Have you been to the Maple Avenue Market? It’s an amazing new market in Vienna, they only sell locally grown and locally produced food. It’s like going to a farmer’s market every day of the week.

Maple Avenue Market is generously hosting two evening of family photo sessions for the Charity International Model Search and is offering 10% discount (one time purchase) at the market for anyone who signs up.

So come shop and do a photo session between 6 pm and 9 pm:

• Tuesday, February 23
• Tuesday, March 16
• The $50 entrance fee includes a 30-minute mini session and the submission of one image to the contest.
• Finalists will be determined by online votes. Each vote costs $1 (there is no limit on the amount of votes you can cast), and all proceeds from votes benefit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (NILMDTS.org).
• The grand prize international winner will be determined from the 52 city finalists. The winners will be selected from the finalist gallery by photography and modeling industry experts.
• For more information, or to book a session, call us at 703-860-2222 or email Jessica at jessica@portraitplatyime.com.



This contest is a search for the most Fabulous Family which aims to raise funds for the non-profit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Foundation (NILMDTS.org). The grand prize is a NEW CAR! Not to mention the great feeling that comes from supporting a worthy cause.

*Contest open to residents of the US and Canada. For more information, visit http://sandypucmodels.com/.


Why this photo contest?

Why am I bonding together with photographers all over the United States and Canada to support NILMDTS? I have built Portrait Playtime around supporting organizations that put kids first. The work of NILMDTS clearly recognizes the importance of every child. The work is heartbreaking, unthinkable…but infant mortality is still a reality. I personally know at least five mothers who lost their babies at birth and I have seen some of the precious photos they took. I know what it would have meant to them if a photographer could have come to take heirloom images of their babies. So when I heard about this photo contest, I knew I had to join. Please join me and so many others to support this amazing organization.

Jessica
Portrait Playtime…we put kids first.

703-860-2222 (landline)
240-481-3918 (cell)

Do you want everything sharp in your photos or just your child’s sleepy face? If you want everything sharp, use the landscape mode or switch to aperture priority or manual and use a smaller F-stop like F/8 or higher (see first photo). If you want just one part of the photo in focus, like in the second photo, then use the portrait mode or a larger F-stop like F/2.8 or 4. Can you see, the girl is sharp, mom is a bit soft and the back of the chair is out of focus. Get as close to your subject as you can. The exact f-stop will depend on the distance of the between the camera and your subject, the angle of your lens, and the size of your sensor.

This is going to be a great weekend for pictures… and you don’t just have to take pictures of your kids in the snow…you may also have plenty of time to teach them the basics of you using a camera. You can read how below. You will also find info on upcoming classes and fundraisers.

Photo Tips: Teaching your children to use a camera — a great snowed-in activity

Lately I’ve been teaching my 4-year-old daughter and her best friend to use my camera, yes my big pro camera. I highly recommend doing this, working with your child to learn to use your camera as an endeavor of exploring art.

The biggest tip I can give you is to put your camera on a tripod and keep it at their level.

* Show them how to compose the photo using the zoom or moving the camera or the subject
* Focus by pressing the shutter half way down.
* Take the photo
* And be sure to tell them to never, ever touch the lens.

Why would you want to teach your child to use a DSLR or a point-and-shoot this way? Well, the short answer is the photos come out better (check out what the girls did). The longer answer is that for one the tripod gives them time to compose, and slowing down the process makes photography a really different activity. Furthermore, using the best tools in the house can be empowering to kids.

I would love to see the photos they take, please share them with me!

Photo Classes are back!

I will be teaching photo classes again this winter and spring. Photo of me by Z My first class will be on Valentine’s Day, Sunday, February 14 from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. near Wolf Trap in Vienna. Join us as we go over the basics of using a camera, getting good photos in different lighting situations, stopping motion, and separating your subject from your background. If you just got a new camera for the holidays or use yours on program all the time, this class is for you. This class will include instruction, practice time, and review of work. The cost is $45.

I will be teaching a short 4-week class on editing your images with Photoshop; please let me know if you are interested. You must have access to Photoshop. My plan is to hold two-hour classes over the course of four Saturday mornings in February and March. The cost will be $95.

Please email me if you are interested in either or both classes jessica@portraitplaytime.com.

Stay tuned, more classes to come!

Are you a serious photographer with a DSLR who wants to learn something new every month? Join my good friends from ShootSmarter.com for their Friday Photo School. One hour of instruction by some of the best photographers around. Check it out at fridayphotoschool.com. The first class is today at 1 pm on using your flash.

Fundraising: The Double Whammy
Help two great organizations with one photo session.
Celebrate Valentine’s Day one day early by doing a photo session that will capture the love in your family. We are fundraising once again for the kids at Arlington Academy of Hope and then we can submit one photo to the family photo contest I announced last month. Click here for more details about the AAH fundraiser and here for more info about the photo contest.

We also have two other dates for Family Photo Sessions. Maple Avenue Market, the great new market in Vienna, will be hosting two nights of photo sessions, Tuesday February x and Tuesday March x. Each night we will have six sessions from 6 - 9 p.m. Email me to sign up.

Hope to see you soon either behind your camera or in front of mine.

Hope to see you soon either behind your camera or in front of mine.

Jessica
Portrait Playtime…we put kids first.

703-860-2222 (landline)
240-481-3918 (cell)

These are photos by my daughter and her best freind

[Show as slideshow]

Click here for information about and to sign up for our Valentine Day Photo Fundraiser for the Arlington Academy of Hope

Love Speaks…A Photo Fundraiser for Valentine’s Day

Create works of art that shows the love to celebrate your family. This fundraiser benefits students in Uganda at
Arlington Academy of Hope
Sitting fee: $50
Date and Place: Saturday, February 13, 2010
Private home in Arlington

Schedule a Session

More Information

Please contact Jessica at jessica@portraitplaytime.com if you have any questions.

It’s my great pleasure to invite you to participate in the International Charity Model Search, a charity photo competition.

This contest is a search for the most Fabulous Family which aims to raise funds for the non-profit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Foundation (NILMDTS.org). The grand prize is a NEW CAR! Not to mention the great feeling that comes from supporting a worthy cause.

The Details

• I will be photographing families from Jan 23 - Mar 30, both indoors and outside.
• The $50 entrance fee includes a 30-minute mini session and the submission of one image to the contest.



• Finalists will be determined by online votes. Each vote costs $1 (there is no limit on the amount of votes you can cast), and all proceeds from votes benefit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (NILMDTS.org).
• The grand prize international winner will be determined from the 52 city finalists. The winners will be selected from the finalist gallery by photography and modeling industry experts.

For more information, or to book a session, call us at 703-860-2222.

*Contest open to residents of the US and Canada. For more information, visit http://sandypucmodels.com/.


Why this photo contest?

Why am I bonding together with photographers all over the United States and Canada to support NILMDTS? I have built Portrait Playtime around supporting organizations that put kids first. The work of NILMDTS clearly recognizes the importance of every child. The work is heartbreaking, unthinkable…but infant mortality is still a reality. I personally know at least five mothers who lost their babies at birth and I have seen some of the precious photos they took. I know what it would have meant to them if a photographer could have come to take heirloom images of their babies. So when I heard about this photo contest, I knew I had to join. Please join me and so many others to support this amazing organization.

Happy new year,

Jessica
Portrait Playtime…we put kids first.

703-860-2222 (landline)
240-481-3918 (cell)