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A new chapter for the HIP Studio...

HIP Studio — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:36:36 +0000

As one door closes another one opens.... and this door is... a NEW BLOG. This will be the last post made to this blog. Please update your bookmarks, RSS feeds, or blogreaders to the new blog and website found at the following link:

NEW HIP Studio BLOG

And since I can't post without a photo...here is one last photo for the blog:

"BLUE TENNIE SHOES" - Week 38 Photo Challenge

HIP Studio — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:20:35 +0000

I know I just posted this photo on my blog last week, but I thought it was very appropriate for this week's photo challenge at I ♥ Faces.

Wow, I stink-- I linked to the wrong photo with no face and didn't even check it.. I"m modifying my post now to correct the mistake-- sorry about that!

Original photo which had no face removed... oopsie!

Today Show Newborn Photography Segment scores big in Northern Virginia | HIP Studio

HIP Studio — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:25:29 +0000

A couple weeks ago a segment aired on the Today show about newborn photographer (and colleague) Tracy Raver. If you didn't catch it, you can view it here as she has some amazing work to share => TODAY SHOW SEGMENT. Since then newborn photographers across the country, including Northern Virginia and including myself, have been getting calls to capture newborns like Tracy does. While I can't promise to do it exactly like Tracy, I can do it HIP Studio style! Newborn photography is an amazing art, but no two artists are exactly the same! Shortly after this segment aired, pediatricians and experts chimed in on the safety of posing newborns for the sake of getting the artistic shot. Rest assured, I will never put your newborn child in harms way during our shoot. So today it is only appropriate for me to share a newborn session with you :) And I even have some of big sister at the end! Enjoy!

Our Journey to Narnia | HIP Studio Northern Virginia Children's Photography

HIP Studio — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:50:24 +0000

I was all set today to post a session preview on the blog, but since mom and dad already have the gallery I'm delaying that one day. Today I want to take you on a little journey...

As I was searching for hair flowers at Marshall's today... I happened upon these gorgeous Renaissance Dresses for little girls. I touched them and the quality was really good (for a Halloween costume). I usually let the girls pick their costumes at Party City-- even there for the tear away polyester they end up spending about $25 each on a costume. Now they'd much prefer a more expensive costume from the boutique catalogs that we get in the mail! Every year they drool over the same one... it is a beautiful gown with puffy sleeves, a cape, and a crown. The little girl in the picture has beautiful long hair... every little girl's dream. They ask, even though they know the answer. Can we get this one? I look at the pricetag of $80-- and multiply that by 2 and add shipping! "Not this year... I reply." This request always surprises me a little because my girls are not what I'd call "girly girls"-- they are rough and rugged with a feminine touch :) So back to Marshall's... I look at the sizes of the two I had picked up and they were a 7/8 and a 10/12... just the sizes I needed. Then I look at the pricetag and it said $29.... SOLD! I brought them home and two very happy little girls proceeded to provide the neighbors with a wonderful Renaissance (or Narnian as they called it) fashion show. So if you have a Marshall's closeby and you have little girls who like to dress up, you might want to drop in and have a look this weekend!

Etsy Finds for your Little Man! | Northern Virginia Child Photographer

HIP Studio — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:02:18 +0000

It is Wardrobe Wednesday, and I have found a few things that could really spice up a wardrobe and look fabulous in pictures, as well! This first find is so adorable! It could really add a nice pop of color to jeans and a shirt without looking too girly-- with boys sometimes that's a challenge! I've seen the orange and turquoise striped one against an orange oxford shirt-- really cute!

These were found in the Belle and the Beau Etsy Shop

This next find is something that any little boy would love to play in. This would make a great portrait study for your 3-6 year old super hero guy! What a cute idea! This superhero cape set can be found in the Babypop shop on Etsy.

Now this next little find, I haven't decided whether it scares me or it's cute., one thing is for certain-- it is a conversation piece! It and many other monster designs can be found at the Etsy shop NissaLisa.

And last, but certainly not least, this hat which was introduced to me by one of my fantastic clients! She purchased it from the Etsy store, OopsIKnitItAgain. So, so cute!

Completely Candid Photo Challenge | Northern Virginia Child Photographer

HIP Studio — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:51:53 +0000

For today's post, I'm posting a photo challenge entry. Through the magical powers of facebook, I stumbled upon this pretty nifty photography blog called I ♥ faces:

So this week's challenge is a completely candid photo. Wow, since my children aren't always the most willing subjects in my effort to photograph them, I immediately went to my personal folder for some inspiration! When I saw this photo, memories of this day rushed back erasing a whole year of time.

