While Daddy is Away | Family Portrait Photographer | Smithfield, VA

I have a huge soft spot for military families.  Maybe because I run one myself, but the sacrifices the families and the servicemember make are immeasureable.  Regardless of the politics of the situation, it boils down to "the service" being a job, and one of the hardest ones ever, at that!  I had the pleasure of meeting Nicole and her family (most of it) this month, and again I marvel at how strong a military family needs to be!  I cannot wait to shoot the homecoming later this year and see this family united once again!  Enjoy a few shots from our time together....

 As always, thanks for reading!

~Cristin~

Rock the Dress | High School Senior | Smithfield Photographer

I am finally able to sit down and share with you the Rock the Dress model session I had with Jordan and Kiersten.  You'll see for yourself, I could not have asked for lovelier models!
I started offering Rock the Dress sessions, because as many of you adults know, in 20 years, you are going to want some prom shots without your date in them!!  Just $35 per girl (when you booked with one or more friends) will get you some wallets and Facebook images to share!  So without further ado.....

We had so much fun and I would love to do it again!!! SO hurry before graduation - you will never have this chance again, so why not go for it! You looked amazing in your dress, let's make sure you never forget it!!!

Thanks for reading, as always!

~Cristin~

What to Wear "Client Request" | Portrait Wardrobe Guide | Smithfield, VA Photographer

Lucky you!  This is the second What to Wear post this week - A special edition!  This was a special wardrobe consult with a client, so I figured I would share with everyone!  Her daughter will be photographed in a black and white striped sundress.  So how do you coordinate her older siblings to match?!  There are so many different style options.  Read on, my friends...

Shopping guide:

Black and white sundress: Target

The following can be found at Old Navy:

Turquoise dress

Turquoise and pink tops

Yellow and black tops

Black jersey shorts and white capris

Navy and white striped dress

Navy henley

White skirt

Cream tunic

The gray top and black skimmers can be found at JC Penney

All jewelry and leggings are found at Justice

Red headband: Nordstrom

And how cute is that red "Sisters" bracelet?!  You can find that at Target also!

I hope you find some inspiration here!  As always, I'd love your comments and thank you for reading!

~Cristin~

Rock the Dress | 2011 Senior Prom | Smithfield, VA

High school seniors are the super best!!  My best friend's daughter went to prom this last weekend, so of course I was at their pre-prom gathering to get some shots!  There was so much excitement in the air - I bet they all had a fantastic time!

There was not a whole lot of time to showcase the girls in all their finery though!  Between family shots, limo pickup, and dinner reservations, these girls and their dates were in quite the whirlwind I'm sure!

Which is why I am offering "Rock the Dress" sessions.  Now that prom is over, and you can relax a bit (yeah right, not with graduation around the corner!!!) take a little time for yourself and work that dress girl!!  You know you looked amazing, and I want to showcase that!  Get a group of friends together and make an afternoon of it!

Book soon - before the hustle and bustle of graduation starts!  

Thanks for reading!

~Cristin~

Kiersten | Class of 2011 | Smithfield High

Stunning.  That's the best one word decription I could come up with for Kiersten!  Her personality, looks, easy going nature, all of it!  We had so much fun during her senior shoot this past week.  I can tell she is so very excited about graduation in a few weeks and moving on to college in the fall!  I find myself repeatedly blown away by all the amazing students in the class of 2011!  A big thanks to Kiersten and her parents for asking me to be a part of this time in her life!
Here are a few more shots from her session.  More can be found on my Facebook fan page.

Thanks as always for reading!  I love comments, so feel free to leave some : )

~Cristin~

What to Wear High School Seniors | Portrait Wardrobe Guide | Smithfield VA photographer

The class of 2011 is almost outta here and it's near time for the class of 2012 to rule the school!  The time for senior portraits in now - spring of your junior year and the summer before your senior year.  You know you'll be super busy once school starts!

So, what to wear for this once in a lifetime photo shoot?!  Easy!   Whatever you feel most comfortable in!  My favorite people to photograph are high school seniors because you all have such unique style and personality! Your senior photo shoot should encapsulate your personality and style totally!  If you need some help to start out, take a look ---

As you may know, Old Navy and JC Penney are two of my go to stores, which is where the above outfits come from.  Depending on personal style, I LOVE American Eagle, Hollister, and Abercrombie too!
Next time you're on Facebook, check out Wardrobe Wednesdays.  They're a network of eight photographers across the country with some fantastic wardrobe suggestions and ideas!

As always, thanks for reading and remember, don't wait until fall for your senior session!

~Cristin~