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.

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.

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.

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

1 Comment/in family, portraits /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!

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.

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!

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.

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

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.

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!

Until next time,

Insana

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

Splendid Family Portraits: Heba, Fi and Ayah

May 6, 2013

06 May 2013

This spring, I had the pleasure of photographing a growing DC-area family including mom, Heba, dad, Fi, and not-quite-two-year-old Ayah. Although it was a family portrait shoot, I have to admit, Ayah stole the show! She laughed, cried, grimaced, frolicked, ran, and danced all for (or despite) my camera lens. Heba and Fi seem so happy together, and it’s clear how much they love their daughter. They made this shoot easy; what an awesome family!