• Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Flickr

Insana Collins Photography

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • About Me
  • Pricing

Archive for category: portraits

Real Family | Shinavia & Logan

July 26, 2017
26 Jul 2017

Hola, everyone!

Oh how I just adore the family I’m blogging about today. I’m lucky enough to say I’ve been photographing Shinavia’s family for eight years now! I truly can’t believe how much her son, Logan, has grown and changed since I first met him, especially since I’ve known Shinavia for over 20 years.

Logan 8237 lo res

Today, Logan is 9 years old and on his way to the 4th grade.  And, it goes without saying, his mom Shinavia and I have become even better friends over the time we’ve worked together. It’s hard to not become friends with someone like Shinavia, frankly; she’s such a peach!

SanaLoganShea1-2

When Shinavia called me to take their photos again, I immediately began counting down the days to our session! And as for the day of the shoot, I had a blast! They had a pretty great time, too, posing between running around the playground and making funny faces.

Shea and Logan - 25

About our shoot, Shinavia said, “I liked that [our session] was very spontaneous and free. We didn’t have to pose a lot because with kids, they don’t focus for long so ask them to keep posing isn’t going to work but capturing those cute moments are key.”

  • Location: Watkins Park
  • Shinavia’s Wardrobe: Marshall’s
  • Logan’s Wardrobe: Children’s Place

Once Shinavia saw her photos, she said, “I love the photos because I think they capture our personalities. They show how loving and playful we are towards each other. You can tell he’s my only child and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

Okay, enough text. Check out the awesome mother/son duo, Shinavia and Logan.

Shea and Logan - 23

 

Shea and Logan - 22

Shea and Logan - 7

 

Shea and Logan - 26

 

Shea and Logan - 27

I’ll be scheduling another family session like this in August. If you’re interested in your own individual or family portraits, shoot me an email at insana@insanacollins.com or a text to 202-738-9007 to book. Until next time!

Insana

 

 

Share this:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Print
  • Google
1 Comment/in family, portraits /by Insana Collins

Real Portraits | Dr. Bobby and LaVera Manning

April 6, 2016
06 Apr 2016

I recently photographed Pastor Dr. Bobby Manning and his wife, First Lady LaVera Manning of the First Baptist Church of District Heights, located at 7234 Lansdale Street in District Heights, Maryland. I first met Bobby and LaVera years ago at my own church in Glenarden, Maryland, and remember when the young pastor began leading at FBCDH.

BW BTS

Before our shoot, I asked Dr. Manning about his ministry and marketing goals. “As as church, our primary marketing goal is to continue to expose the surrounding community to the ministries of our church,” he said. “We will expand the scope of our communications to a larger group of people, both online and surrounding our physical location.”

wm Bobby and LaVera Manning-3-7

FBCDH’s mission is to “Connect With Communities to Cultivate STRONG Christians.” The Mannings contacted me to take new professional portraits of them to use to creatively go beyond the walls of the church to be a blessing in the community around them, and help people to grow stronger spiritually. They’ve hosted laundromat takeovers, food giveaways, children’s fairs, and other events that help meet the needs of the community in practical ways. I was delighted to photograph inside the church itself and further their mission.

wm Bobby and LaVera Manning-3

Photographing these two was so fun! LaVera had her own makeup artist, Vanessa, who did a fantastic job! What made this shoot really special were their joyful attitudes and quite honestly, the love they showed for each other. It’s infectious! The First Baptist Church of District Heights has existed for 64 years and with young, energetic leaders like these two, I’d check them out! To learn more, visit their website at http://www.fbcdh.org/.

wm Bobby and LaVera Manning-3-2

wm Bobby and LaVera Manning-3-3

wm Bobby and LaVera Manning-3-4

wm Bobby and LaVera Manning-3-5

Until next time,

Insana

 

Share this:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Print
  • Google
0 Comments/in portraits, Published, Uncategorized /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

Share this:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Print
  • Google
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

low res Rae Mickens Boudoir-12

low res Rae Mickens Boudoir-23

low res Rae Mickens Boudoir-25

low res Rae Mickens Boudoir-22

low res Rae Mickens Boudoir-18

low res Rae Mickens Boudoir-27

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

:)

Share this:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Print
  • Google
2 Comments/in boudoir, Collins Photography, DC, Insana Collins, maryland, Photographer, Photos, portraits, Washington, Washington DC /by Insana Collins

Carrsyn’s Christening

July 9, 2012
09 Jul 2012

Five-month old Carrsyn, first daughter of Secarr and Chana Fullenwilder, christened in a beautiful home ceremony full of food, family, and friends.


 

Share this:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Print
  • Google
0 Comments/in baby, blessing, ceremony, child, Children, christ, christening, church, Collins Photography, daughter, photography, portraits, son /by Insana Collins
Page 1 of 212

Pages

  • About Me
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Pricing

Categories

Featured Posts

  • All White Everything|Nanette and Roxanne
  • Andrew Woodson Prom | 5.4.18
  • Real Family | Amazing Autumn Portraits
  • Real Family | Dockins Crew
  • Real Family | Shinavia & Logan
  • Real Prom | May 2017
  • Real Weddings: 2017 Edition
  • Howard University’s Charter Day Dinner

Pages

  • About Me
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Pricing

Tags

portrait wedding

Recent Comments

  • Petrina on Real Family | Shinavia & Logan
  • Miya on Howard University’s Charter Day Dinner
  • Charles on Real Family | Jenkins Family Portraits
  • Chad. Pennington on The Family Photographer’s Family Reunion
  • ivory on Real Sexy | Boudoir Photos

Search

© Copyright - Insana Collins Photography - Wordpress Premium Theme by Kriesi
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.