photography by danie » Sneak Peeks

When the plans change… {Bethesda, MD photographer}

Danie — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 02:28:25 +0000

Recently, I had the crazy awesome privilege of going back to my hometown for the express purpose of photographing the families of two of my high school classmates! Neither shoot went precisely as planned, but I can tell you — I’ll remember this one for a long time as one of the most fun and least predictable shoots I’ve done!

We had planned to shoot on dry land, with the scenic water and setting sun forming a serene backdrop…but the kids wanted to play in the water, and before we knew it, they were IN the water! So was I, for that matter.

As the mother commented to her husband — “Aren’t you glad you ironed their shirts this afternoon?”

Cousins! {Bethesda, MD family photographer)

Danie — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 00:15:47 +0000

First it was pink-eye. Then last minute changes in her husband’s schedule. One thing and another, it took us a year and a half to finally get together — and it turned out to be a “cousins” shoot! Her sister and her three kids were in town, so we wrangled 6 kids, from 9 to 3 mos., and came away with a terrific mix of posed (yes, all 6 kids looking at the camera!) and more my style lifestyle images. Plus a few that were just plain fun!

One of my favorites — trying to get Mommy and her two boys and baby — when who should appear but the adorable 4 year old cousin!

The expression on Baby’s face in this next picture makes me smile every time I see it!

We finished our session with some good ol’ dancing fun (for the kids who are old enough to dance, anyway). This was some version of ring-around-the-rosie. Or inspired by…or something….

Terrific way to spend a morning — so glad to meet you, K family!

All the best,
- Danie Smallwood

“Skycatching” {Fall Church VA Family Photography}

Danie — Mon, 21 May 2012 01:56:20 +0000

When I see a hammock, I think of things like wind, a nap, a good book, shade on a hot day.

When these kids see their hammock, it’s time for “skycatching.” What? You haven’t tried that? Well, here’s a quick tutorial, masquerading as a “sneak peek” for this awesome family!

As my children would say….

ready… steady…

GO!

Whee!

I have the best job.

- Danie Smallwood, Bethesda, MD child photographer

Love at First Sight {Bethesda, MD Engagement Photographer}

Danie — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 03:14:10 +0000

Tonight, I met a couple who believes in love at first sight.

This couple, in this gorgeous setting, makes it pretty easy to believe.Through five years of long-distance relationship, they’ve still managed to hang on to what I believe is one of the most important elements in a marriage: the ability to have fun!Oh, and tonight, we had an audience!

Thank you for a wonderful, inspirational evening, Jessica and Michael!

- Danie Smallwood

Sweet family moments {Silver Spring MD Children’s Photography}

Danie — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:05:38 +0000

Most of the time, I’m just “mom.” I might have a beautiful camera and a passion for photographing my kids and everyone else’s, but at the end of the day, I think most people still see me as “mom.” And that’s okay.

But every now and then, I realize that I really do see the world a little differently than the other moms I’m hanging out with. This winter, one of my goals has been finding ways to get more creative photos using nothing but the available indoor light (even on cloudy days, yikes!). Yesterday afternoon, for example, I definitely felt more like a photographer when…

…we were at a friend’s house for a playdate and the kids were tired, cranky, and fighting like crazy. In desperation, their mother suggested watching “Cars.”

I agreed — as long as we could move the couch about 3 feet forward (and angle it a bit) so we’d have nice light for photos.

Can you imagine those sweet little kids kicking and shoving just minutes earlier? (I don’t mean to single them out, either — I just don’t have pictures of my kids being this sweet yesterday! ).

Want to see this set in color? Check out my Facebook page, under the Project 366.

- Danielle Smallwood, Bethesda, MD Family Photography

Just have to add this one — this is what the scene looked like:

Twins! by the stream {University Park, MD Family Photographer}

Danie — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 21:17:43 +0000

I’m overwhelmed by the beauty of many of the neighborhoods in and around Washington, DC, a beauty that truly comes to life with all the colors of the Fall. And the colors just scream “fun” and childhood to me, like in this picture here, of these twins.

When I’m planning a session, talking to the [usually] Mom ahead of time, and starting to organize my thoughts, I’m fighting all kinds of unknowns. What will the weather be like? What are the children going to be like? How will the parents handle the kids if they’re not cooperating (as they say in West Side Story, “just play it cool..real cool”). Often, I’ve never been to the location before, and can only take a client’s word for it that there are angles that won’t show cars. Etc.

But I usually have one image planted in my mind that I am determined to get. This is the one I’ll get stubborn about. Luckily, with the “S” family, I caught this one very early in the session, before Sister stepped into the stream, and the kids needed a snack and bathroom breaks and…

I knew while on the phone with Mom before the session, that this was the image I wanted. The one that showed joy and love and just plain, good, old-fashioned fun.

So, I left happy! And I hope, “S” family, that you love these and the rest of the pictures to come shortly! Thank you for sharing that beautiful afternoon with me.

- Danie Smallwood, Bethesda, MD child photography

Boys at play {Bethesda, MD Family Photography}

Danie — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 02:46:51 +0000

I started off my Columbus Day this year by dropping my kids off at school, then running over to meet the O family for a few family shots so Dad could get to work.

I then spent the next few hours just following these two brothers around the park. Little brother is Mr. Personality, and has so many different expressions, I could do a whole storyboard of close-ups of his face! I love this devilish little grin.

I actually know the O family from a few years ago when Mom and I were in a playgroup together with our older sons (Big Brother here is the same grade as my own little guy). Sadly, our paths don’t cross as often anymore, but my kids will still benefit from our morning of exploration. These brothers found a patch of bamboo tucked away in a corner of the park that I’d never even noticed before — and played there for close to an hour with a few sticks of bamboo and some leaves. Ah, the creativity of childhood.

This shoot was exactly what I like to do — squeeze in a few “formal” family shots (if the kids are up for it) at the beginning, and then be, for the most part, a fly on the wall, documenting the kids at play.

It was great to see the O family again. Repeat clients are, of course, the lifeline of any photography business (only one reason for my reciprocal referral policy). Much more than that, though, it just makes me a little giddy getting to watch, in tiny slivers, these little guys grow up. Thanks so much for sharing your family with me once again, O family!

See more “O” family pictures here, or see the slideshow — including their mini-album! — below.

- Danie Smallwood, Photography by Danie

Sunrise on the Mall {Bethesda, MD Engagement Photographer}

Danie — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:45:22 +0000

Shooting on the National Mall is always interesting. It’s so full of people, and you never know where construction will have popped up, or a protest or, in our case, a marathon resulting in street closures.

To avoid a lot of these obstacles, I prefer to shoot at dawn. The previous weekend, our plans had been rained out, but it was worth the scramble to rearrange schedules for the following weekend. Not only did we avoid the crowds, but we had the most beautiful light.

I’m always fascinated by how relationships begin. For Hope and Carey, theirs began years ago when they overlapped for a single summer of camp. (Did you know here in DC people call Overnight Camp “Sleepaway Camp”? That’s the linguist in me, but I digress….) They didn’t exactly stay in touch over the years, but randomly met up with a group of friends and realized their previous connection.

Though the leaves were only just starting to change, I was so happy to capture a little of that early DC fall. I know DC is known for its Spring and the Cherry Blossoms, but is it really possible to be more beautiful it is in October?

I know many photographers thrive on the excitement of the wedding day, but it’s the laid-back nature of an engagement session that continues to make them my favorite. Even if, as in this case, I managed to hit myself in the head with my camera, then, after shooting another minute, realized I hadn’t given myself a black eye but rather had split my eyebrow open. Having not even a tissue with me, I was extremely grateful that we had just taken this next shot right in front of the bathrooms.

And I mean, I’m sure photographers almost knock themselves out with their own cameras all the time, so probably not even really comment-worthy.

Wishing Hope and Carey a beautiful wedding back in Hope’s home state of Florida in a couple months!

- Danie Smallwood, Bethesda MD Engagement Photographer

One year old! {Bethesda Child Photographer}

Danie — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 01:52:23 +0000

I finally got to meet the “M” family this weekend! When we first starting talking about the shoot, little boy “E” was just about a year old, not walking yet. By the time we got together, “E” was on the go! (Parents — you know how it is when your child learns something new, and it’s all they want to do!).

With these little explorers, I like to mostly follow them around and work my photos into their own exploration. So we walked around the park, splashed in some puddles, admired all the set up for Sunday’s “Then and Wow Festival” that was starting as we finished up (lucky timing!). We tried to ignore the intense humidity of the morning. And mostly, we had some fun.

For reasons I’ll never fully understand, peek-a-boo is an extremely fun game to virtually all little kids, and in an effort to get the little guy across the picnic area, I engaged him in a rousing game of peek-a-boo behind trees and garbage cans, slowly luring him in the direction I wanted.

By the time we wrapped up, I’d had so much fun playing with “E”, I was inspired to go home and drag my own 4 year old over to the park for a little mini photo shoot. So stay tuned this Friday….

In the meantime, thank you for being so flexible about the weather this weekend, “M” family, and for sharing your son with me for a couple hours! Enjoy this sneak peek, and you’ll see your full gallery soon.

Happy Fall everyone!

- Danie Smallwood,
Bethesda, MD child photography

Aaron Seeber, Jazz Drummer {Bethesda, MD Photographer}

Danie — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 15:32:13 +0000

A few years back, my husband and I bought our first house and through the recommendation of a neighbor, hired Carol Freedman, interior decorator, to help us pull the house together. (Highly recommend Carol for interior decorating around the Bethesda, MD area!)

Fast forward a few years, and I’ve learned that Carol is hardly the only artist in her family. A couple months ago, I heard her son, Aaron Seeber, a jazz drummer, performing with his quartet (side note: my 4 year old son LOVED the music!), and Carol and I got to talking about photos for Aaron’s MySpace page and publicity images. And so it was that the three of us met at 7am this morning (when it was already humid and nearly 80 degrees). We even risked the wrath of the park’s grounds keepers, who helpfully informed us it was too early for drum playing in the park.

I’ll post more pictures later, but this was the one I saw on that little LCD screen at the park, and actually had to show Aaron and Carol right there. Then I had to come home and edit it, and well…the rest will come, but here’s my current favorite from the morning!

Thanks for meeting me so early — always nice to beat the heat!

- Danie Smallwood, Bethesda MD photography