Neil Colton Photographer: The Blog

Rick and Siobhan + Kids: Family & Child Photography in Northern Virginia

Neil — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:25:22 +0000

Outdoor photography sessions are always a bit unpredictable, particularly in the Washington, DC area in late summer. Often that can be a good thing, yielding some wonderful, unscripted images. But add temperatures near 100 degrees, with humidity to match, and the work of outdoor family photography in August in DC challenges even the most experienced photographers…and families. For just such occasions, I have a short list of parks and venues in the DC area that allow us to shoot a great session on a stifling hot day. Mix in a beautiful family with a wonderful, willing attitude and you have our recent family photography session with Rick and Siobhan + Kids!

A few of my favorite images from the day:

Baby Jake: Portraits of a Newborn

Neil — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 20:44:21 +0000

Carin, Kevin and their families have been patiently waiting for images of baby Jake. Finally, I am close to catching up with a runaway summer of weddings, workshops, editorial shoots and family photography. Thank you, Carin and Kevin, for being such patient clients…or were you just so sleep deprived, you simply lost track of which day or week this was, exactly?? Baby Jake is Kevin and Carin’s first baby and a wonderful, beautiful baby he is! In just the few hours we spent with Jake and his folks, we began to see glimpses of this beautiful little guy’s personality that would keep mom and dad in awe of him for days, weeks, months and even years. Congratulations Kevin and Cara! This is one wonderful baby and an amazing blessing in your lives. Here are a few images we chose to share with you and to celebrate Jake!

Casey and Bob + Kids: Family + Child Photography in Northern VA

Neil — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:21:11 +0000

This is one very cool family. With complicated family schedules and weekends booking up quickly, we set the date for this session for late July. We knew it could be hot, but there was no way of knowing it would be a day with temperatures topping 100 degrees with humidity to match, in the middle of the hottest summer on record. No matter. Casey, Bob and the kids took it all in stride and did an amazing job of being models for nearly two hours in a shaded park near Great Falls. Add to that the fact that Bob and Casey were fresh off the Dave Matthews Band concert in DC the night before and this family is even more amazing…and very cool. Here are a few of my favorite images from the day.

Photography On The Rocks: Family Photography at Great Falls, VA

Neil — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 19:54:55 +0000

Always in search of new and interesting places to photograph children and families, late last year I scouted Great Falls Park in northern Virginia. I wasn’t disappointed. The park is a great setting for photography, with the Potomac River as a backdrop and miles of trails along the shoreline to access safe, scenic shooting locations. But it wouldn’t be until June of this year that I would have the chance to photograph a family there. On a warm, sunny Sunday morning in June, we met the Kersey family there for a long planned family photography session. Nelson, Maureen and the children were simply amazing. After the long hike to the chosen shooting spot, they all got right to work. Two hours later. with their willingness to try just about anything we asked of them, we had captured some wonderful images of the Kersey family. Here a few of our favorite images from the session.

Olivia + Michael and Chrisann: Family + Child Photography in Northern Virginia

Neil — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 21:14:31 +0000

Those that know me well know there are two passions that have been constant for most of my adult life.…photography and soccer. Rarely, if ever, do I have the chance to combine the two in an enjoyable way. Photographing a soccer game doesn’t count….that is too much like work! But photographing a family where the dad is a former high level player and a knowledgeable, avid fan…now that is a session to remember. The morning of the USA v Ghana game, in the round of 16 at this year’s World Cup, I had the pleasure of photographing Michael, Chrisann and their adorable daughter Olivia at a park in Northern Virginia. With Michael and I easily solving the problems of the US National Team, and the countries of the rest of the world while we were at it, this was one of the fastest family sessions and one of the most enjoyable I have done in quite awhile! Even on a day with high temperatures and humidity to match, this family was a joy to photograph. The session time just flew by…

My thanks to Michael and Chrisann and of course, Olivia, for being such good sports and such great subjects. Here are a few of our favorite images from the day.

Rob + Danielle: A Virginia Country Wedding: The Ceremony

Neil — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:05:44 +0000

A June wedding at a vineyard in the Virginia countryside, what could be more idyllic? When Rob and Danielle first shared their wedding plans with us last summer, the romantic appeal of capturing images on a farm converted to a vineyard, with an island ceremony beneath a hand crafted pergola in front of guests seated in traditional wooden pews nestled upon the island turf…well, you get the idea. We were completely smitten (not a word I use very often…) with the idea. This would be a wonderful wedding to photograph. Our first visit to Old House Vineyard confirmed what we had been expecting…this was beautiful venue and June was the perfect month to be there!

