Kelly Nelson Photography » ashburn family photography

It’s still January, right? | Ashburn Lifestyle Photography

Kelly — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:15:17 +0000

In a perfect world, I would have had this post ready to go and ready to be published on December 29th. In fact, I had it penciled into my blogging schedule for that date. However, we all know that things don’t always work out the way we expect them to, and here I am on January 26th publishing my “2011 Year in Review” post. The good news, is that it is in fact still January, so I’m not that late. The better news is that I got it finished before this weekend when I have my first two sessions of 2012 scheduled!

I loved going through these sessions and seeing all of the fun families I got to work with last year. There were newborns, grandparents, pets, siblings, and best friends. We had sessions at home, sessions at the beach, downtown sessions, and sessions in my very own neighborhood park. We suffered through biting cold and stifling heat. Along the way we made great memories, created family heirlooms, and decorated a lot of blank walls!

Click to see the entire 2011 Year in Review Slideshow. I’d love to know which photos struck a chord with you!

If you’d like information about scheduling a session for your own family this year, please email me! I’d love to create memories with meaning for you and your family in 2012! I’m now booking for Spring sessions, and will have limited weekend availability.

Week in Review 2 | Ashburn Family Photography

Kelly — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:20:52 +0000

Here’s a little peek into what we’ve been up to this week at the Nelson house. We took little man up to North Jersey last weekend to celebrate his birthday at Northlandz – a humongous model train layout. (He opted for a family trip to see trains over a birthday party.) It was quite a spectacular display, although some of us felt like there could have been a few more trains…

1.) at the carwash 2.) Northlandz layout 3.) Northlandz trestle bridge 4.) angry birds for the non-technical 5.) the reasons I haven’t gotten any work done this week 6.) sunrise with moon out the front door 7.) airplane near Baltimore on I-95 8.) Little Man enjoying the scenery.

Happy Friday!

Family Style Guide | Ashburn, Virginia Photography

Kelly — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:30:45 +0000

Hooray! After a brief hiatus, the Family Style Guides are back! This month has a great pop of coral color to brighten up the gray outdoor landscapes. These would also make super cute outfits for Valentine’s Day parties or date night! One thing I always wonder when I look at these guides as a Mom of two boys, is whether it would be ok for me to wear the pink sweater in the photo, if there’s no one else wearing the color to tie it together. I say there’s nothing to worry about. The blue jeans and the brown shoes still tie her in, and it highlights Mom’s femininity!

Hope you all enjoy the pop of spring on a cold dreary day. As always, everything here can be purchased from Gap, Old Navy and Piper Lime. Happy shopping!

All of the Memories, None of the Guilt

Kelly — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:21:45 +0000

Two years ago, in December of 2009, I was relatively new to the whole photography thing. I had done several sessions, I had a blog, I followed other photographers online. I joined a photography forum of other like-minded photographers and we shared trials and tribulations as newcomers to the field. When the calendar page turned to January, suddenly from every corner of the internet I was being beckoned to try a photo-a-day or 365 project. Eager to fit in with my new community, I readily signed up. I opened a flickr account, and I started taking a picture every day. I didn’t really have a theme or a goal in mind, I was just taking a picture each day. Some days were easy, but other days I found myself taking random pictures of a can from my pantry, or running back downstairs after I’d gotten in bed to take a picture of my kitchen in the dark or something. As the weeks went by, many of my flickr friends slowly gave up. But I was determined to finish something I started. But as the weather turned warm and I began to spend more time outside with my kids, and less time sitting in front of my computer I took and uploaded fewer and fewer pictures. I soldiered on out of guilt, but was filled with resentment about the project. I finally fizzled out around mid May.

