It was last July that I received a call from Alaina and her mom, as they were planning Alaina’s winter sweet-16 birthday party. It was to be a small party with 20 girls, and Alaina didn’t want the “normal” event photography for her sweet 16. Rather, this creative young lady envisioned a mini-glamour shots session for each of her 20 party guests, in addition to posed and candid photos of everyone having fun. And so they were looking for an Ellicott City party photographer who could capture both candid moments and unique glamour shots throughout the house, using both home and party decor as natural backdrops. “Why me?” I asked. And Alaina’s mom explained that when Alaina had first shown her my website, her first words were “absolutely beautiful.” In addition, they travel a lot, and they were attracted to my posed and photojournalist-style images of Africa.

And so, the day after a big snowstorm, my assistant and I headed to Ellicott City in Howard County, Maryland for four hours of party photography, where we started with family portraits and a 30-minute glamour photography session for the birthday girl, then an 8-minute mini-session for each of the 20 party girls, candids of the cake-cutting, posed and candid photos of Alaina and her friends, and culminating with a big group photo of everyone. This young lady isn’t normal… neither is her sweet 16 party photography!

Don't settle for less.