I remember this was taken on a beautiful day last August (2008). Jacob had just discovered CARS, the Disney version, and was he ever fascinated? In this photo, he actually has a Cars PJ top on over his t-shirt. It was not night time, but that didn't matter to him :) I was checking email (go figure) and everything was quiet-- scary thought with 3 kids in the house. I peek around the corner to see what he was doing and I see him staring at the end of a purple marker. I'm not quite sure if he was going for a Ace Frehley (KISS) or Lady Gaga look, but he achieved something! And he knew he was doing something he wasn't supposed to, he took off out of the house and onto the deck to "hide". When he realized that we weren't mad, he went on about his business with his cars as if nothing had ever happened. That's when mom appears with the camera and snaps the evidence shot... the one that will be forever remembered! How could I be mad at that face? After all, it was a washable marker.

So this has to be my inaugural entry for I ♥ faces.

~ REWIND ~ | Northern Virginia DC Metro Newborn Photographer

HIP Studio — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:48:31 +0000

How could I miss blogging this gorgeous little guy... the second time around? Mom contacted me for a session shortly after coming home from the hospital with her son. Oh no, my schedule was full! My newborn sessions focus on two areas: 1) small and sometimes sleepy baby and 2) relationship study of baby with mom and dad. Our problem... dad wasn't available when I was. Time was ticking... and since getting those sleepy curled baby shots is usually only possible during the first couple of weeks, we went ahead with a session without dad. Of course rules always have exceptions and this little 12 day old guy did not have sleeping in mind! After a lot of hard work by mom and grandma, we managed to sneak some out-- these were posted a couple weeks ago here. I really wanted this family to have relationship shots, so a couple weekends later, I had an opening and they took it! Now at 4 weeks old, I was not optimistic that we were going to have a sleeping baby and we were totally prepared for that. Mom followed all my instructions to a T and when they showed up at the studio, guess what? He was sleeping... and proceeded to sleep the entire time! I couldn't believe it... I love the connection shown in these images-- I can just feel the love when I look at them. I'm so happy that everything worked out!

AND BTW.... you may notice that my logo stamp has some interesting new colors... something new is coming! Stay tuned!

Choosing a timeless & artistic wall portrait | Northern Virginia Child Photographer

HIP Studio — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 22:51:13 +0000

If you are like me, you have many photos of your children and family throughout your home. The HIP Studio is pleased to offer various product lines to showcase your images. I'm starting a blog series to highlight a product every week or so. Hopefully this will help you determine what fits your style best! Today I want to talk a little about artistic details. If you've done a newborn session with me, you'll notice that I always take photos of the hands and feet. I love to highlight the smallness (is that a word) of the baby's tiny toes or fingers against mom or dad's hands. As children grow, I do my best to catch those same little details at every session. While these details may not show your child's face, it will usually show something unique to them such as his eyelashes, her hand holding yours, or his sneakers/shoes. I know that faces change as your children grow and you may feel the need to update wall photos to reflect that (I am certainly happy to help you out there--LOL). My goal is to make these detailed photos timeless artwork for your wall so that you don't feel the need to change them. Here are a couple examples:

Food for thought! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Style | Northern Virginia Child Photographer HIP Studio

HIP Studio — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 02:02:25 +0000

What a perfect evening for photos? The air was not too warm, not too cool. The light was beautiful. And the subject was stylin' and ready to go! Still the handsome little guy I remember from last year's session-- but a year older. It was hard to pick some favorites, but here's a few for your peek!

Friday Deal Alert! | Hip Studio Photography Stephanie Zbinden Loudoun County Photographer

HIP Studio — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 19:13:19 +0000

What can you buy with $28?

I love cute clothes! I've been cleaning out my son's closet and realized that he has completely outgrown every long sleeve shirt he owns. Poor kid, the two fashion conscious big sisters in the house got priority on shopping this year. So now that the weather is getting cooler, he actually *needs* some clothes. You probably have gathered by now that I love Mini Boden-- I'd do all my shopping there if I could! But I digress... back to the what can you buy with $28? I've had my eye on these super cute striped shirts from the Mini Boden catalog for the little guy! I just couldn't bring myself to actually spend $28 on one. Jacob is messy...rugged...rough...sometimes careless...a 2 year old boy! While I know the quality is excellent from Mini Boden-- I honestly think the shirt would be a disaster after a few wears. See for yourself-- here are the shirts-- and you can buy exactly 1 with $28.

So today I was at Target doing a little shopping and I come across these little boy tees:

And here is the kicker-- at $4 each, you can buy 7 of these shirts for $28! A whole week's worth of shirts! Now that is a price that I can live with :) So what did I come home with?