In the years since, every January first, I think to myself for an hour or two that I should try again because everyone else is doing it. I watched one friend successfully document her life last year, and am envious that she completed her task. She now has 365 photos of her children, her friends and her life, and 365 great memories and stories to share. This year, I thought about trying again. With an iPhone it should be even easier, but then there’s some days that I just don’t do anything exciting or worth taking a photo of. Despite having a photography business, there are some days I just want to veg out and enjoy the moments when I’m in them and not feel like I HAVE to take a picture. I can’t think of many other professions where workers set themselves up to do extra work just for fun every day and then post the results online and share with friends. Can you imagine an accountant going home each night and saying “Now I’m going to do some tax forms just because I want to do one every day for a year and I didn’t do one yet today!”?

So anyway. I did decide that I wanted to be more conscious of taking photographs for fun, for me, and to more carefully document things that we do as a family. So I’m going to try to be good about posting a Weekly Favorites post here each week. Some weeks I might have a dozen photos to share, others only one. They might be from my iPhone, or they might be from a session, or from my camera. I hope you’ll enjoy them, I hope that I’ll enjoy doing it without the self-imposed pressure, and I’d love any support or encouragement you can offer!

1.) sunrise through the bathroom window 2.) January sky 3.) halftime at basketball 4.) sunshine before the snow 5.) first road trip in dad’s new car 6.) snow on the wheat grass 7.) our new homework station in the dining room (saving grace) 8.) snow on crape myrtle

Holiday Round-Up | Ashburn Family Photographer

Kelly — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:28:42 +0000

I’m still playing catch-up in the new year, and wanted to share a few little snap shots of “What I did over Winter Break”. We basically had a stay-cation, with D taking the week off. We had some visitors come and go, and for the most part, my camera stayed tucked away in my gorgeous new camera bag. We played with all of our new toys, re-organized the basement and playroom to make room for those new toys, and had a very nice relaxing couple of weeks. Here are a few little snippets of what the holidays looked like at our house:

Santa was very good to us this year, as you can see from the stash he left under the tree!

There were two prevailing themes at our house this holiday. The first was Monster Jam Monster Trucks. We went from having 5 trucks on Christmas Eve to having 22 trucks by Christmas Night… The ~~best~~ worst thing about Monster Trucks is that there is a perpetual “freestyle course” set up all over our family room, which consists of boxes, ramps, and random cars.

The other gift which was a major success was Lego Trains. These are basically the model trains you remember, made out of Legos. Much easier for little hands to control and redesign and rebuild. Our Engineers still need some work, but these have been a huge hit. If you have little ones who like trains AND Legos, keep this idea in your back pocket for next year.

No Christmas post would be complete without the obligatory photos of the boys in front of the tree. They didn’t really want to cooperate and pose together, so I had to settle for these shots.

The other super-exciting thing that happened since I’ve last posted is that Little Man turned 4. I find it hard to believe I have a 4 year old in the house now, although he actually acts like he’s going on 8 like his big brother. He surprised us this year by asking to go see trains rather than having a party, so this weekend we are off to see a layout with 8 miles of model train track. Wish us luck. :)

With the holidays finally behind us, I’m starting to get back to a normal routine. I’m am loving that I’m already starting to hear from clients who are thinking about booking sessions this spring! I’m headed up to my hometown to photograph my best friend from high school and her family this weekend and can’t wait. I’ve promised her for two years that I’d do these photos the next time I was in town! Think warm thoughts for us!

These are a Few of my Favorite Things! | Ashburn Lifestyle Photography

Kelly — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:57:22 +0000

With the holidays coming up, I thought I’d share with you a few gift ideas that make me smile. Whether you’re shopping for a photographer on your list, or just someone who likes to take pictures of their own kids, these are some of my favorite photo-related things.

I love these cuties from Happy Acres Farm. I’m not sure who smiles more – the children or the parents – when I pop my little blue owl onto my camera, but I know it’s always a fun surprise!

I know not everyone can have a photographer standing by at all times to take pictures of the children at their cutest moments. That’s why I love Your Baby In Pictures from MeRa Koh! It makes a great stocking stuffer or shower gift for an expecting parent and is chock full of tips for capturing all of the major milestones in your baby’s first year. I still refer to it for inspiration before newborn shoots!

