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Archive for category: Photographer

Real Family | Amazing Autumn Portraits

November 29, 2017
29 Nov 2017

Hi again, ladies and gents!

Let me stop for a second to tell you that I am seriously the luckiest photographer in the world. My clients are always so wonderful to work with. That’s true of my session with the Davis family, too!

I met Marilyn and Charles Davis at a gala a few years ago, and after Marilyn had her first baby, a friend recommended me to them to take their first family portraits.

Mike (my new co-tographer, I can’t wait until you meet him!) and I met up with them on a Sunday at one of my favorite shooting locations, Watkins Park in Upper Marlboro, Maryland and, although chilly, the weather was perfect for portraits. We love shooting in the fall, when the leaves are so colorful and nature has so much character. While the weather was fine, it was the Davis family that made this shoot such a treat. Charles and Marilyn arrived color coordinated, and were so sweet to each other as well as naturals in front of the camera.

Marilyn and Chuck Davis Family11

Marilyn and Chuck Davis Family12

 

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Marilyn and Chuck Davis Family10

As if they weren’t beautiful enough, now comes baby Malia.

Marilyn and Chuck Davis Family18

Malia, Marilyn, and Chuck were awesome together, and it showed. They had awesome things to say about us too.

“We loved working with you and Mike.  You both made the photo shoot really easy and very comfortable for all of us.  You both made us feel like we had known you for years, even though we had just actually met that day. Our daughter usually starts to cry when she is around new people in new environments, but we didn’t have that problem with either you or Mike.  You both have a great eye for pictures and even were easy going enough to let my husband direct some of the poses,” said Marilyn. I am thrilled whenever I receive such glowing reviews from my clients!

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Wardrobe details of the shoot:

  • Charles – Top: Target & Banana Republic; Jeans: American Eagle; Shoes – Cole Haan
  • Marilyn – Top: Macys; Pants: Stitch Fix; Shoes – Coach
  • Malia – Nordstrom

Marilyn also has terrific advice for parents taking family portraits with small children. “Make sure you feed children before the shoot.  If you have babies, I wouldn’t try any new foods the day of the shoot, just in case it doesn’t agree with them. [Also], try your best to have the photo shoot not coincide with nap time. Bring the toys, props, or people that will get your kids to smile.” After shooting family portraits for over 10 years, believe me, this is top notch advice!

I hope you enjoyed the Davis’ family portrait session! The Davis family is using photos these for their holiday cards, and I’m currently booking more holiday portrait and event sessions every day. Call or email me to book one for yourself!

Until next time,

 

Insana

insana@insanacollins.com

 

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0 Comments/in Collins Photography, Insana Collins, Photographer, Photos /by Insana Collins

Portraits | Madison the Dancer

November 3, 2015
03 Nov 2015

Hey guys!

Today I have a real treat for you, which comes in the form of 8-year-old Madison. She’s a dancer, and her mom wanted to showcase her talent in the best way possible, especially since she’s beginning to dance more competitively.

You can tell from the pictures that this little girl is energetic–an important trait for a young dancer.  She’s a constant performer and seems to enjoy herself…a lot!

Madison Oct 2015-2

We met up at a private studio in Fairfax, which I loved because of the range of indoor scenery. Madison’s mom, Monica, handled Madison’s hair and makeup herself.

Not only is Madison a talented dancer, she’s also received voice training from Shirley Ables, a member of the Grammy-award winning gospel group, Shirley Ables and the Joy Gospel Singers. As you can see, Madison’s parents have a lot to be proud of.

Madison Oct 2015-12

Her parents also did a really wonderful job choosing outfits for our session.

“We wanted her head shots to accent her natural look, and the dance shots to allow the focus on her dancing ability so we chose a bright pink shirt for the head shots, but a more muted color, simple leotard for her dance shots,” said Monica. I second that info!

Okay, moving on to what you’ve been waiting for. For your viewing pleasure, pictures of Madison, the dancer!

Madison Oct 2015-1

Hi Res Madison Oct 2015 8-2

Madison Oct 2015-13

 

This family was just awesome to work with. I totally look forward to shooting with Madison in the future. “Overall, it was a great experience. Insana is very patient and kind and can really capture beauty with the lens,” said mom, Monica. 🙂

Until next time,

Insana

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0 Comments/in african american, Children, Collins Photography, daughter, event, family, Insana, Insana Collins, Photographer, photography, Photos, portraits, Published, Washington DC /by Insana Collins

Real Sexy | Boudoir Photos

March 24, 2015
24 Mar 2015

Cue the sultry music for this post, gang!

Today I’m featuring Rae, a stunning woman I photographed in January at a private home in Bowie, MD. This boudoir session was particularly special, as she’d wanted photos for a long time, but just never had the motivation. Rae told me, “I’ve been wanting to do a boudoir session for years but never had that special someone to do it for. Well I do now, and since Valentine’s Day was right around the corner, I said, why not! I wanted to present pictures for my special guy as well as take some for me. Sometimes “we” women just need a little reminder on how sexy we really are. My pictures will remind me of that for years to come.”

As you can see, Rae is incredibly beautiful, but looks aren’t the only thing she’s got going on. She loves to bake, travel, and host parties too!

low res Rae Mickens Boudoir-40

Even though she was a little nervous before our shoot (who wouldn’t be?), Rae was able to relax pretty quickly and we got some awesome shots.