But there was also that other issue…With the wide open layout and the long distances between key locations-main house to bridge, bridge to ceremony area, ceremony area to key photography vantage points-telling the story of this wedding would be a challenge. Add to that a tight time line loaded with family pictures and pre-ceremony portraits and it was time to add another photographer to our team. I called on Jim Harrington-a good friend, a veteran wedding photographer and an all around good guy. We decided on a flexible triangle shape for the ceremony coverage-with Shannon near the house covering the wedding party to and then onto the island, Jim on the island and me set up with my sports photography rig on a small peninsula across the lake from the ceremony. With the three of us in position, we were ready cover a beautiful ceremony at a wonderful country wedding in Virginia.

Allie + Jake and Jen: Family + Child Photography in Washington, DC

Neil — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 18:04:50 +0000

We met Jen, Jake and Allie near the Tidal Basin in DC on a beautiful, clear, sunny day in early June to capture images of the family before they leave the DC area for a new adventure in Seattle. Allie is simply great! I photographed her as a baby last year and , hard as it is to believe, she has grown even cuter. The theme of the session was a day in DC, using the area around the Tidal Basin as a backdrop. We began at the FDR Memorial, then strolled around the Tidal Basin to the Jefferson Memorial. We’ll miss Jake, Jen + Allie and we wish them the best in the new home on the west coast! A few of our favorite images from the day….

Rob + Danielle: A Virginia Country Wedding: The First Look

Neil — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 23:57:29 +0000

The First Look…that moment on the wedding day when the groom sees the bride in her gown for the very first time. Traditionally, this has been the moment in the ceremony when the bride is escorted down the aisle and presented at the altar, but as Dylan said, ‘The Times They Are A Changin’. More and more modern brides and grooms are electing to have The First Look before the ceremony, often to experience it and document it privately before the crush of guests arrive. And so it was with Rob and Danielle.

Rob and Danielle were married Saturday, June 5th, 2010 at the Old House Vineyards in Culpeper, VA. For trivia fans, Culpeper, VA was recently voted one of America’s Top Ten Small Towns. OHV is only a 15 minute drive from the center of town, but that quarter of an hour takes you to a place at once idyllic and bucolic…to the very heart of the Virginia countryside. On the day, the site was stunning. Heather Rosato, the amicable and talented wedding coordinator at Old House, and Patrick Kearney, the down to earth owner and creative force behind OHV, made sure of that. It was perfect! This is certain to become one of our favorite venues for Virginia weddings.

Rob positioned himself at the ‘altar’ on the island, with his back to the Old House and Danielle’s father alongside. Danielle, with help from her mom, made her way through the vineyards to the island, where Rob was waiting anxiously to welcome her. Though we all knew exactly what was going to happen, it was a very emotional moment…for all of us! Here are some a few our favorite images of The First Look, in slide show format.

Next: Details, The Ceremony + The Story

Amy and Bob + Kids : Family + Child Photography in Northern VA

Neil — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 16:39:19 +0000

Amy is a great friend of ours and has been for years. For sometime, we have been trying to get together to photograph her beautiful, growing family. One thing after another always seemed to complicate the shooting schedule and scuttle our plans. But when we found out they would be leaving for Eastern Europe for two years, in early June, we found a way to get this session done. So early in the morning on Memorial Day, we headed to their place to spend some time with the family and capture some fun images. We wish them well on their exciting new adventure! A few of our favorite images from the session.

Scott and Kendra + Family: Family + Child Photography in Annapolis

Neil — Thu, 20 May 2010 18:00:34 +0000

Recently, we traveled to Annapolis, MD to photograph Scott and Kendra and their family. Annapolis has always been a favorite destination of mine for boating, great food or quiet weekend respite from DC, but this was my first trip there for a family photography session. Scott and Kendra chose Quiet Waters park as venue for our session and it turned out to be a perfect location for family photography. I was even photographed by another photographer working on an assignment! The weather was brilliant on the day…temperature in the 70s, low humidity and clear skies. And Scott, Kendra and the family were also brilliant, but the star of the day was Kaylen, the amazing 1 year old. While the adults were losing momentum, Kaylen was picking up steam showing her delightful personality and making our job seem easy. Thanks to all of you for being such great sports! Here are a few of our favorite images from the day. Enjoy!