People often ask me for camera referrals. While I LOVE my Nikon D700, I don’t love schlepping it to family outings. I worry about damaging it, and carrying the heavy thing around is a pain in the neck. That’s why I’m so excited about my new iPhone 4S camera. It’s new large format size and all of the great apps available make it my new go-to point and shoot camera. I’m so happy to be freed from the guilt of not bringing my “good camera” everywhere we go. Check out my friend Beryl’s guide to awesome camera apps for the iPhone. It’s a free download for fans of her Facebook page!

Ok, I don’t actually have these from NaptimeKnittery. But I think I need them. Does anyone know how to knit? Hint hint! I used a pair this Fall that were completely fingerless, but there was no point in 8 fingers suffering and going numb when only two were needed to do the job. Now that I see these I’m definitely thinking I need a pair.

Finally, how can I resist telling you about Kelly Nelson Photography Gift Certificates. They really are a can’t miss gift! :) Check out the details and contact me if you’d like to get one for the photography fan in your life!

Happy shopping!

Gift Certificates now Available | Ashburn Family Photography

Kelly — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 21:00:52 +0000

Happy “Black Friday – Small Business Saturday – Cyber Monday” everyone! I hope you all survived the feast and the mayhem!

I’m super excited to announce that Kelly Nelson Photography now has gift certificates available! Your 5×7 certificate will come in a beautiful gift box perfect for wrapping and hiding under the tree. Guys – I promise that the gift of a session plus the promise that you’ll smile and cooperate surely beats a Snuggie. To make this deal even sweeter for everyone involved, if you contact me to purchase a gift certificate valued at $150 or more, by Wednesday 11/30 at midnight, I’ll throw in a $25 Amazon gift card so you can do a little shopping for yourselves! It’s a win-win for everyone! (Updated 12/1 – this offer has expired.)

Certificates are available in any denomination. Contact me today to purchase your certificate – either via email at kelly{at}kellynphotography{dot}com or by phone at 703.638.9570. If you’re reading this and thinking “Yes, this would be the perfect thing for me! I just wish I could tell my husband, grandma, office mate….” go ahead and use the email a friend link at the end of the post.

Happy shopping and enjoy the rest of this gorgeous weekend!

The H Family | Loudoun County Photography

Kelly — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:38:39 +0000

As I write this today, I realize that I don’t say thank you enough. So I want to take a second and thank each and every one of you who read this blog each day, who like my photos, talk about my sessions, and recommend me to your friends. Thank you to my clients for trusting me to photograph and preserve your precious memories. This Fall has been a wonderful season for photographs and I’m so thrilled to have met so many new families and to have seen so many repeat clients come back for another year of photos. Thank YOU. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and be sure to check back here on Friday for a big announcement about Gift Certificates.

On Sunday I had the pleasure of hanging out with the H family and their adorable new puppy. You might recognize this family from their backyard fire-pit session with me when I roped them into volunteering for my class last winter. They still hold the record for coldest session ever! Fortunately, this time around we lucked into some warmer weather and were able to play around a bit more before the rain started to fall!

Their new puppy is apparently a huge fan of the leaves, so we took a bunch of shots of her and the kids in action!

Take Your Own Perfect Photograph | Ashburn Photography

Kelly — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 10:52:54 +0000

So you decided that this year isn’t the right time to have professional photos taken. I totally understand that. But so many of you still want to send the annual Christmas card with photographs to show off your adorable families. With the abundance of affordable cameras on the market it seems like it should be a piece of cake right? It can be with the right planning!

Today I wanted to share a couple of quick tips to help keep your photos from looking like this:

Or this…

Rather than dragging everyone kicking and screaming out to the driveway, lining them up in the bright sun and yelling until they smile, let’s take a few minutes and plan for success before we take those photos!

