majors, we both shared a lack of understanding concerning the fact that it was snowing in DC at the end of the month of March (Sunday morning it snowed). Really, it’s supposed to be warm already! Anyway, the cold weather actually worked in our favor to (1) allow for less harsh sunlight, less shadows, etc, and (2) encourage people to stay home (meaning less people that I had to dodge in the photos). All in all, the images came out beautifully from this session, and I learned a DC secret in the process: The best time to shoot at the historic sites in DC is when a building is closed in the morning, like Sunday mornings.

I have included select images from this session below, and if you see something you like, please leave a comment below! I’d love to hear from you!

All About the HAIR!

January 13, 2011January 13, 2011
by Victoria J

One of the many things I love about what I do is the diversity of projects that I take on. One day, I may be photographing a family portrait session, the next day, I may cover an awards ceremony, and then next project may be a fashion shoot! It constantly has me thinking on my toes, looking for the best shots to capture the essence of the moment or the personalities. Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to do a photography session for a lace-front wig manufacturing company, based in Maryland – Hair Works International. The session was all about the hair with fans blowing and plenty of whipping (this is a reference to my last post). The resulting images were some of my best work to date! The goal was to not simply sell hair, but to sell a lifestyle and an experience. I will let you all be the judge for how successful I was! Select images from this session are included below.

By the way, if you see something you like, please DO NOT HESITATE to LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW!

“Something New”

November 29, 2010
by Victoria J

No matter what age we find ourselves, we should live like this is the best time to be alive and not be afraid to try something new. Now, I’m not saying we should live recklessly, but please do have fun; be jovial every so often! Laugh out loud!

I recently had the pleasure of photographing a graduate student/classmate of mine in a headshot session, and we had a good time! I definitely got the typical headshot poses in, but we also took advantage of a pool table and the lounge area at our location. As we continued with the session and she willingly tried the things I suggested, I was thinking about how she is going to be in the classroom when she starts teaching next year. Since she is going to be working with the little children, I am sure that she is going to have to be jovial at times with the kids, sing songs, and just try different things. I don’t think that any lesson plan is one-size fits all, especially not with the Pre-K, Kindergarten, or 1st grade children, so she will have to be flexible. She might even have to do some things she doesn’t want to do with that age group, like the Pre-K teacher I was observing last week had to do (I will spare you all the details, but know that it wasn’t pretty). But I do know that no matter what, she will succeed with the children because she has a heart for them and she is not afraid of trying something new!

See select images from this session below from this Maryland headshots session.

By the way, if you see something you like, please do not hesitate to leave a comment!