Megan and Andrew's Arlington Virginia Wedding

Karen & Mike Celebrating 15 Years!

What better way to celebrate 15 years as a married couple than to get some updated headshots for work and some fresh new portraits with each other!  I happened to think it was a great idea, so we set a date to do a double shoot!

Karen and Mike took a day off of work to come play in Georgetown with me and my cameras!  Our plan was to do half of the session in the studio for a more formal look, and then take the shoot outside to the scenic C&O Canal and Georgetown Waterfront!  It looked like a good plan until the storm forecasted for early evening decided to roll in early!  We all crossed our fingers that it would roll out early as well!

In the studio, we made some gorgeous head shots for them to use on their professional social media profiles and business websites!  They were both really natural in front of the camera, and I had tons of fun answering all of their questions about how the lighting setup, the poses, the lenses and the position of my camera changed the way that they appeared in the photos!  I love getting to let people in on the behind the scenes knowledge and practices that make for a true professional portrait!

We did a few shots of them together in the studio as well, because we honestly weren't sure if we were going to get outside with the rainstorm that had rolled in a few hours ahead of schedule.

When we were done, we took a peek outside, and POW!  Georgetown was alive with beautiful late afternoon, post-storm light, and those rich, wet, freshly washed colors!  So, we went for a quick walk along the canal, for these. . .

And we stopped for a few minutes along the Potomac River for these!  That is the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in the background!  I sure will miss shooting at DC's famous landmarks when I move to Colorado, but it will also be fun to explore whole new kinds of portrait locations!

Thanks, Karen and Mike for thinking of me for your updated photos!  It was a blast!  Enjoy this marriage milestone too!


All Text & Images ©2014, Jennifer Tallman Magnuson, Magnuson Photographic
Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited.

Fine Art Prints Now on Our Website

Engagement Photos? What do we need those for?

Sorry for the silence, folks!  I am in the thick of all sorts of exciting things here!!  One of those exciting things is about to be revealed right here, so keep reading!!

All Magnuson Photographic wedding packages come with a complimentary engagement shoot included.  Why do you need an engagement shoot when you're about to be inundated with wedding photos?  What do you do with the photos?  What's the point?

Well, the primary reason I do engagement sessions with every single wedding package is so that I want to get to know you better before we are racing through wedding day with all of the emotions and stresses that go along with it.  I like to have the opportunity to work with you in front of the camera, so that you know what to expect on the wedding day, and so that I can help you to be more comfortable, natural and relaxed in your wedding portraits.  That comfort and ease in front of the camera comes from building trust with your photographer, whether it be Magnuson Photographic or someone else!

Some other reasons I give you an engagement session include, giving you the opportunity to showcase your personality in photos, and getting a chance to discuss your wedding day in more detail than we did at the initial consultation when we were concentrating on pricing and contract terms.  Are you huge baseball fans?  Do you share a passion for cooking, cycling, craft beer, wine, kickball, hiking, fashion?  We can incorporate just about any of your interests into an engagement shoot!

So what do you do 

What Should We do with Our Engagement Photos??

Sorry for the silence, folks!  We are in the thick of all sorts of exciting things!!  One of which I am about to reveal to you right here, so keep reading!

Ever wonder what to do with your engagement photos?  They look great on social media, and they make great profile photos, and everyone clicked the "like" on your Facebook and Instagram posts of them, but now what?  What becomes of those gorgeous little files that captured a little piece of your love story?

One of my favorite things Magnuson Photographic offers our couples is a personalized, handmade guest signing book from our amazing album company, Pictobooks!  These books show off the same quality and craftsmanship as the wedding album that is part of your wedding package. 

The monogrammed cover can be personalized from several designs, and can include your names, wedding date and wedding location.

The fine art linen paper is split bound and will lay flat to make it easy for your guests to sign in the blocks provided.  The signing spaces are opposite a photo or photo collage on each spread.  Magnuson Photographic will happily custom design the photo layout with images from your engagement session!

The texture of the paper is luxurious to touch and won't allow ink to smear or transfer from the signing pages to the photo opposite it.

I am excited to offer this product option to all of Magnuson Photographic's couples as a way to display their engagement photos, and create a wonderful keepsake from their wedding day.  Alongside your wedding album, this guestbook, and the messages from your guests will be a treasure for decades to come.

On Hold Until Late 2015

It as been an exciting year, and the end of it is no different.  We are shutting down to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail, yep, all 2,185 miles of it!  Once we reach Mount Katahdin in Maine, we will be headed for the Rocky Mountains in Colorado to launch anew!

Follow the journey

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See you in late 2015!

Who said Headshots had to be boring?

It's pretty common to see well lit, studio headshots on websites and business cards, and there's certainly nothing wrong with that!  I have shot a fair number of those myself, and I love providing those sleek looking studio shots!  I also like to do some more creative headshot work.

I was recently approached by one of Northern Virginia's finest real estate professionals, and he was looking for something a little different for his marketing materials and website.  He wanted something that really showed his personality, and his connection to the local scene, as he's someone who grew up in the area he now works.

We discussed several possible concepts, including some studio shots, but he preferred the ideas I had for location shots.  Here is a sampling of what we made!

Contact us today, if you'd like to add new life to your headshots!

All Text & Images ©2014, Jennifer Tallman Magnuson, Magnuson Photographic
Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited.