LIFE.STORIES.GENERATIONS. | Northern Virginia, Washington DC Metro area Photographer
remember that time?
you’re in that first year of marriage.
you’ve bought your first house.
you’re pregnant.
it’s just the two of you,
forming your own little cocoon.
and then life emerges.
and you see things greater
than you’ve ever seen.
and you feel things greater
than you’ve ever felt.
and it is the closest
you’ve felt
to the presence
of
God.
xo
A
p.s. if you’re viewing this in a reader, please click over to the site to watch the video, which doesn’t appear in the RSS feed. cheers! A
my kids have had cameras almost since they were old enough to hold one.
first, there were the throw-aways.
then, the fisher-price kid cameras.
then, the fisher price digital kid cameras.
and now, the girls all have nice point-and-shoots.
it is for this reason
that they are NEVER allowed to touch my D300.
until this past weekend.
the oldest asked…
and i said, “yes.”
and this is what she shot.
(i adjusted white balance and cropped one, but that is it, SOOC ~
straight-out-of-the-camera
for the neophytes).
i love all her leading lines everywhere.
and then,
an action shot. me and fergus.
post-nip.
and then my 2nd oldest got in on the action.
she had a willing model (my oldest).
and the next morning,
she picked up the camera again.
i love this moment,
and the light.
greeting the morning.
there’s debate over who took this one.
mornings on the river are the best.
but what was even better was when i was talking with my oldest about her photographs.
i complemented her perspective and composition
and asked what made her think to take a certain picture.
and she said, “you mama.
i’ve watched you and learned from you.”
and my heart grew ten sizes that day…
here’s to kids with cameras and seeing the world through their eyes.
xo
A
by Aileen
1 comment
sometimes, i have nothing to say.
we had a great weekend,
and here are some of my 500 photographs that i took.
this incredible view is from the home of a dear friend of mine.
yep, that is the view.
it’s hard to spend a whole weekend here hanging out
at the pool.
yep, this is really hard stuff.
relaxing.
watching the wildlife.
scouting out bald eagles.
meeting new people, er, things.
stopping to smell the flowers.
thinking about separating the wheat from the chaff.
driving through the countryside.
feeling the wind whisper in your ears.
thinking about what came before.
and dreaming of reaching for new goals
that sometimes seem out of reach.
good week to you dear readers.
xo
A
by Aileen
2 comments
this is our dog.
fergus.
remember him?
he likes to hang outside with the kids.
and sniff.
but, guess what?
his life is about to change…
that’s right,
there’s a new kid in town.
he’s ace.
the alpha dog.
dun, dun, dun, dun { insert sound effects here }.
our whole family,
and our neighbor’s whole family,
pulled up chairs
to watch the show unfold.
the kids even brought popcorn.
“better than TV,” they exclaimed.
the dogs played.
and played.
and played.
they swam.
and then they went back
to doing what puppies do.
and then there was the final take-down…
and we decided to call it a day.
fergus and ace shared a drink…
and the puppies went home to their respective homes.
until tomorrow…
xo
A
p.s. no puppies were harmed in the making of this blog post. fergus and ace are actually no-kidding brothers. same mom, same dad, same litter. we suspect ace may have been first in the birth order. 
fergus lives with us. and ace just arrived today as a very welcome new member of our next-door neighbor’s family. when i asked their six year old daughter how it was to have a puppy, she said, “it’s AWESOME.” and it is. we look forward to watching the puppies grow up together. and their dad is just around the corner. it takes a village… good weekend to you. A
by Aileen
3 comments
everything was last minute.
maternity shoot on a whim.
thought i had three weeks still.
baby G thought otherwise.
so, we had our maternity shoot,
and 6 days later, wendy was holding her new baby girl.
and what was on the inside,
was now on the outside.
what a difference a week makes.
joe, a new dad for the first time.
their two became a three.
and life settled into
the new normal.
gracie has arrived.
and there is a new hand to hold in the family.
new shoes to fill.
new family laughs to share.
a new mouth to feed.
a new mom
holds her heart in her hands.
as gracie’s newborn ears unfurl
so too does life.
together they will walk,
as a family,
into their future.
love you guys
congratulations!
xo
A
by Aileen
4 comments
fourteen years ago, i traveled to fredericksburg, virginia.
fairview beach, to be exact.
there, i met my future husband’s family.
at grannie and pa’s place.
we took the boat out.
we swam in the potomac.
we ate tons and tons of crabs.
we drank cold lite beers.
we laughed at old stories,
told again and again,
yet still funny and full of love.
when i met wendy, a cousin, she was 12.
i have watched her grow-up.
and now i am honored to capture her first pregnancy.
from the baby shower…
to the funny moments of comparing expanding waistlines
to the quiet moments
to the moments shared between husband and wife
before their two becomes a three
Wendy is a beautiful person
inside and out.
i always thought she’d be a model.
and now
in becoming a mom,
she has become a model of sorts…
to her daughter.
and that is one lucky little baby girl.
stay tuned tomorrow
to meet the beautiful baby….
xo
A
by Aileen
3 comments
there is a spot
in our backyard
at the base of our back steps
where the ground dips
and forms an indentation.
a result of tearing down a house
and building a new one.
settlement.
we have filled it,
and it sinks down again.
into the same size.
and now i have found,
it is the perfect size
for a 10 week old puppy.
it is where he plops outside
when he doesn’t want to come in.
now the spot is filled.
finally.
xo
A
by Aileen
1 comment
by Aileen
1 comment