Lisa Boggs Photography Launches New 2011 Website!

Hello beautiful people!  Well, it's officially official.  I have launched a new website for 2011!  Squee!  The new site is at the exact same web address (www.lisaboggsphotography.com), but looks a little different!  I'm very pleased with how it turned out (and that it's working!), but definitely let me know what you all like or dislike about it if you have any comments!   Many thanks to everyone who supported me throughout the website switcharoo process (you know who you are) and a thousand thank you's to my amazing clients who make this whole thing possible!  Thanks so much for looking, and I appreciate any and all feedback!  :)

Thanks!

Lisa

Lisa Boggs Photography Wins WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards 2011

Hey everyone!  I'm excited to announce that for a second year in a row, Lisa Boggs Photography has won a WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Award.™   Yay!  Here's the press release below: "Great Falls, Virginia, January 26, 2011

WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, is thrilled to announce Lisa Boggs Photography has been selected to receive the prestigious annual WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 for wedding photography in the Northern Virginia, DC and Maryland area!  This is the second year Lisa Boggs Photography has won this award!

Recognition for the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 is determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 750,000 WeddingWire newlyweds. Our past clients are among those that shared their experiences on WeddingWire, the largest wedding review site in the nation.

Lisa Boggs Photography stands among the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire community, representing quality and service excellence within the wedding industry. Awards were given to the top wedding professionals across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, and were based on the overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

'WeddingWire is honored to celebrate the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire community,' said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. 'With the annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program, WeddingWire has the unique opportunity to recognize the best wedding professionals across the US and Canada. We applaud Lisa Boggs Photography for their professionalism and dedication to enhancing the wedding planning experience last year.'"

Yippee!  This means that Lisa Boggs Photography is among the very best of wedding photographers in the Northern Virginia, DC and Maryland area.  This is within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding and Weddingbee. Thanks to all of my wonderful clients who have given me 40 5-Star reviews and counting.  To see these reviews, visit the top left corner of this page, and click on the teal-colored reviews tab.

And here's my fancy certificate:

For more information on the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

Lisa

Ingrid and Pat’s Marine and Navy Wedding – Photo Booth!

I recently had delight of being able to photograph Ingrid and Pat's wedding at Fort Myer and The Mayflower Renaissance Washington, DC Hotel!  I met this incredibly couple over a year ago: Ingrid is a nurse and Lieutenant in the United States Navy and Pat is a Landing Force Communications Officer in the United States Marine Corps.  Ingrid was deployed in Afghanistan for most of 2010, but I was overjoyed when she returned in the late Fall of 2010 so we could connect again! Before I can share the actual wedding photos, I have to publish these photo booth photos...as they are just incredible.  Ingrid added the photo booth to her wedding package a few weeks before the wedding, and it was a fantastic way to get her friends and family in front of the camera without it necessarily being awkward.  Think about it: you hate getting your photo taken, but if you're wearing giant silver sunglasses and a mustache on a stick, you're like a completely different person!  Ha ha ha!  Needless to say, her family and friends did an amazing job in front of the camera and I hope you enjoy the photos below.  My favorites?  Probably the last sequence of Pat getting a kiss.  So hilarious!

I'll give you one guess as to what this guy was dancing to in this next photo:

To view the full post of photos on Facebook, go to Part I here and Part II here (if you can't view them, go to the Lisa Boggs Photography Facebook page and "Like" it first!).  To view the entire gallery without watermarks, go here and enter the designated password you've been given by Ingrid and Pat.

Thanks for looking!

Lisa

Kelly and Grant’s Historic Occoquan, Virginia Engagement Session!

I recently had the opportunity of photographing a super cute couple, Kelly and Grant! I met with Kelly and Grant back in the fall, and was so excited when they signed with me for their July 2011 wedding! But before their wedding, we had to do their engagements of course! And we happened to choose the opposite of what their wedding day will be: a chilly, windy day in Occoquan, VA! Kelly and Grant were super champs for braving it through the frigid temperatures and wind to get some incredible photos! One thing I love about being outside in some chilly air is getting those snuggling photos of a couple. What's more adorable than that? Aside from the snuggling photos, some of my favorites from the day are ones in front of a blue house we found. They both really love Zoolander and had to do their "blue steel" looks in front of the blue house! Ha ha ha! Kelly said she had a hard time portraying her "blue steel" look, and that she could do better, but I both think they did a great job!

