Lara Swanson Photo » portrait

Aaron and Rich’s family day – adoption portraits in Maryland

Lara — Mon, 10 May 2010 02:27:56 +0000

Why am I blogging photos from the fall? Because Aaron and Rich have officially adopted these two beautiful children, Dayanna and Dajour.

The above picture is my #1 favorite photo I’ve ever taken of a family, and we had to keep it under wraps until Dayanna and Dajour’s legal adoption day! I was elated when I received the email from the family about photographing it, too!

Thanks, Aaron and Rich, for inviting me to be a part of such a special day :)

The Waire Family

Lara — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 03:52:38 +0000

John Waire is an amazing photographer out of Baltimore, MD. I came up with the idea of getting a portrait session done of me and Brad at an eco-friendly tulip farm in Brightwood, VA and asked John if he’d be interested in shooting us – and volunteered to shoot his family as well! :) We had such a blast hanging out with them!

The Moxy Girls – a new venture!

Lara — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 03:04:52 +0000

I’ve partnered with Anne Ruthmann to launch The Moxy Girls, a pinup styling and photography studio for girls with moxy. ;) If you’d like to sign up for the next group shoot, become a fan for updates!

Here are some of my favorite photos from our first calendar shoot!

Megan and Ciara’s holiday portraits in Old Town Alexandria

Lara — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 16:31:45 +0000

Megan and Ciara are amazing parents. They love their kids so much, it’s incredible. I’ve loved working with them since their wedding in 2007, and I’ve been fortunate enough to work with them each year since! This year’s holiday portraits were a treat – we worked in my favorite garden in Old Town Alexandria VA!

Anya and Dorin – family photos one year later

Lara — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:00:20 +0000

I had the pleasure of meeting Anya and Dorin about a year ago, when we photographed Dorin’s newborn photos! This little guy is growing up fast :)

Ira and Patricia – same-sex engagement in Old Town Alexandria

Lara — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:00:17 +0000

Ira and Patricia found out about me through So You’re EnGAYged’s PRIDE booth! We had a great time photographing their engagement session in Old Town, where the leaves just turned a gorgeous orange and the air was still warm enough that we could run around without jackets :)

Rigley, Kendra and Andy

Lara — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:40 +0000

Oh hai. My name is Rigley. I have an enormous tongue.

WHAT A SWEETHEART. I’ve known Kendra for almost a year – we used to work together! When she asked me to take photos of her, her boyfriend and their dog, I nearly jumped for joy. What a great family this is!

I can haz nap?

WHERE IS MY BLANKETT? Oh, hai.

Sorry, sorry, I’ll stop with the LOLSpeak. Just enjoy teh cute.

At the end, he found some ice cream to eat.

MJ and Corey – Mandarin Oriental Wedding Photography

Lara — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:00:24 +0000

MJ and Corey threw an incredibly chic and fun wedding at the Mandarin Oriental. It was clear that the guests had as much fun as MJ and Corey did; it made Joanie’s and my work easier! This was also fun for another reason: it was the mosts challenging ceremony I’d ever photographed. The 5 o’clock sun was just above the heads of the bridal party on the platform, meaning I had to crouch on the ground to get the officiant’s head to block the rays from streaming directly into my lens. Of course, I wanted to do artistic work with it too, because when do you ever get powerful light like that? :) I love the outcome. MJ and Corey, thank you so much for letting us be a part of your wedding!

The Presidential motorcade drove by:

Corey rocked out with the band during the reception:

Ebie and Zach’s engagement portraits in Old Town Alexandria

Lara — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:00:45 +0000

I’ve begun to feel old now that I need more than one hand to count the years I’ve known the people I’m photographing. I met Ebie my freshman year of college at AU; we lived either across the hall or a few floors away from each other all four years that we went to school.

Tina, Kat and Aidan – family and baby portraits in Old Town

Lara — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:00:40 +0000

I photographed Tina and Kat’s maternity portraits over a year ago! They now have a beautiful baby boy, Aidan, who was an absolute sweetheart and made my job a piece of cake.

I mean, really, look at that face.