This is one of those sessions that is a follow-on to a follow-on to a follow-on, and it’s what makes this job so much fun. This mom was my son’s 2nd grade teacher. I knew her before she was married, and did her engagement photos, her wedding day prep photos, her maternity photos, and now…
TA-DA!!!
Beautiful Baby A is here!
Enjoy guys, I will have your gallery done soon – just couldn’t wait to show these off.
RD

This family got an early present this year when this little guy was born just a few weeks before Christmas! I have been photographing his older sister since she was small, so it was fun to see her playing the role of the “big kid”. This was one of my easiest newborn sessions ever – thanks for making it a great morning! Your gallery is coming soon -
RD

If ever a title fit a session, this one does. What angels these little girls were! This was literally the calmest baby I have ever photographed, and what a doll of a big sister! Thanks to mom and dad for being so relaxed and easy to work with. What a great session we had! Enjoy the preview:

What a great newborn session! This little guy was almost 5 weeks old – but born early, so his due date was only this week. This made for photos of a very small baby with VERY wide eyes and real eye contact. I love that! Throw in a couple of  wonderfully laid back parents and their happy little grinning pug dog, and they were just a joy to work with. Of course, I had to take a moment to get over my jealousy of the fact that they live RIGHT by Eastern Market!!! Just kidding, of course – but I could live vicariously in that neighborhood and be very very happy.  At any rate, here is a preview of our session – thanks for a great day!
RD

Yesterday I had the great fortune of photographing a client who lived directly across from a location I had used once before, but had not been able to find again. I am so happy to know how to get there, now! This Mommy-to-be was a blast to photograph – so comfortable in her skin and in front of the camera. I can’t wait to meet her little guy in just a few weeks!
Enjoy the preview:

There is an old saying that “You can’t go home again” – and often it’s true enough.

But sometimes you can. Our dear friend/teacher/mentor Joseph celebrated a “milestone” birthday this week, and the Paperchase crew turned out for a surprise-post-trailride bash planned by the ever- organized and  fabulous Saturday morning riders.

It makes no difference whatsoever that the old Paperchase Farm has not existed in its original form for more years than I care to remember. What matters is that when we all get together on the farm with the vague smell of horses and leather and hay in the air,  we still feel perfectly at home – old friends and new.

Amid the celebrating, there was a lot of:  “How can your kids be so big??” and  “How did we get so old?” and “How long has it been since the last time I saw you?” and of course “Are you riding?”

But the resounding theme, the question that kept going around and around was:  “Remember When…??”

There seems to be so much to remember – the horse shows in the heat of summer and cold of winter – jumping in the pool with your riding clothes on because you were so hot you thought you would die, and braiding when you thought your fingers would freeze off. The Christmas parades, mock hunts, wine rides, and tailgate parties. Hunt Night. The Tuesday night lessons, both on horseback and watching from the old judges stand. The trips to Kings Dominion where the ride down 95 was as memorable as the day at the park. All the great horses we have known and shared with one another. Watching kids go from leadline to college in what seemed to be the blink of an eye.

And the sweetest moment for me – when someone told me that one of her strongest memories of Paperchase was of me – at 19 or maybe 20, galloping by on Lady, bareback and in a hackamore, caution thrown to the wind (quite literally, and probably stupidly). Thank you for that,  Sharon. Somehow that meant alot – to think that someone remembers how I rode when I was so young that it never even occurred to me that I could fall off…
Those days are gone – but boy, it’s easy to remember how it felt to sit on Lady.

At any rate – my point is, sometimes “going home again” is just sharing a history and keeping those memories alive. And for that, I know we are all eternally grateful.

So from all of us – Happy Birthday – and thanks for the memories.

It’s not often you get to celebrate a newborn and a birthday at the same session – but this big sister turned two today, and I was able to get both newborn and birthday portraits! Not to mention – I have photographed big sis 4 times now – as a newborn, “barely sitting”, toddling, and today – as a “big girl”!

We WORKED for the sibling shots… I wasn’t sure how they were going to be. The irony is, they are some of my favorite sibling shots ever!
Many thanks to these wonderful clients for letting me document their girls as they grow. Following kids and marking milestones is truly the greatest part of my job!!

I have been waiting with great anticipation for this newborn session! This is the niece of a dear friend, so go ahead and tell us how GOOOOORGEOUS she is!! After a couple of false starts, she slept and slept for us, and we had so much fun getting tons of great poses.

Here’s  a preview of this little pretty one:

I am so excited to announce that in summer of 2009, I will begin partnering with Hela Spa  for mini-session events at their beautiful Chevy Chase location. In addition to being the premier medical spa in the DC area, Hela offers a fabulous Baby Spa menu including Baby Massage classes at both their Georgetown and Chevy Chase locations.
The first mini-session date will take place on June 1st. Call or email me to reserve your spot: rdavid@rdavidphotography.com or 703-722-1268. Special pricing and packages will be offered. Book soon, space is limited. Watch this space for a feature on Hela Spa in the next day or two!
For more information, check out the Hela newsletter by clicking here: Hela Promotions

Finally!
It’s been a long time coming, but here it is…the new blog. I know, I know. It’s kind of sad losing the old one. So it will stay live for a while longer, until this one grows on us.  
You can always link back to it by clicking here:  R. David Original Photography Old Blog.
Now to get on with the new stuff… always moving forward!