Thanks so much to Kelly and Grant for a super fun time, and for also hanging out with me a bit afterward at a local restaurant! We all had lovely meals consisting of mostly potatoes and cheese. And yes, I ate a whole plate of cheese fries. :) Enjoy!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Briean and Casey's Winter-Themed Engagement Session!

I met Briean and Casey a few months ago, and I have to say I really loved them straight off the bat! Not only are they a gorgeous couple, but they're just so nice and down to earth. Briean expressed a huge interest in photography and loves planning out a scene with little details in them! We emailed back and forth for quite a while about what we could do with a winter-themed engagement session, and we landed on spending time at an abandoned house in Leesburg. I knew plenty of huge pines lined the property and that we'd have a fun old house to work with too! Between Briean and myself, we brought a blanket, ornaments, a Christmas wreath, and a fun Christmas-colored bouquet! We took a variety of shots so it wasn't too Christmas-y, and I think they turned out beautifully! So, the question is, out of all these winter-themed photos, which is your favorite? I wish we had had some snow for the shoot, but alas...it wasn't in the cards! :D Thanks so much Briean and Casey for being such great sports in the freezing cold temperatures (and wind!) and for making this winter-themed shoot such a success! You rule! Enjoy!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Brandy and Michael’s Wine-Tasting Engagement Session – Sunset Hills Vineyard – Part Two!

As promised, here's the follow-up post to Brandy and Michael's literary engagement session! Brandy and Michael decided to make their wine-tasting a little more formal, so Brandy wore a super cute purple dress (perfect to match the wine, obviously!) and Michael wore a business casual outfit. We marched into the Sunset Hills Winery (a fully restored 130-yr-old Amish barn) and made our way around the bar so Brandy and Michael could get some sips of delicious wine. The inside of this winery is just gorgeous! It is covered in buttery wood from wall to ceiling, and consists of two stories with two separate outdoor decks you can go out on to relax and take in the gorgeous view of the Blueridge and Short Hill mountain ranges. Brandy, Michael and I took advantage of all of those photographic opportunities, and I think really came out with some great shots! We were able to grab part of the sunset in the last few shots, and then I took one final photo from the entrance of the vineyard facing the mountains as I was leaving. It really was quite a spectacular sunset, so they're really not kidding about it being an ideal place to sip some wine and enjoy the view! Many thanks to Brandy and Michael for being such great sports during our time inside the winery! It's not easy with people watching you get your photograph taken, and I really think they did an incredible job! Also, many thanks to Jaclyn Slusher, the Events and Accounting Manger at Sunset Hills for allowing us to photograph wherever we liked. Enjoy the photos!

Click to view larger:

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Brandy and Michael’s Literary Engagement Session – Sunset Hills Vineyard – Part One!

I met Brandy and Michael earlier this year, and knew straight away that they were going to be a great couple to work with! In speaking with them both about their ideas for their engagement session, it was clear that they loved 1) reading great books and 2) sipping delicious wine. So, we decided to combine both of their loves for a gorgeous engagement session at Sunset Hills Vinyeard in Purcellville, Virginia! I had been to the vineyard before, and knew I wanted to work with the weeping willow tree that sits back below a hill. It was the perfect private area for Brandy and Michael to relax and pose with their awesome books that they bought specifically for the shoot! I loved how Brandy coordinated everything and the colors just completely popped up against the green of the grass and willow tree! Brandy and Michael did such a great job of posing and hanging out that I really didn't have to give too much direction...they were naturals! We also got some shots along side the old stone house on the property, and a shiny Chevy truck that now sits by the front of the winery (of which the colors looked incredible too!).

I hope you love the photos below as much as I do, and stay tuned for part two of Brandy and Michael's engagement session, where we get a little more formal and go in the winery for some wine tasting! Enjoy!

Click to view larger:

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Megan and Mike’s After-Wedding Session in Great Falls!

We are back in action with Megan and Mike's portrait session here in gorgeous Great Falls! I shot Megan and Mike's wedding back in June, and you can view those photos here and here. But Megan, being the awesome gal that she is, knew ahead of time that she wanted some more relaxed photographs after her wedding, and we planned ahead for an after-wedding portrait session in the great outdoors! Nothing says great outdoors more than Great Falls, Virginia, so we decided to keep things simple and head to Riverbend Park (one of my fav's) which isn't too far from my home/office base! The day was a little chilly, but it was absolutely stunning outside, and we still even had some leaves on trees! Megan wanted the photo shoot to resemble something of a fairy tale, and I really think we achieved it! We had some very bright lighting, but we managed to work with it and the colors looked incredible!

