Susan Solo – Photographer | Traveler | Adventurer

Blog

  • Jamie & Daniel – Engaged!

    Meet Jamie and Daniel! Jamie is one of Chris’s co-workers where he works when he’s not being awesome behind the camera as my photography partner. Jamie and Daniel are getting married in Florida, but wanted to have some local Virginia-flavored engagement photos taken, so that’s where I come in! We started our session off yesterday at Tarara Winery in Leesburg, Virginia, which holds a special place in their hearts because that’s where Daniel proposed. Aw! Look how cute:

    This was taken right near the spot where Daniel proposed!The whole property at Tarara was just so lovely. Really peaceful and well-kept. I will keep this spot in mind next time I need a bit of serenity!

    Favorite image! It’s just so sweet:

    Or maybe this next one is my favorite?! I love the colors! (And for the record, this one is Chris’s favorite.)

    “Famous” green wall alley in Leesburg (sort of famous to local photographers, anyway):

    I can’t even take it – they are just SO CUTE!

    And let’s just see a close-up of that gorgeous ring. Daniel did a perfect job in selecting it! (And Jamie and I did a perfect job of finding a cool background to photograph it on.)

    Jamie and Daniel, I had so much fun hanging out with you guys and getting to know you! You were awesome to photograph – thank you for the great afternoon! And I can’t wait to see photos from your wedding! Best wishes and congratulations! 🙂

  • Lindsay & Mike – Engaged!

    Sometimes I feel like I’m just going to burst with glee over how great/fun/cute my clients are. And with that, I’d like to submit Exhibit A as evidence of aforementioned adorable clients: photos from my engagement session with Lindsay and Mike in DC! We decided to meet up near the Capitol building and wander around that area, which was so fun because no matter how many times I shoot in the city, I see something new every single time. And also so fun because these two are so cute!

    This is outside the restaurant where Mike took Lindsay to dinner after he proposed!

    Mike makes Lindsay laugh, and I love that.

    Like I said, I see something new every time I go into DC, and I am quite certain that I had never been around to this side of the Capitol building. I LOVE this photo:

    And back around front, this is the exact spot where Mike proposed!

    Thanks for such a fun afternoon, Lindsay and Mike! I can’t wait to see you both again for your wedding in October. I know it’s going to be a blast! Oh and thank you SO MUCH for sending my sunglasses along! 😉

  • Linsey – Graduating!

    Meet Linsey! She’s graduating from American University this weekend (technically she already finished in December, but she’s walking this weekend) so we met up on the AU campus to take some portraits. I really love when people take the time to have this done. The posed cap-and-gown photo is nice, butI think these photos are so much fun to have. I mean, look how gorgeous she is!

    Linsey gave me a pretty official tour of the beautiful AU campus. This one on the steps of the Hurst Building (I think!) is one of my favorites:

    Complete and total natural in front of the camera! My job was eaaaaaaaasy breezy!

    We had such a fantastic taste-of-spring day.Another favorite! I love dresses with pockets! Cutest:

    Congratulations, Linsey! I had such a fun time with you last weekend – you were truly so great to photograph. And thanks for the campus tour! It sounds like you’re already off to a really great start with post-college life, and I wish you all the best of luck in the future!

  • A Visit From Henry the Monkey

    A few months ago, I signed up as one of the photographers to participate in Hugs From Henry, Love Lucas, to host a visit from Henry the sock monkey who is traveling around the world from photographer to photographer. You can read more about this wonderfully amazing heart-warming project here. In short, a collection of photographs documenting Henry’s travels around the world will be compiled into a beautiful book to raise money for a very sweet and special boy, Lucas. I am absolutely honored to be a part of the project. But go read about it on Faith’s blog – she tells the story better than I do!

    Henry the monkey arrived at our house during a very rainy season in the D.C. area. I had all kinds of plans for taking Henry out sightseeing, but I wasn’t sure how he would do in the rain (I assume sock monkeys don’t love rain all that much) and we just haven’t gotten a break from it during his stay so far. He has a lot of other photographers to visit in the upcoming months and had to be on his way soon. After all, I’m sure he wants to see the world AND get back to his friend, Lucas! So we did what anyone else would do on a rainy day: rainy day activities! Here is a story for Lucas about Henry’s visit to see Susan and Chris in Virginia.

    To start our schedule of rainy day fun, we played classic games like Connect Four, where Henry won three games in a row.

    Henry, we see you! You’re so silly!

    Next we played Jenga, where we all stacked the blocks higher and higher…

    …until I placed a piece on top that made the tower come tumbling down. So Henry won!

    Here we are playing a card game that I think Henry made up. I’m not quite sure of the rules, but Henry won again. He’s good at everything!

    Chris and I are both pretty good at Wii Bowling, and I thought maybe one of us could win a game for once, but Henry pretty much rocked at that, too.

    My most favorite activity lately is exercising, so Henry and I pumped some iron. Henry is very strong!

    Playing all of those games and exercising made us hungry, so we headed to the kitchen for a snack. Another favorite rainy day activity of mine is making chocolate chip cookies. But lately I’ve been trying to eat a few less cookies, so we just pretended, which was almost just as fun. We ate bananas instead, since bananas are a very healthy snack and they’re one of Henry’s favorites!

    And one of Chris’s very favorite indoor activities is rooting for the Washington Capitals, so we watched some playoff game highlights together. Go Caps! 

    Lastly, we wrapped up our rainy day fun by reading a book about some of the sights in Washington, D.C. that Henry would like to visit next time he is in the area on a sunny day.

    We are so happy you came to visit us, Henry! Please give Lucas a big hug from Susan and Chris when you arrive home again. We hope you enjoy the rest of your travels and have beautiful weather! (But sometimes a rainy day can be so fun, right?!) xoxo, Susan and Chris

  • Adria & Avi – Engaged!

    Have you ever met two people that just…go together so perfectly? (Otherwise known as MFEO, if you’re a fan of the movie Sleepless in Seattle.) Well that’s so totally Adria and Avi. Their relationship just seems so effortless, and I loved seeing the sweetness of how they interact when we kicked off the start of my 2011 season with their engagement photos yesterday! We were incredibly lucky to have a day in April with no rain (well, maybe a few sprinkles for a minute or two) so we hung out in both Old Town Alexandria and in DC.

    I’m starting right off the bat with my fa-vor-ite image. BOOM!

    What is it about the cherry blossoms in DC?! I see them every year, but every single time they’re just breathtaking. Magic: Cherry blossoms at peak + the Washington Monument + romantic, adorable pose = this picture:

    Up close and personal with the Washington Monument, which was one of the spots Adria & Avi visited on their first date! (SO CUTE, you two!)

    And one last image with proof that spring is finally here:

    Adria & Avi, thanks for getting my 2011 season off to an amazing start! I had such a great day with you both (still loving you for saying there’s never anything stupid about macaroni and cheese, and also for not making fun of my lack of parallel parking skills!), and I can’t wait to see you again in November!