I asked my friend Beryl Young to share a few of her favorite tips for taking your own perfect photograph for your holiday card this year.

Have a Plan - Planning is key to a positive photo experience. Are Mom and Dad going to be in the photo? Do you need to set a timer and get a tripod ready in order to make that happen? Will you be calling on a friend to push the shutter for you? Or maybe you just want to focus on your kiddos this year while you rock your camera skills. Make sure you have a location, time of day, and ”smile-maker” plan in mind BEFORE you start shooting. More on my “smile-maker” plan below.
When the Kids are Happy the Camera is Happy - Think through the time of day your kids are going to be the most cooperative and the happiest. Happy kids = Smiling kids = Beautiful photos. Bribes can work wonders too. Plan a trip to their favorite ice cream shop when the photo taking is over. Or let them stay up past their bedtime that night to watch their favorite movie with you. Remind them of that special activity while you are taking the pictures.
Creativity is key to having a ”smile-maker” plan - Use this time to work your creative magic!! Set up a tea party in your backyard and capture photos of your little girl serving hot cocoa and candy canes to her stuffed animal friends. Light a fire outside in the fire-pit and take a photo of everyone snuggled together under a blanket. Do you lack creative inspiration? Check out pinterest.com and explore a world of inspirational ideas for how to style an activity. Get those creative juices flowing and your kids will be having so much fun playing and using their imagination that getting them to turn your way and give a smile or two for the camera will be a breeze.
Turn off the flash and find the light - Keep in mind these are holiday photos and not Halloween photos. The pop-up flash on your camera can leave your kids looking ghostly. The best times of day for outdoor photos will be early in the morning or late in the afternoon when the sun isn’t directly overhead. Before you click, check their faces and make sure you don’t see any hard sun or shadows. If you decide to do photos indoors enlist your kids to help you find the room in your home where natural light is best. Find the places where you have sunlight streaming in and use those places to your advantage.
Know when to call it quits - When the kids start throwing a tantrum or are getting bored and running you ragged it’s time to call it a day. Remember there’s always tomorrow if something doesn’t quite go as anticipated.
Have Fun!

What makes this photo so different from the others? I turned him around to put his face in even shade, I eliminated the distracting background of the house, and moved him out of the squinty harsh sun. Voila! The perfect Holiday Photo!

Make this year’s holiday photos a magical moment the whole family can enjoy and then come back here to tell me all about it! I can’t wait to see your awesome holiday cards this season!

Beryl Young is a photographer, mentor and teacher of “photography classes for the mind, body and soul”. Visit her new online home at berylaynyoung.com and download a free quick guide – Top 5 Momtographer Tips and Tricks - for more ideas on documenting your picture perfect moments.

Holiday Mini Session Sneak Peeks | Ashburn Family Photography

Kelly — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:00:10 +0000

Back in August, when I announced Holiday Mini Sessions I figured I could count on it being a nice day on October 23rd. It had been a dry summer, it doesn’t usually rain that much here during the fall, and in the last few years I’ve only had to reschedule October sessions once or twice. But in September it started to rain. And rain. And rain some more… Baseball games got cancelled, soccer games turned into mud-fests, our yard started sprouting strange fungii. My calendar got more and more filled up and I booked 10 Mini Sessions. Then I started to freak out. What was I going to do if it rained on the 23rd? There was no chance that I was going to be able to get everyone to agree on another weekend date. I was going to be doing sessions up until Christmas Eve!

It turns out those worries were unfounded as I woke up on Sunday to the most perfect Fall day in Brambleton – a beautiful blue sky, crisp temperatures, and trees full of gold and orange leaves. I had so much fun photographing some of my favorite clients including three of my first portfolio-building sessions, and my first official clients. I can’t thank you all enough for supporting me over these past two years – I love watching your families grow! I also was thrilled to meet so many new clients and families.

I promised everyone a sneak peek this week, so here’s a quick preview of the day!