On December 15th 2010 I decided to take a leap of faith and quit my job to become a full time photographer. I started a photography business with a partner called Shuttergize, which turned out to be a larger project than I wanted to take on (but didn’t know it until I was immersed in that business). I was COMPLETELY new to the business world and had to educate myself on business… As an artist, trying to focus on what running a business meant was challenging. Shuttergize didn’t work out for many reasons but I learned so much. I especially learned to be true to myself and to admit to what I do and do not want to do. I picked up the pieces and started all over again in August 2011. But let me stress that I started all over again as a more knowledgeable person with a clearer path. I joined BNI Cameron Breakfast which has turned into my “office setting” without the office, or my “office home” as I call it. I’ve met SO MANY WONDERFUL PEOPLE this year. I’ve been fortunate enough to photograph 12 weddings this year! 12 WEDDINGS! That’s 10 more weddings than what I had lined up on December 15th 2010. I’ve met so many wonderful photographers too! Heather Bee, Liz Maryann and Leigh Ann Saperstone have welcomed me to shoot with them on several occasions this year. I feel truly blessed and grateful to the three of them. I’ve gotten to meet three of the five photographers I follow on a daily basis (Sarah Cramer, Heather Bee and Rebekah Murray) and it was so unbelievable because in my mind they are like celebrities to me. Someday (soon I hope) I will get to meet Zack Arias (lighting genius!) and Jasmine Star (A very successful wedding photographer in California). My summer kicked off with Mike and Marlene’s wedding which was exquisite! I got to shoot another wedding with Heather Bee on my birthday!!!! Did I also mention I shot a wedding at that same venue on New Year’s Day??? (01-01-11) What a sign of great things to come!! Not only that, I photographed LJ and Denise’s wedding! (Two very talented local artists!) and Leah and Sam’s Wedding (college friends). I also continued to work on my portraits portfolio since I love working with lighting (hence why I love Zack Arias). 2011 has no doubt had it’s rough patches but its been a darn good year! And even though I have been essentially broke for most of it, I have not regretted quitting my full time job. So, 2012 bring it on with nothing but good health, good things and more amazing shoots! I thank you for all your support. I honestly and truly would not be here without EACH and EVERYONE of YOU. Happy New Year! For now, I leave you with a snapshot of 2011. <3 Always Anna Nos vemos el año que viene!  

