Washington DC Wedding Photographers | Nessa K bio picture

I like old globes and questionably bad indie films. I drink an absurd amount of mint tea and I love junk food. I have three dogs and a wonderful husband named Josh who enjoys tattooing and taking photos. I adore art museums and dabble on the ukulele. I graduated with honors when I received my BFA in Photography from Shepherd University and I moved to Austin shortly after.

My entire life, I’ve been in love with the act of documentation, taking photos of everything and keeping notebooks of observations. I wrote a journal entry at the age of 7 stating I would someday be an artist. I scribbled the words “I don’t want to be famous, but I want people to want my art” which still I think is incredibly suiting for me.

As profound as my literary self-realizations were at 7 years old, it’s admittedly a little difficult to write about myself. Not to mention it’s much more interesting to tell stories using photographs, which thankfully, is exactly what I get to do. I narrate the world using captivating light and a series of photos that tell the story about the everyday you. Images that draw you back into that moment, that make you feel beautiful, that say exactly who you are.

And getting to work with you on your wedding day is so much more than just photojournalism — there’s the getting to know you bits and the getting to share the things you love bits. Everything from weddings to editorial and lifestyle portraits to working at a newspaper has taught me to see beauty and adoration through the lens of a camera, and I would love to tell your story.

So, hello there, my name is Nessa and I have some photos I’d like to share with you.

Category Archives: Photographers

Jan 04 2012

Pre-Wedding Session: A Bride and Groom Session

Posted in Bridal, Photographers, Weddings

These photos are from a pre-wedding session with the amazing Dorian and Lucy a few months before their wedding. Their wedding was at a venue that was a little more classic with a lot of beautiful architecture, but they really loved the idea of something more open. This pre-wedding session was about variety from the wedding day portraits and we decided to do this session in lieu of an engagement session before their wedding. Because their venue didn’t have fields nearby, we chose a field location and a small spot under a bridge for a rustic feel. Lucy loved the idea of wearing a pink flower in her hair instead of the white flower she had picked out for her wedding day, so we set up a shoot that happened a few months before their wedding date.

To take a page out of our Style Book: An Engagement Session Guide, pre-wedding sessions are… amazing. It’s a photo session where you put on your white dress and tux and go out as bride and groom for a photo session before the wedding. While it’s a little non-traditional, if you’re someone who likes to stray from tradition, this may be perfect for you and it can help take some of the stress off the photos on your wedding day.

As it becomes increasingly more common for couples to put on the wedding dress and suit and shoot a session as “bride and groom” before or even after the wedding, I jump for joy a little higher each time we have one of these amazing shoots. It’s not a substitution for wedding day portraits, but it’s a way for you to get in all of the locations or props you want to represent the both of you that might not be feasible on your wedding day. It’s the best way to ensure you have amazing weather, the perfect locations, and plenty of time for portraits.

In our Style Book, we talk about how important it is for client and photographer to get to know each other before the wedding day. The engagement session or pre-wedding session is a perfect way for us to get acquainted. Aside from having photos of the two of you, a session before the wedding is when we really get to know each other. Both you, me, and the camera.

Just as a note, if you go this route, please remember to bring your wedding rings and as a cautionary note – of course, while measures are taken during the bridal or pre-wedding session to keep all clothing clean and tidy, it’s still advised to plan to have the dress and tux cleaned after the session.

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Apr 17 2011

New York City Street Shooting

Posted in Personal, Photographers, Travel

I took a trip to NYC last week to spend time with some amazing ladies (and talented photographers), Mary, Jill, Ari, and Julie. It was 2 full days of walking, photographing, and eating awesome food. Even street vendor food tasted like heaven. Just thinking about it makes me feel both exhausted and refreshed (and hungry). Most of all, it makes me miss street photography dearly.

Walking around DC taking photographs of people and food was everything to me just a few years ago. I even managed to turned it into a career when I took a job at a newspaper and 90% of my job was being on the streets, photographing the world happening, but after I left my job at the Martinsburg Journal, I quit street shooting completely. NYC was invigorating, though; walking around in the chilled air with a warm coat, I wanted to be fashion street photographer Bill Cunningham (by the way, if you get a chance, I highly recommend you watch the documentary on Bill Cunningham). So, New York City, you were absolutely inspiring. I hope to see you soon.

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Mar 10 2011

Style Book: An Engagement Session Guide

Posted in Engagement, Photographers

After I post any engagement session, I’m always asked how I pick my locations and what I do in regards to styling for my clients. As much as I wish I could, I really can’t take credit for my clients’ amazing fashion sense and we always work together to pick the locations. I can say that it’s been really beneficial to have a FAQ and some suggestions on hand to steer them in the right direction when we start planning the session out. Since I’ve found having these bits of information available to share with my clients to be oh-so-useful, I wanted to share those same tips with other photographers and any brides-to-be looking for advice.

“Style Book: An Engagement Session Guide” is a twelve page pamphlet of information on (you guessed it) how to plan for the engagement session. It includes everything from “when to book” to “how to pick a location” to “what to wear.” I emphasize the importance of making the session unique to the client and I probably wear out the word “confidence” because a confident person just knows how to work it in front of the camera; I preach the truth! Amen. If you’re a photographer and you’d like to share this with your clients, feel free to share this page of suggestions that I’ve found helpful, but as I say in the closing page of this booket:

“This Style Book is in no way a rule book. It’s just a few pointers to help guide you in the right direction to make sure you’re ready for the camera. When it gets right down to it, this is YOUR session! Make it personal, make it real and remember, above all else, just have fun!”

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Click “Full Screen” to get started.

Note to photographers: feel free to share this page with clients if you find it helpful, but please be respectful and do not copy or plagiarize.

Tell me what you think:

I’d love to hear any feedback you might have on this booklet. Was this helpful for you? Is it chock-full of typos? Would you like for me to continue doing the occasional informational post for photographers or should I just hush up and get back to the photos? ;)

Let me know what your thoughts are in the comments and have a great weekend!

Washington DC Wedding Photographers | Nessa K