“I was extremely nervous about how I was going to look in the photos. I’m not a size 4, so I wanted to make sure I was sexy, but didn’t look like I was larger than I am… I was also nervous about my comfort level of the poses. I’m pretty conservative and I didn’t want to do any awkward poses that made me feel uncomfortable or that were to raunchy. Insana put my nerves at ease! She encouraged me,  coached me, made tasteful suggestions and took my thoughts into consideration. She even gave me a few techniques to use while posing to help me get the best shot, as well as make me feel relaxed. It was like two old girlfriends hanging out, instead of a photo shoot. Laughs galore!” said Rae.

She brought 3 different outfits for the session and each looked amazing on her. A white button down with heels, a snow leopard kimono with a bra and panty set, and a gorgeous blue lace gown with matching panties from Victoria’s Secret.

low res Rae Mickens Boudoir-5

Since we had such an amazing shoot, I asked Rae to share a little bit of advice for others who may want to have a boudoir session in the future. Here’s what she had to say:

“I would suggest coming to the photo shoot with an open mind. Insana suggested several poses I never would’ve thought of and they came out looking fabulous!”

That’s definitely solid advice!

No more talking – let’s get to the pictures!

 

low res Rae Mickens Boudoir-20

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Rae absolutely rocked her session! She had fantastic energy and it made the shoot so much fun. As for her favorite part of the shoot: “I can’t stress enough how much I loved every single moment of my session!! The side jokes between Insana and I, the excitement I felt after I nailed a pose, the actual posing itself and of course standing in front of a stranger with next to nothing on, while she takes pics of me. Lol!! This session made me feel beautiful and gave me a brief insight on how models must feel on a daily basis. For a shorty like me, that’s probably something I would never experience in the real world. Good times!”

Until next time,

Insana

p.s. Rae took the boudoir surprise a step further and ordered a 12-month color calendar for her honey! Take a look. 🙂

Calendar-3695

Calendar-3699 Calendar-3701

🙂

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2 Comments/in boudoir, Collins Photography, DC, Insana Collins, maryland, Photographer, Photos, portraits, Washington, Washington DC /by Insana Collins

MLK Day of Service | Washington, DC

January 21, 2015
21 Jan 2015

On Monday, January 19th, I participated in City Year’s Martin Luther King Jr.’s Day of Service at Eastern Senior High School in Washington, DC.  City Year, an AmeriCorps program with a 15-year history in the District, focuses efforts to improve graduation rates. The program has 158 volunteers working in 13 D.C. public schools, including some of the high schools with the highest dropout rates, as well as elementary and middle schools that feed into them.

MLK Day of Service-

As a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of service to others, City Year considers MLK Day as a day ‘on’ not ‘off’. Each Martin Luther King Jr. Day, City Year mobilizes its 2,800 corps members and thousands more volunteers for a day of service in communities across the nation. In coordination with local partners, City Year AmeriCorps members and volunteers engage in service projects that include painting schools, beautifying neighborhoods and parks, serving in soup kitchens, supporting senior citizens, and running educational activities for children.  [http://www.cityyear.org/dc/mlk]

Arriving at 8 am, I was happy to find that I was one of hundreds of volunteers, and City Year members were there to cheer us on every step of the way.

We have a reputation because we do it like this! Service can be so much fun! #dreamliveson #cyMLK

A video posted by City Year Washington, DC (@cityyeardc) on Jan 19, 2015 at 6:02am PST

Participants immediately attended an opening ceremony, AKA a pep rally, featuring keynotes from DC’s Chief of Schools, John Davis, and DC’s newly elected mayor, Muriel Bowser.

MLK Day of Service-1

MLK Day of Service-3

Volunteers were given a variety of activities to choose, from picnic table construction, fleece blanket making, MLK Day Value Bracelet making, gym mural painting, safe sex kit assembly, military care kit assembly, SAT math flashcard creation and more. Along with a group of about 12 volunteers, I elected Leadership Actions Mural painting, which took place just two blocks away at Center City Public Charter School.

MLK Day of Service-5

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MLK Day of Service-1495

These murals were intended for the management and leadership offices of Center City PCS. There were quotes like, “Design, Develop and Deliver High Quality Professional Development” and “Lead Outcome Oriented Meetings with Clear Protocols.” We talked, painted, and sang Motown hits.

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I met some really cool City Year volunteers and alumni, brushed up on my painting skills (pun intended), and hopefully, made a difference. I honestly can’t wait to participate next year!

-Insana

Couldn’t attend the service day, but still want to support it? Make a donation to support City Year’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service here: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/cydcservice/.

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0 Comments/in Collins Photography, DC, Insana Collins, Photographer, Washington, Washington DC /by Insana Collins

New Year, Newborn

January 7, 2015
07 Jan 2015

Hello dear blog readers and Happy New Year!

Today I have a real treat for you and it comes in the form of 6-day old Judah Miles. What better way to celebrate the new year than with photos of a newborn??  Hold on to your socks though – this honey is so cute he may blow them right off!

Low Res Judah Miles-10

It feels like only a few days ago I was photographing Andrea and Johnny’s engagement photos. I can’t believe it’s already been two years! I remember when I first met Andrea and Johnny, they were so obviously madly in love with each other. It was really only a matter of time until they started adding to their family: a baby brother to big brother Asa.

Because our last photo shoot went so perfectly, I was delighted when they called me up to schedule photos weeks before the birth of adorable little Judah. They are going to be the best parents!

Anyway, I am beyond honored that they asked me to work with them again and to photograph their tiny superhero. As you can see from the photographs below, he is an ultra sweetheart and was a joy to work with.

Low Res Judah Miles-13

You may be seeing more of little Judah in the very near future! I’m lucky enough to photograph him every few months with my milestone package. Come back and see for yourself!

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Low Res Judah Miles-7

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Until next time,

Insana 🙂

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