Many thanks to Megan and Mike for taking their day off with me and heading out here! Next time I'm coming with you both to the Old Brogue afterward! ;) Enjoy!

Click to view larger:

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Allison and Ryan’s Engagement Session at Manassas Battlefield!

I recently photographed Allison and Ryan at one of my favorite places, the Manassas Battlefield!  I used to stomp around in this battlefield back when Mike and I lived close by in Haymarket...it really is one of the most beautiful, calming places to visit...even if you're not taking photos! On the day of the engagement session, Allison and I were communicating back and forth because the weather was calling for rain, but more toward the evening and nighttime.  So, we decided to give it a go in the afternoon and hoped the rain would hold off for us!   Allison and Ryan were a delight to photograph with, and they really embraced my ideas for places to go and poses to try out.  I'm always surprised when couples admit they might not be the best at posing, but then they really find their inner model during the shoot.  Allison and Ryan rocked it!

If I had to choose a favorite of shot of the day, it might be the one where they're sitting in the grass with the sun going down in the background (be it a cloudy sunset!).  But, you decide!

Thanks so much to Allison and Ryan for braving the weather and photographing with me!  You guys did a great job, and I'm so glad we got the photos in before the rain.  :)  Enjoy!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Jacqueline and Chris’ Georgetown Engagement Session

I was recommended to Jacqueline and Chris by recent clients (and awesome people), Rachel and Ryan! Jacqueline and Chris are very good friends with Rachel and Ryan, so I knew straight out of the gate they would be a great couple to work with! I was overjoyed when they booked with me and am excited to show off their recent engagement session in Georgetown! Jacqueline and I emailed back and forth about a few ideas for where to go and what we could photograph. We landed on Dumbarton Oaks Park as our first location to shoot at, as Jacqueline and Chris went on their first date there! The park is quite a gem in the middle of Georgetown, and I don't know that I ever would have found it on my own. It is massive and has garden upon garden, and I seriously could have shot there all night if it hadn't closed on us!

Once the park closed, we hung out just outside of the park and decided to incorporate something else Jacqueline loves...signs! She had purchased a calendar chalkboard sign for their wedding, so we used that, and I also brought a chalkboard for them to draw on. I think the series speaks for itself in terms of hilarity!

Our last location of the evening was down in the heart of Georgetown on M Street, and as the happy couple was getting us a snack, I was watching the sun go down in awe. Once they were done purchasing, I called them over to grab a few quick shots with the absolutely stunning sunset, and I couldn't have been happier! It looked just as amazing in person as it did in the photo! After the sun was down we headed over to a main intersection for some action shots of M Street, and I think those turned out just as well too!

Thanks for being such troopers, Jacqueline and Chris! You were fantastic models, and I'm looking forward to your wedding in March! Hurray! :)

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Happy Birthday, Mr. Losey!

In honor of Steve's birthday, I thought he and his lovely wife, Ellen, would love a couple of sneak peeks from this weekends wedding. And, you know, I'm sure other people will like these too. :) Happy birthday, Steve! Note: Everyone needs to take notice of Steve's amazing pocket watch that he's holding. Talk about completing an outfit, that watch was amazing!

Love,

Lisa (and Mike!)

Lisa Boggs Wins Accolade of Excellence in the 2010 WPPI 1st Half International Photography Competition

I'm not a person who typically enters competitions. In fact, I haven't entered a real competition since college, when I was competing with my peers in fine art. But, this year I thought I'd take a stab entering 2010 WPPI 1st Half International Photography Competition. I was pleased to find out recently that I received an Accolade of Excellence in the competition for a portrait I had taken! I entitled it "Laura B." and it's from the shoot I did of my cousin-in-law for her band, The Mynabirds. Here's the release from WPPI about the win: Lisa Boggs Wins Accolade of Excellence  in the 2010 WPPI 1st Half International Photography Competition

Lisa Boggs of Great Falls, VA, has received special honors in the WEDDING & PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHERS INTERNATIONAL 2010 WPPI 1st Half International Photography Competition.  Designed to recognize outstanding photographers, the judging was held in Culver City, CA on September, 2010.

