Susan Solo – Photographer | Traveler | Adventurer

Blog

  • Marcus is 1!

    A few months ago in August (when it was warm – remember that?!) I was so honored to photograph Marcus’s first birthday party at Lisa and Dan’s house! They went all-out with a classic Mickey Mouse theme. Noise-makers, party “hat” ears, and boxed party favors were all such a huge hit with the kiddos!

    Even the treats were Mickey-themed!

    “Yay! It’s my birthday!”

    Reading a new book with Dad.

    Presents!

    Love this face!

    A post-party family photo – the celebration was a huge success!

    Lisa, Dan and Marcus: I had so much fun celebrating with you guys – thank you for having me there! Marcus is just THE cutest and it was awesome to finally meet him.

  • Debbie & Mike – 09.25.11

    When Debbie contacted me about photographing her wedding, I knew just from her personality through email that it would be a fun event, full of life, friends and family, and that’s exactly what it was. Debbie and Mike have such a great energy, and it could be felt in their vows to each other and seen in their love for their baby, Evie. The ceremony and reception both took place at Celebrations at the Bay, in Pasadena, Maryland. I don’t want to jinx myself for upcoming weddings, but we’ve been really lucky with these days that start out really gray and soggy in the early morning, but turn out to be clear days just in time for the festivities! I love it.

    Two dresses, one bride-sized and one baby-sized!

    The bride’s bouquet? Amazing. It’s a single bloom dinner plate-sized dahlia.

    There she is! Debbie and Mike’s baby, Evie, the happiest baby at a wedding ever.

    Loda Floral Design thought of everything, including a tiny floral headband for Evie. Precious!

    A quick peek at the reception room before the ceremony began.

    There’s one other family member I can’t forget to mention – Debbie and Mike’s French Bulldog, Oscar!

    Debbie, you’re stunning!

    Future photographer in the front row? Evie, did you get some good photos?!

    Pound it – married! (Super-star, Emily, officiating there.)

    Beautiful family!

    Okay, not to take away from the bride and groom, but this is a pretty awesome way to exit the ceremony.

    Handmade candy apples!

    Root-beer Float cupcakes! I can say from first-hand experience that these cupcakes from Golden Girl Bakery were not only cute, but so delicious.

    How cute is that cake topper?!

    Debbie and Mike thought of everything, including gifts…

    Kids’ activities…

    Prizes…

    And oh yeah, candy apples!

    Mother/son dance.

    And a very special mother/daughter dance. I hope Evie adores this photo someday.

    And the party!

    Debbie and Mike – everything about your day was perfect! Chris and I really enjoyed meeting you (and Evie and Oscar!) and photographing your day. Thank you for having us there! We wish you and your family all the best.

  • Reina – Bridal Portraits

    Now that Reina & Dave’s wedding day (9.10.11!) has passed, I can finally post some of Reina’s gorgeous bridal portraits! We met up in Annapolis back in June on a very very hot day. It was over 100 degrees! But you definitely can’t tell in the photos – Reina was an absolute rockstar and worked it out despite the heat. She kept on looking amazing while I, on the other hand, melted away. I will let you in on a secret though: sweet, wonderful Marie, who is Reina’s new in-law, drove us from spot to spot in a wonderfully chilly car with the a/c cranked up so that we would both be comfortable. So a huge thank you (again) to the fabulous Marie! And now a few of my favorites from the session.

  • Reina & David – 09.10.11

    I can’t possibly talk about Reina & David’s wedding without mentioning the weather. And I’m not just making small talk here. The east coast has had some really crazy weather the last several weeks, including an earthquake, Hurricane Irene, and now severe flooding with a week straight of rain, rain, and more rain. I have learned to be flexible with the weather when it comes to weddings, but of course I always hope for a day that will make it easier on the couple and everyone involved. Reina and Dave’s families traveled far and wide to get here, and they all arrived to one of the rainiest weeks we’ve ever had. This wedding has been in the works for over two years, and I just wanted to see it all come together perfectly! Well lo and behold, Saturday morning we were greeted with a cloudy, gray sky, but the rain had finally stopped! At that point, I was just thankful that it was no longer pouring, but the day just got better and better. Here are a few of my very favorite photos from the day!

    Reina and Dave’s first look before the ceremony:

    I love this to pieces:

    Showing off her red shoes!

    The day continued to be full of sweet details and little surprises, including a wardrobe change into a second dress for the ceremony.

    All smiles, all day. I couldn’t get enough of it!

    Getting a peek at the guests before the ceremony.

    Believe it or not, it actually turned out to be an incredibly bright, warm sunny day, so guests were happily enjoying these cool refreshments:

    See?! Perfect weather!

    Vows.

    “We’re married!”

    Every corner of the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club was filled with personal touches and details.

    Love the cheerful colors!

    A beautifully executed first dance, after taking ballroom dance lessons together. Perfect form!

    Toasts.

    And then it was time to get their party on!

    A bubble send-off was the perfect end to a perfect day. I’m fascinated by this image that Chris took of Reina’s sister and niece – those big colorful circles are bubbles that are closer to the lens. 🙂

    Best wishes and a big huge congratulations to you both, Reina and Dave! Everything was just wonderful, and all of your hard work and planning really showed. Chris and I had a wonderful time, and we hope you enjoy the photos for years and years to come!

  • St. John 2011

    St. John 2011

    Sometimes you just have to go with the flow and drift wherever the wind takes you, or in our case wherever the storm redirects you. Chris and I had a beach trip in the Outer Banks of North Carolina planned in August this year, but Hurricane Irene decided that we would be better off going to the U.S. Virgin Islands instead.

    Part of traveling to the Outer Banks during the summer is knowing that it’s hurricane season and that there’s always a chance the weather could be unpleasant or even dangerous. We’ve spent two summers (and one Thanksgiving) in the Outer Banks with great weather, but this time Mother Nature was not on our side. Hurricane Irene hit the coast of North Carolina on the day that we were supposed to check into our beach house. Not only was it not safe to drive down, the entire area was evacuated and no one was allowed entrance to the Outer Banks. There was nothing we could do. Throughout the weekend we remained hopeful that the weather would subside, and our fingers were crossed that no damage or harm would come from the storm. (Sadly, this was one of the more costly and damaging storms in the U.S. and our hearts went out to those affected.) By Monday, the situation was not improved and we weren’t sure when we’d be able to take our vacation if at all, so we decided to utilize our travel insurance and cancel the Outer Banks trip altogether. Thank goodness for travel insurance!

    Thanks also to some quick-thinking and spontaneity, we were able to reroute our travels and book a vacation on St. John instead since we still had the week off from work. We already knew the island from our trip there in 2008, so it was an easy choice for a last-minute getaway. I found a beautiful villa called Palm Vista high on a hill overlooking Fish Bay, and it was the perfect spot for us to relax after the stress of rerouting our trip. We booked next day flights, which surprisingly weren’t outrageously expensive. Tuesday morning we hopped on a plane and arrived at the Palm Vista in time to enjoy an afternoon of sunshine and relaxation.

    We didn’t do a lot of exploring or take a ton of photos – we ended up hanging out by the pool and at our favorite bars and restaurants because it really was just supposed to be a decompression trip, but here are a few images from the five days we were able to salvage. Not too shabby, huh? Five days of gorgeous weather in the Virgin Islands certainly beat a week of rainy weather in the States.

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