Tweenie Bopper! Who said this was the awkward age? | Loudoun County Photographer HIP Studio

HIP Studio — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 02:27:22 +0000

When I moved to Leesburg almost 8 years ago, I had one very small child and one on the way. We are pretty social people, but we had just moved from a townhouse to a single family home and were really enjoying having a yard. We didn't meet many people right out of the gate other than our immediate neighbors. A couple years went by and my oldest daughter made a new friend (a boy, no doubt-- my girls are not girly girls to my dismay) across the street. The two of them were inseparable for a while. Hannah would come home from playing at their house and talk about her friend's big sister. They played school and she learned this and that. This was her role model and I knew she was a great kid, so I couldn't complain! Fast forward a couple years and boys and girls don't play the same things anymore. I can remember Hannah would come home and ask why he didn't want to play with her anymore-- then the next day he would come over and she would forget that she was "mad" at him. And somewhere along the way his "big sister" grew up. She graduated from elementary school and went on to middle school. In fact, this is her year to become an official teenager. I hadn't noticed how much she had grown up and changed from the little girl that I remembered Hannah "playing" with until I looked at these photos today. I think mom and dad are going to need a very large shotgun! What a beautiful young lady she has become and what a special time for photos! Enjoy :)

BTW-- I haven't forgotten about the little boy finds on Etsy... tomorrow!

Super cool finds from my favorite online marketplace! ------ HIP Studio Photography, Loudoun County

HIP Studio — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 02:46:00 +0000

I know I've mentioned this before, but here goes again. I love handmade items! Knowing that somebody lovingly worked on the design and creation of something just touches a chord with me. I also know from actually sewing some clothing for my daughters and knitting hats for babies over the past few years how much time and effort goes into each piece. It really is amazing. So ETSY, I love you! Here's a couple things that I've found over the past couple days that are just too cute for words!

This mod little peasant dress was found at the etsy shop called The Measure. I take no credit for the photos shown here-- they are directly from etsy. If any credit was shown on the listing, I'll be sure to note it! Looks like this photo was taken by Allison Cottrill.

Now wouldn't that little dress be so cute spiced up with one of these hair flowers? These are from Bubbaloubands. I can take no credit for finding this gorgeous little treat, a photographer friend of mine found them. Thanks Jess!

This find is not on Etsy... but I have to show it! I am a huge Matilda Jane clothing fan! I love those little knot dresses-- unfortunately my girls are getting too big to wear them. So sad about that (the beauty of my job is that I still get to photograph cute little girls in them--yay)! However this year, they have a gorgeous blue and chocolate line and I'm just in love with some of the pieces. This set is one of my absolute favorite! I have no clue who took this photo-- sorry :(

So my post tomorrow will be all about cute things for boys! Stay tuned!

Busted... Loudoun County Photographer HIP Studio

HIP Studio — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:45:16 +0000

So my challenge got the better of me. I promise it wasn't totally my fault... I've had a couple technical difficulties that have made it take twice as long to create a blog entry... but I'm back to posting and will probably have a couple posts a day for the next few days!

For this one, I have something extra special! A video--yay! I had a shoot with some super special twins that I have followed from birth until now. It has been so cool to watch them grow and change! So today, I'm going to post a couple images from our session, a couple from the previous two sessions.... and then an animoto video from the latest session. Lots of good stuff!

Then:

Now:

And more here (this video program will not render anywhere near as crisp as these images are, but here goes):

~Wardrobe Wednesday~ HIP Studio Photography, Leesburg VA

HIP Studio — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:00:57 +0000

A few days late, but as promised I put together a collection of pieces that can be mixed and matched for the entire family. All of these pieces were found on the Gap and Old Navy websites on 9/8/09. My personal preference for a unified family look is to use one color or hue as an anchor, then add color accents to give everyone some individuality. In this particular look, I chose brown as the base and then added blues, greens, and even some orange as compliments. These tops and sweaters can all be paired with jeans or khakis, depending on your style. Bottom line: don't be afraid of color! Hope you find this helpful!

~Recovery & Peace~

HIP Studio — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 01:11:26 +0000

This time of year is bittersweet for me. I imagine many moms must feel this way as they put their babies on the school bus for the first time after the summer has drawn to a close. For me, it has been a long and busy summer filled with lots of juggling and planning activities for my children who seem to be constantly bored. I think we managed to have a some fun and many laughs together, but trust me, it was 100 times more difficult to get my work done! Today I missed them dearly, but as I walked into the house after putting them on the bus and closed the door, I stood with a smile on my face as I quietly listened to the sound of... nothing (well almost, I still have a 2 year old in the house).

So for my post today... I'm going to add a few not so perfect photos... my snapshots. First a few from our camping trip in the Shenandoah Mountains. As an aside, I must say packing for the beach (and most any other trip) is easy compared to packing for camping. Our car was just as loaded for 2 days of camping as it was for an entire week at the beach. Needless to say, this was not back country camping-- our car was a short hike away from our campsite and there were bathrooms closeby, as well. We were not roughin' it, but it was a great way to break us non-campers in. We all had so much fun!

Here are all the kids trying so hard to be still! Notice my daughter is the one with the huge band-aid on her forehead.

I love this one which was taken during a hike.

And this one shows my friends becoming "one" with nature!

Finally, some really neat wildflowers we happened upon during our hike.

And finally two photos showing the beginning of peace, recovery, and a brand new school year!

Back to business tomorrow!