Weddings

  1/1/2011: Laura and Doug (I don’t have a photo to share because the files remained with the contracted photographer). I loved Doug and Laura’s Wedding. It was such a lovely Christmas wedding and Laura and Doug were the cutest couple ever!   06/04/2011: Marlene and Michael What an exquisite wedding. Marlene and Michael were married at the Rust Manor House in Leesburg, Virginia. Marlene and Michael were such a great couple to work with. All the details from their wedding were simply exquisite. I loved all the meetings Marlene, Michael and I had to plan out their special day.   06/18/2011: Tamara and Langston (Shot as Heather Bee Photography’s second shooter) This wedding was so lovely and lively. Not only that but it was on my birthday! What a treat. This was the first wedding I shot with Heather Bee and we had a blast! Heather is so talented! This wedding was also held at the same hotel where Doug and Laura’s wedding was held. Ironic?   07/23/2011: Amanda and Brent (Shot as Heather Bee Photography’s second shooter) Amanda and Brent were such a pleasure to photograph. It was 98F with almost 100% humidity but that did not stop them from allowing us to take amazing portraits of them. I am not sure how they did it without so much as a drop of sweat because I was melting.   08/08/2011: Lisa and Chris (Shot as Leigh Ann Saperstone’s second shooter) Ah yes. I loved this wedding for so many reasons. I got to assist one of my dearest friends from college (GMU). Chris and Lisa both went to GMU, Leigh Ann and I went to GMU and the reception was held at GMU. I loved every second of it!   08/20/2011: Katie and Andy (Shot as Heather Bee Photography’s second shooter) This wedding was such a blessing. I haven’t blogged this wedding yet because Heather had submitted it to a wedding blog and their rules stated that these not be published until they published them (which they just did). Let me tell you why this wedding was a blessing. My partner and I had just come to the conclusion that Shuttergize just wasn’t going to work out because we really weren’t working out. I was devastated because everything I had worked to build crumbled in a matter of moments. It seriously felt like a divorce and I was just devastated. I was supposed to shoot a wedding with my partner but that didn’t work out because well we came to a mutual agreement that our partnership was not going to work. My ex-partner found someone else to assist in the wedding I was supposed to assist so I was weddingless… until the next day. Heather Bee called me and asked if I was free to assist and I said YES. She was such a blessing. Heather was so VERY excited to shoot this wedding (and I was too once she told me about it). Katie, the bride, had spent and unbelievable amount of time making all the details of her wedding. Her wedding was travel themed. It was really special and you just had to be there to see how much work she put into it (it was amazing). This wedding did get published into two posts and you just have to go and check it out! Post 1, Post 2 I love Heather- she is so amazing and always sees the positive in people Thank you for giving me a chance, it meant the world to me when I was down and self-doubting of my own talents <3   09/03/2011: LJ and Denise (Mr. and Mrs. MTX) As Denise would say “Best Rave Wedding Eva!” and it was! Denise and LJ are good friends of ours and I could NOT believe I got to shoot this wedding. I loved working with both of them to give them fun and funky photos they will remember for a lifetime. In case you are wondering, LJ is a DJ and Denise is a vocalist and together they form quite an awesome musical duo. You will see these two in some of my portraits further down   09/24/2011: Denise and Reggie (Shot as Liz Maryann Photography’s second shooter) Meeting Liz was meant to be. I was browsing through a photo group on Facebook and saw her post where she was asking if anyone could second shoot with her on a couple of weddings. She had posted a couple of weeks back and had a lot of replies. I thought to myself, what do I have to lose? Well, Liz contacted me back right away and asked to meet me. Liz has quite an amazing portfolio and is quite the editorial photographer (I have learned so much from her). What I love about Liz, amongst many things,  is that she loves Tiesto (I love Tiesto) and she is constantly in search of the perfect “JCrew inspired” wedding party shot. Denise and Reggie were married at the Oxon Hill Manor in Maryland. What a picturesque day it was. The weather was perfect and the venue was gorgeous.   10/09/2011: Jessica and Patrick (Shot as Liz Maryann Photography’s second shooter) Jessica and Patrick are SO cute. I stayed with Patrick for a while since I was doing the groom and groomsmen photos and it just melted my heart to hear about how much he loves Jessica. I mean a genuine display of love. Their wedding was at the amazing National Harbor in Maryland (I have always wanted to shoot a wedding there- ding! Wish fulfilled but I still want to do another wedding there hehehe). What an amazing setting for a wedding with an incredibly sweet couple.   10/15/2011: Leah and Sam Leah is a very good friend of ours and I was thrilled when she contacted me to photograph her wedding. She got married at Ski Roundtop on a beautiful fall day. Her father made the sweetest “Just Married” sign to put on the back of the Ski Lift chair. We had such a blast!   11/22/2011: Matt and Jim I have to admit, this was my first Gay Wedding… aaaaand I loved it! Wedding photography is not new to me but when Matt contacted me for wedding coverage I had to consult with good ol’ Google for inspiration. I wanted to research and make sure I was getting key details or shots or checking to see if there were certain shots that would not work as well at a Gay Wedding. I had a blast! The weather held out long enough for the ceremony and portraits. Matt and Jim are two amazing guys who are so in love with each other. I really enjoyed documenting their ceremony and was so happy they contacted me.   12/17/2011: Lynne and Joe (Shot as Liz Maryann Photography’s second shooter) Lynne and Joe were married on a cold early Saturday morning at the GORGEOUS US Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis, Maryland. Lynne and Joe had a gorgeous Christmas wedding and they were such a pleasure to photograph  

Portraits:

Sons of The Old Dominion (Local Band, Fairfax)

Caden and Moe (My cousin’s adorable kids)

  Riley (Young Model)   Euro Design Solutions (Interior Design)   Stacy and Russ (Engagement Session)   Carol and Carol (Childhood friends)

Studio Portraits

  Connie (Denise MTX-Vocalist, Washington D.C.)   The Octopus (DJ Duo: LJ MTX & Ciconte – Washington D.C.)   Adam (My Husband and the Best Model a Photographer Could Ever Ask For) This photo is very “Dr. Who-ish” or so I have been told   Emily and Rodney (Childhood Friend and Her Fiance)   Battery Operated #2AA (Roller Derby, Baltimore MD)   Kristen (Friend, Part-Time Raver and Aspiring Hot Topic Model, Washington D.C.)