How would I describe Alysa in 3 words? Ambitious, Giving, and down-to-earth. (Okay, I might have cheated a little on the last one.) If her face looks familiar, it’s probably because you might have remembered the shots I took of her wedding at the beautiful Peabody Library. Since seeing her last, she’s successfully launched her own freelance graphic design business as well as a letterpress business. And not only that, she’s been supporting and encouraging others to follow their dreams and passions as well, including myself! 

As a fellow alumnae of the same design program from college, we’ve both shared in our ups and downs in the industry…but with friends like her, it helps to know you are never alone!

With her new business ventures comes new branding—and with her rebranded identity and website, she needed professional headshots that reflected HER. It was an honor to shoot her—especially since she traveled all the way from North Carolina! Talk about dedication. :)

After weeks of having to reschedule due to less-than-ideal weather conditions, I was FINALLY able to shoot Rorie’s grad photos! The wait was so worth it too; the day of the shoot, it was a high of mid 60s temperature and the sun could not have been more perfect. Rorie is a recent graduate from Stevenson University and is also a fellow Phi Sig sister! It always makes me so happy to be able to work with my sisters. It’s always a great time full of laughter and fun—which makes for great photos! Rorie is a natural in front of the camera too, which definitely made my job easier. Take a look below at our fun, unpredictably warm session! 

xoxo / LITP
Nhu

Aleks originally came to the US all the way from Austria working as an au pair. Now, he’s in school working towards getting his degree and is aspiring to become a model—so when he came to me to ask if I could help him start out his modeling portfolio, I definitely couldn’t say no to helping someone get one step closer to their dreams! 

It was a brisk—and I mean brisk–winter day. However, Aleks was a total trooper and did so well in his first ever photo shoot. My good friend, and another model, was present to help with styling and coaching Aleks through the poses. In the end, I’m pretty happy with how the photos turned out. He was a natural!

xo
Nhu

Dylan is not only a talented model but is someone I consider to be one of my closest friends! From shooting his first photo shoot back in 2010 to now, 7 years later, shooting him still—I’ve been able to watch him grow and flourish not only as a model but as a creative human being! 

Did I mention he’s turning 25?? 

Please join me in wishing him very happy birthday to a compassionate, big-hearted guy! Happy Birthday, Dylan! May your year be full of love and happiness. :) 

xo
Nhu

I am so excited to share my favorites from this shoot with Aneesha! It had been about 6 years since I lost shot her, along with her twin sister Anuja, for an editorial shoot. We had always wanted to shoot again but with conflicting schedules, (and Aneesha traveling being an actress)  it was always hard to find time. 

We were finally able to find some time to meet up and make something happen, and it. was. MAGIC. 

We mostly shot indoors, with my new beauty dish. We got a lot of great, moody shots out of it. At the end, we decided to try some outside as well! But with it being as cold as it is in the winter, we didn’t stay out there for too long. 

I unofficially left the fashion and beauty industry a few years ago because I wanted to focus more on telling people’s real stories…but a part of me has always missed doing it. It felt good to go back to something I haven’t done in a while! 

2017 is about to be the year of “realizing myself” (as the wise Kylie Jenner once said). Aneesha is just the beginning of me getting back to beauty. There is more to come, and I cannot WAIT to share with you all! 

xoxo

Nhu

What was interesting about this session was that we had to break it up into two! The first session worked out for maybe 5 minutes before the skies started to open up and baby Sophia started getting irritated. Understandable though because who wants to take family photos in the rain? 

So we postponed the shoot for another day. Months later we were finally able to reschedule for a beautiful autumn day. Unfortunately, Aaron was not able to be a part of this session but it was okay because it made for some adorable mommy and daughter photos! 

In the end, we were able to get a great collection of memorable photos of a beautiful family to last a lifetime. :)

Happy Thanksgiving! What better time to share autumn engagement photos than today? I went to high school with Kimmy, but due to going away to different schools, it had been several years since we last spoke. So when she reached out about her engagement to her beau, Josh, and asked me if I wanted to take their engagement photos, I knew I had to say yes!! It was a beautiful day in Cunningham Falls Park. We got slightly lost in the woods but it only made for some great moments. I also found out Josh has a hobby of climbing trees, and being surrounded by so many of them, we knew we had to test out his skills. :P 

Congratulations, Kimmy and Josh! 

I had the distinct pleasure of shooting Keighley for her senior portraits this past month in Downtown Frederick! She is currently a senior at Urbana High School and is hoping to attend college somewhere down south next fall. She is such a radiant beauty and a complete natural in front of the camera. We were up early to get the rising morning sun, and while it was a little chilly, it was SO worth it! Best of luck, Keighley, on all your future endeavors! <3 

xo
Nhu

Melissa and Richie’s engagement session at Patapsco Valley State Park felt so natural and easy-going! I was so honored to be able to capture these two. I know Melissa as a fellow sister of Phi Sigma Sigma so when she came to me asking if I wanted to take her engagement photos, there was no way I could turn her down! Even though these two had never really been in front of a camera before like this, they were such naturals! Once I got them to really focus on each other instead of me, the rest was history. They weren’t afraid to be goofy and really showed the magic of the love they share. Congratulations, Melissa and Richie! 

xoxo
Nhu

How gorgeous does Emily look in her photos? She is graduating this December from Stevenson University with a degree in Business Communications. She’s such a bright and down-to-earth soul; I’m so glad to also be able to consider her as a fellow Phi Sig sister as well. When she reached out to me to see if I wanted take her senior photos, how could I say no? It was an honor to capture someone so vibrant and engaging amidst the equally as vibrant fall colors.

Congratulations, Emily! And best of luck to you on your future endeavors!

xoxo
Nhu