"Laura B." received an Accolade of Excellence in the Individual category.

Boggs competed against an international field of photographers to win such honors.

The WPPI 1st Half International Photography Competition awards are presented each year at the largest trade show, educational platform and convention in the United States for professional photographers.  The 2010 competition included 2511 images in 17 different categories submitted by photographers from all over the world.

Aaaaaaaand here's the photo!

You can also view the blog post I did on Laura's photo shoot here and if you would like to explore her ridiculously awesome music (she's been on tour with David Bazan!), please go here.

Hurray! Thanks for reading!

Lisa

Kim and Dan's Photo Booth - Thomas Birkby House, Leesburg, Virginia!

This past weekend I had the pleasure of photographing Kim and Dan's wedding, two very good friends of mine! We met almost a year ago, just before I took their engagement photos in Riverbend Park, and I have been eagerly awaiting their wedding ever since! Well, I knew early on that Kim and Dan wanted a photo booth at their wedding, and I was very excited to incorporate that on their big day! Mike was nice enough to head up the photo booth for me while I ran around taking the wedding photos at the lovely Thomas Birkby House. I think the results were fantastic, as Kim and Dan's guests were more than happy to indulge in some fun photos with props! Below are a few photos from the event, but if you'd like to see the whole gallery on Facebook, you're more than welcome to here, or if you were a guest of the wedding and wish to see them without the watermark, you may go here and request your gallery password. Enjoy!

For more information on having a photo booth at your wedding, simply write to lisa@lisaboggsphotography.com. Also, please stay tuned for Kim and Dan's sneak peeks!

Lisa

Lindsey and Daniel's Washington, DC Engagement Session

I recently had the pleasure of meeting up with Lindsey and Daniel in Washington, DC for their engagement session! The day of our shoot was originally scheduled as hot and sunny, but we realized the day before (and on the day of) that we were going to be dodging some stormy weather. Luckily, by the time I arrived in DC, the huge storm that plagued most of the afternoon was on its way out, so we hit the jackpot! Lindsey and Daniel were interested in hitting up one of my favorite locations in DC, the World War I Memorial. This is an awesome location, because although it's on the mall and very close to the WWII Memorial, it's tucked away just enough to lend itself to some privacy. Not to mention, it's just a really cool memorial! We took quite a few shots there and then tried a few different shots near the WWII Memorial on our way out. You can tell by the first photo that the storm was leaving, and everything was becoming a nice glistening gold as the sun was going down. By the time we left, the sky was so blue and gorgeous (with a few storm clouds approaching in the distance)!  I couldn't be happier with the photos that we got! Many thanks to Lindsey and Daniel for a super fun session! I can't wait for your wedding next year!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Lauren and Ryan's Nashville, Tennessee Engagement Session!

I recently had the pleasure of visiting Nashville, TN and getting to photograph a very old friend of mine, Lauren! Lauren and I were friends in elementary school...we had classes together, had slumber parties, and even made Snoopy snow cones in the summer! We lost touch out of high school, but reconnected eventually through the powers of Facebook! Lauren shares a love for photography like myself, so we correspond about it frequently...and when she recently became engaged she contacted me about shooting her wedding! I was super excited as Lauren is seriously one of the sweetest people on the planet and I knew, without a doubt, her fiance Ryan had to be as well! I was totally right when I met she and Ryan down at the Capitol building in downtown Nashville for their engagement shoot! We started off at the War Memorial and worked our way around the side of the Capitol and eventually on one of the Capitol's lawns. Lauren and Ryan are incredibly detail-oriented, and had some of the best ideas for what they wanted in their shots. They even brought signs announcing their engagement and noting their soon-to-be married names! I loved it! Their shots turned out pretty incredible, and I am just so elated to shoot their wedding come December. Thank you to Lauren and Ryan for an incredible shoot! Enjoy the photos below!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Laura and Stephen's Anniversary Portrait Session!

