Lucky me, I got to go to a surprise 60th birthday party! I know, I was working, but sometimes it doesn’t feel like it when I’m tasked with observing the extra-special moments a family gets to spend with one another. 
The long, relaxing Memorial Day weekend has me thinking about margaritas, reading magazines poolside and Key Lime pie. Yuuuuum.
For those of you that have entered or are still planning on entering the Cutest Kid in Northern Virginia Contest, here is the list of goodies the winners will receive! Since the entries I have already are so sweet, I just had to add 2nd and 3rd place categories. If you haven’t entered yet, this is your 3 day countdown. Don’t miss out on this opportunity – entering is so easy. And if you are confused about the Facebook entry form, just email me.
Remember, entries are due this Monday, May 30 at midnight!
Grand Prize! ($800+ value)
Complimentary consultation
Professional Portrait Session for your child or children
Online Gallery of fully edited images for sharing
11×14 gallery wrap portrait
Two mini accordion albums
Two 8×10 prints
Four 5×7 prints
2nd Prize ($350+ value)
Complimentary consultation
Professional Portrait Session for you child or children
Online Gallery of fully edited images for sharing
Two 8×10 prints
25% off coupon toward additional prints
3rd Prize ($200+ value)
Complimentary consultation
$200 credit toward a Professional Portrait Session
15% off coupon toward your print purchase
And all entrants receive a $25 credit toward a future session!
Kira’s first birthday portraits were a departure from my normal outdoor setting – we shot in the studio for a cake smash!
Before we got started with the birthday cake fun we let her test out her modeling skills in front of a simple white background. Um, have you ever seen a one year old so utterly at ease in front of a camera? She puts seasoned actresses to shame (and makes your heart melt at the same time)! More shots from her cake smash soon!
This month, in honor of Mother’s Day, I’m holding my first BIG contest for residents of Northern Virginia – a portrait and print giveaway! This one is especially big because not only does the winner receive a free session, they win a collection of prints… all valued at over $700. Why? Because not every family afford a professional photography experience — but every child deserves one!
Entering is easy – just “Like” Kristina Hopper Photography and Design on Facebook, give the contest app permission, then fill out the Facebook form. You’ll need to submit one photo of your child or children and write a short paragraph on why they should win.
The entries will be judged on both the cuteness of the kids and your description – be creative and there’s no need for professional photos – those will come when you win!
Good luck to all! (Don’t forget to read the official rules.)
Can’t wait to see the entries!
Professional photography makes a fabulous present, no matter how you package it. Amy and Anne are two young professionals who recently moved away from their parent’s home. Since their family doesn’t get to see them nearly as much as they used to, their mom decided to give their dad a fitting birthday gift – a photography session of the girls and a beautiful collection of prints.
We were pressed for time, however… typically a session is scheduled 2-3 weeks after booking, post-processing takes 1-3 weeks to complete, and finally prints arrive one week after favorites are chosen. We had less than a month to get dad’s gift to his birthday lunch so we improvised – with spectacular results! We fit in our session in a rare open Sunday, then after some speedy processing I prepared a sweet gift card for dad with a link to the ladies’ online web gallery. Not only did he get the chance to see all of the photos from the girls’ session, he got to pick out HIS favorites, a nice little bonus!
I love love love when a friend turns into a client. This time it happened unexpectedly. Amy’s dad was about to celebrate an upcoming birthday, and Amy’s mom needed a unique gift… Voila! Amy’s mom turned to me to take professional portraits of her two daughters. Since time was tight and printing couldn’t be done before dad’s birthday, we wrapped up a gift card and a link to the photos and he gets to pick which photos are his favorite from the entire gallery. Who doesn’t love getting a choice between 50 different presents?!
More to share about the gallery gift later — for now please enjoy a sampling of photos of the two adorable sisters!
I had the pleasure of photographing little angel Nolan on the first warmish spring day in March, which served us well because we ended up with a beautiful collection of outdoor family shots! After we ventured inside he lulled himself to sleep in one of my cute homemade caps, ignoring the clickclickclick of my camera. Photographers should be so lucky to have this little guy as a model!
It’s not everyday that a portrait client will feed you. I got lucky.
Marissa Bialecki, the Bon Appetite Foodie invited me over for a three-course meal and I got to take some pictures in between. Heaven.
Bon Appetite Foodie blogs about anything related to food that inspires her–restaurant reviews around DC, original recipes, information about food events in DC and more. She prides herself on providing original content on her blog. She also writes for We Love DC, where her main column is Capital Chefs that includes profiles and interviews with chefs in the DC area. Simply put, if it’s about food, she’s interested!
As a lover of eclectic cuisine, cooking and baking, I hit her up with some questions during our fun night together:
Q. If you could only recommend three restaurants to a visiting tourist, what would you recommend?
Tough question since there are so many restaurants I love! I think 1789 is fantastic. Yes, it’s often referred to as a DC institution and some people like to reserve it only for special occasions, but I think it’s a place where you can get a meal that is really special and delicious. Their chef, Dan Giusti, is very talented. I tried escargot there for the first time and to my surprise, I really enjoyed it. So if you’re a tourist in Georgetown, skip the stupidly long line at Georgetown Cupcake and eat something that’s worth it.
You can’t come to DC and not eat at Ben’s Chili Bowl. It’s a rite of passage to eat there and it’s another “DC institution.” Day or night, it’s always the right time for a half-smoke with mustard and chili and a huge plate of chili cheese fries. There are few things better than Michael Jackson’s PYT blasting and some good chili dogs over at Ben’s.
My last pick would be Breadline which is downtown near the White House. I used to treat myself to sandwiches and a walk through the park from there every now and then when I was at GWU. If you’re a tourist on a budget and you want to grab some sandwiches before heading over to the White House or down to the mall, I’d recommend going to Breadline and having a nice little picnic outside.
Q. What’s your favorite food to eat/make?
My favorite food to make is probably Italian. It’s a crowd pleaser when I cook for friends who have different likes and dislikes. It’s a type of cuisine that almost everyone enjoys. That being said, I like challenging myself in the kitchen, trying to make my own Chinese takeout, Indian chicken tikka masala or coq au vin. I’m trying to get more into baking lately and make use out of my KitchenAid Mixer. It’s a gadget worth having in the kitchen. The one food I always go out for and probably wouldn’t bother trying to recreate at home is sushi.
If you’re anxious about cooking, the recipes for the dinner she made are really simple! Her advice is to go for it, learn some basic skills and try your hand at cooking. Marissa hopes her blog inspires more people out there to cook, since it motivates her to try her hand at other recipes and making her own for the blog.
If anyone has any questions about cooking or restaurants they think she should check out, Marissa can be reached at bonappetitfoodie@gmail.com.
For more photos from our night, plus recipes – visit Marissa’s blog, Bon Appetite Foodie.