I recently photographed Laura and Stephen in Vienna, VA and we had a blast! Stephen contacted me originally, as he's a great friend of Christie and Richard, and he wanted to surprise his wife Laura with some portraits for their anniversary! When we all sat down to discuss where to go, it was really hard for everyone to decide. There are so many great places in the greater DC area, but ultimately Laura landed on Vienna being the most meaningful to her and Stephen. I was really excited, as I haven't really photographed in Vienna in a few years, so it was great to be able to shoot the W&OD Trail (and Railroad!), along with other staple places in the area (including the Vienna Inn with a sweeeeet car outside!). I was really pleased with the photos, and I have to give major props to Laura for really selling the "catching the train" shot! Her running and facial expressions were right on! I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I do!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Rachel and Ryan's Washington, DC Engagement Portraits

Spring is here!  On the official first day of spring, I was fortunate enough to take some lovely engagement photos of Rachel and Ryan in downtown Washington, DC!  We seriously couldn't have asked for a better day.  I had originally scheduled to shoot Rachel and Ryan's engagements back in February, right when the blizzards decided to strike the greater DC area!  So, we really had to wait for the great-melt-of-2010 to take place and before we moved forward, and boy did we make the right decision!  I could not be happier with the images we came up with!  We made a circle around a park (with the weeping willows), up to the WWII Memorial (new and old), then up through the West Potomac Park to the Lincoln Memorial.  Below are my absolute favorites from the day, but there are obviously lots more!  Hope you enjoy the images as much as I do!

Thanks for looking!  Also, wanted to point out that the really cool rusty door (shot number two) was actually at the very bottom of the steps leading up to the Lincoln Memorial.  What an awesome, hidden gem, right?

Love,

Lisa

Big Ben and Co.

A week and a few days ago Mike and I were fortunate enough to fly over to London, UK for a week so we could spend time with friends before a big wedding bash at the end of the week!  We had a few days to hang out in London before we took the train up to Leeds where the wedding took place, so we decided to tour what we could!  I'm still sifting through a ton of photos from the week we were over there, but thus far I have been the most impressed with some shots I took in front of Big Ben in Westminster.  As you could have guessed, the day we went out was cold, windy and cloudy, but I think the photos turned out quite nicely!  Here are the two shots I love the most.  Enjoy! Amy and Big Ben:

Big Ben and Mike:

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Mariah's Blizzard Bridal Portraits - Trash the Dress!

On December 13, 2009, I mentioned to my friend Mariah how we should take her "trash-the dress" portraits outside once it snowed again in the area.  We'd been talking about it for a while, and to me, it fit her personality and her dress so well.  We concluded it would be a fabulous idea, and obviously knew we would have to play it by ear the next time it looked like snow.  Little did I know that we would end up with the Blizzard of '09 exactly one week later, and that Mariah would still want to attempt portraits in the 20 inches of snow!  What can I say, she's a pretty awesome gal, and she was totally committed to the photo session, even though 1) this wasn't your average snowfall, 2) it was a little hazardous to drive and 3) it was ridiculously cold.  She, along with her entourage of Gabe (her husband) and Chris (her good friend), headed out with Mike and I on the hunt for the perfect location.  In Mariah and Gabe's trusty all-wheel-drive Subaru, we made it down to Difficult Run, a park in Great Falls just off of Georgetown Pike.  Luckily, this kind of park is not gated, so we just parked it up and marched around for a bit!  Mariah did an amazing job considering the obstacles involved, and I was floored at how she never once looked cold in her portraits.  She just looked happy, glowing and excited to be outside!  The manly assistance did a great job as well...clearing the path for Mariah and I, holding my gear, putting Mariah's coat on her between shots.  It was such a fun time, and I hope you can tell in the photos below!  Many thanks to everyone involved for a job well done! Enjoy!

Gabe warming up Mariah between shots:

Snowball toss!  Click to view larger:

The entourage on the way out:

And yeah, I was there.  Here's the proof:

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Kimberly and Dan's Riverbend Park Engagement Session

This past weekend I photographed Kimberly and Dan at Riverbend Park in Great Falls, VA, a lovely little park on the calm side of the Potomac.  I go there all the time, as it's a great place to hike, bring the dog, and even go on the beaches and wade in the water.  So much fun!  Kimberly and Dan saw a series I did with a friend here, and really wanted to create some images similar to those.  I was certainly up for the challenge, even though we had fewer leaves on the trees!  However, the day turned out really lovely!  It was in the 70's that day, and splashing around in some water wasn't entirely crazy, even though it's November!  Below are some images from the occasion.  It's hard for me to pick out favorites, but I really do love the weeping cherry photo (number two) and the last photo with the geese flying in the background!  Thank you to Kimberly and Dan for a super fun time...and a big shout out to Dan (effing-a!).  Enjoy!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa