High School Senior: Christie

Christie is a gentle and kind young lady.  She is also very active and involved in a lot of activities.  She is a member of the National Honor Society since her sophomore year, and has been a member of the SGA for all four years at Queen Anne’s County High School.  Throughout her time there, Christie has played a lot of sports including soccer, basketball, and tennis.  As her senior year is ticking away, she is mired in the college search and very anxious to start the next chapter of her life and undaunted by the uncertainty that is ahead of her.

Christie enjoys spending time with her brother, Jack, and her extended family of cousins whom she is very close with.  When she is not at home with her parents, she is often out and about with the closest of her many friends.

For Christie’s senior photo session, I was contacted by her Mom who found me through her friend.  She was interested in getting high school senior photos for her daughter and love the semi-candid portrait style on my portfolio.  I was really excited when I finally get to meet them in person. The weather couldn’t be more perfect that day.

Beautiful girl sitting on beach sand. Eastern Shore, Maryland, Queen Anne's County High School senior portrait session by photographer Leo Dj Photography. http://leodjphoto.com

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The Tidewater Inn Wedding: Becca + Seth

After Becca and Seth’s adorable engagement photo session in Baltimore,  I am so excited to finally be able to feature their beautiful wedding ceremony at the Trinity Cathedral and their wedding reception at The Tidewater Inn. Make sure you read their adventurous journey on their first date in Baltimore and the proposal in New Orleans before you see their wedding photos.

Becca and Seth chose The Tidewater Inn because of its historic charm and gracious, welcoming staff, who treated them and their guests like family from start to finish.

Bride and Groom at downtown, kissing and holding sparklers writing love. The Tidewater Inn wedding, Easton, Eastern Shore, Maryland, by wedding photographers of Leo Dj Photography. http://leodjphoto.com

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Gettysburg Engagement Photo Session: Ilana + Andrew

It was the morning of the February Snowmageddon when Andrew and Ilana met for the first time at Towson University through their common friends. He was showing off his guitar skills through the popular video game, “Rock Band”. With a ton of back and forth flirtation throughout the coming weeks, and pushes and nudges from their friends, they finally decided to go to the worst movie you could take someone on a first date, “Kick Ass”. Interestingly, for some odd reason, it didn’t turn her away and they seem to be inseparable ever since.

For the engagement proposal, Andrew had planed it for a couple months and finally created a heartfelt video filled with a sequence of memories through their relationship from the beginning to present time. He even traveled to all the significant places in their relationship milestones to include them in the video.
When Ilana got home, she found rose petals and lit up candles which lead to the living room. On the table, there was a sign by a video player remote that read, “Press play”.  She patiently watched the video until the end. The last words in the video played, “I have one last question to ask you” and it went off. Andrew came out from hiding and walked over to Ilana who was already in tears. He asked her to marry him. She said yes, making him the happiest man in the world.

Engaged couple dancing and laughing by the water fountain. Gettysburg PA pre-wedding engagement photo session, by wedding photographers of Leo Dj Photography. http://leodjphoto.com

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2 Responses to “Gettysburg Engagement Photo Session: Ilana + Andrew”

  1. Bernie Lisberger

    One word, Awesome!
    This is why I picked you Leo, you are the best. Love the shots.
    Looking at these puts a smile on our faces.
    Thanks

  2. Leo Dj

    Thank you so much, Bernie!
    This means a lot to me! 🙂

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St Michaels Maryland Engagement Photo Session: Karen + Ross

Karen and Ross’ first encounter was rather by accident and quite unique. Ross was supposed to go on a date with someone else at the Green Turtle in Olney, MD., whereas Karen was going to meet some friends she had not seen in a while. Not knowing that they would wind up at the same table together, Ross instantly fell in love with Karen. She enjoyed his dropping of movie quotes which they instantly bonded over.

Less than two nights later, Karen received a Facebook notification from Ross requesting her phone number. Assuming that this was some message he sent to everyone, Karen denied it. Ever a fighter, Ross continued his pursue for Karen and sent her a message later that night asking if he could take her on a date to a museum in Washington, DC and then out to dinner. Never having had a man think of such a romantic and heartfelt date, Karen immediately said yes.

Ross planned various things to do prior to his proposal to Karen. They watched movies together and went for beer tasting. Decided not to wait any longer, Ross tricked Karen into believing that he wanted to give her a necklace he no longer wore. Karen’s first thought was that Ross was going to give her a wedding ring but reflected on how many times he had said they had to wait until they got a few other things out of the way first. So she resolved to the fact that Ross was truly just getting her the necklace.

When Ross came back and found Karen laying on the couch, he got down on his knees and presented Karen the necklace and asked whether she liked it, to which she answered yes but unsure what goes with it. Then Ross said, “Well, if you don’t like that, how about this?”
He took out the ring and asked, “Karen, will you marry me?”
It took Karen a few times asking Ross just to make sure until she finally said yes. And the rest is history!

Girl embracing her fiance while holding Baltimore Orioles Louisville Slugger baseball bat. Eastern Shore Maryland pre-wedding engagement photo session at St Michaels MD, by wedding photographers of Leo Dj Photography. http://leodjphoto.com

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Harbour View Wedding: Fausta + Omar

Fausta and Omar first met in mid November about 5 years ago at Atomic Billiards, a local pool hall in Cleveland Park, DC.  As per his usual Saturday night, Omar worked at Atomic checking IDs at the door.  Fausta had just started her night going to a friend’s birthday party at The Big Hunt in DuPont Circle.  The plans changed when she got there. The birthday girl wanted to go to Atomic Billiards, which Fausta hadn’t been to in years.  As they got to the bar, Omar checked her ID and in she went.  The birthday girl and other friends were trying to find Fausta a “date” and asked if anyone caught her eye. Looking around, she replied, “Not in here, but the door guy was kinda cute.” Before she knew it they were dragging her outside to get her to talk to Omar.  Standing around, she noticed him wearing an Italian Jacket, so naturally, she approached him and asked, “Are you really Italian, or just wearing the jacket?”.  Omar paused then said, “Yes, I am”, and before she said anything, her best friend Emily shouted out, “She’s Italian too!”  They all laughed, and her friends quickly went back inside without her.  Omar and Fausta began a conversation, which lasted throughout the entire night and is still going strong.

In August 2013, After months of Omar and his parents planning, the couple finally made it to Italy. They arrived to his dad’s hometown of Nusco, and Fausta was introduced to all of his wonderful family. During those 2 weeks, they also went sightseeing for a couple of days to Venice, Florence, Pompeii and Amalfi Coast, before returning back to the family. A day after they got back from sightseeing, Omar asked if Fausta wanted to go walk around the town, as they often did. They kept walking, enjoying the beautiful sights and each others’ company, and finally reached in front of the mill that Omar’s father once worked at as a child, located in front of an amazing view of the mountain side.  Thankful that they got a chance to rest for a bit, Fausta just leaned against the rail and began taking pictures.  A couple of minutes later, Omar took her hand and said, “You know I love you so much”, to which she responded, as if nothing new, “Yeah, I love you too”. Then to her surprise, he got down on one knee holding up a beautiful ring, and asked her to marry him.  In her moments of disbelief, she repeatedly asked if he was serious, before finally saying “Of course.”

After having a fun adventure with this lovely couple for their engagement photo session in Washington DC, I am thrilled to finally be able to capture their wedding at Harbour View, Woodbridge, Virginia. Omar and Fausta chose the venue for many reasons. They fell in love with the beautiful indoor and outdoor settings just as what they wanted to include, such as a separate ceremony location, cocktail hour space and reception area. Everybody at the venue was also so great and helpful from the beginning. It’s the perfect place for their memorable day.

The great night ended with grand exit full of sparklers.

Bride and Groom kissing during grand exit with sparklers. Harbour View Events Woodbridge Virginia wedding ceremony and reception photo, by wedding photographers of Leo Dj Photography. http://leodjphoto.com

But let’s watch how their story unfold from the beginning of the day.

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Easton Maryland Engagement Photo Session: Megan + Phil

Phil and Megan first met when they were playing kickball for a team in Easton. She had just moved back from Bethesda on what she thought would be temporarily, and her friend signed her up for the team she was on. Phil’s friend signed him up too, which, in Megan’s own words, “We’re certainly glad they did!”. They both started out just as friends, often hanging out after games, and eventually their relationship grew as they get to know each other. Phil also said that Megan’s kickball skills were a big plus :).

The proposal was amazing. Megan and Phil went to Las Vegas for a work conference he had there. While there, Phil planned an excursion to go visit the Grand Canyon. They took an incredible helicopter tour of the canyon. The helicopter landed so they could walk around in the canyon, and that’s when Phil got down on one knee and asked Megan to marry him. Of course she said yes, and it was definitely a trip to remember!

For their engagement photo session, Megan and Phil decided upon a private estate with its beautiful and tranquil scenery.

Engaged couple in a flower garden holding hands. Eastern Shore Maryland pre-wedding engagement photo session at Easton MD, by wedding photographers of Leo Dj Photography. http://leodjphoto.com

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Aspen Wye River Conference Centers Wedding: Debbie + Matt

Debbie and Matt first laid eyes on each other in a 1920s themed house party in early January 2011. It was a night with epic ice storm, but that did not deter the two of them from attending the party in their own way – by driving and walking. After a second time of introduction, they could barely stopped talking for the rest of the evening. Shortly after that, both of them started seeing each other almost every week in group settings, mainly so they could see each other again. That led to more and more frequent meetings until they finally kissed and officially started dating.

In 2014, after months of painstaking planning, Matt planned to pop up the question. He chartered a small plane to Outer Banks, followed by a short drive to Jockey’s Ridge State park. Debbie and Matt hiked up to the top of the highest sand dune, and while Debbie got distracted by Matt, he fished out the ring box and dropped on one knee. In her excitement, she almost knocked him over but Matt held her at bay, and just asked Debbie to marry him. Of course the answer was yes!

Afterwards, the couple searched for a their wedding venue. They fell in love with Aspen Wye River Conference Centers immediately. In Debbie’s own words, “We immediately knew it was a perfect fit for us. Driving up to the property feels like a scene from Gone with the Wind. The property offers a plantation feel and is surrounded by a beautiful river. Also, the venue offered a private space for us to be with our family and friends for the entire weekend. It was a weekend long wedding rather than the traditional five hour wedding. The fun never ended!”

This moment of the first dance below is one of my favorite shots of the day.

Bride and Groom's first dance. Aspen Wye River Conference Centers wedding at Queenstown Maryland, by wedding photographers of Leo Dj Photography. http://leodjphoto.com

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HIA Governor Calvert House Greek Wedding: Jessica + John

I covered Jessica and John’s lovely engagement photo session in Washington DC at Adams Morgan and the Smithsonians. It was really exciting and I couldn’t wait to document their wedding ceremony at Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church as well as their reception at the Calvert House!

Jessica and John chose the Historic Inns because of it’s unique background. They both love historical locations, so when they heard about the hotel’s history they knew it was a natural fit for their wedding venue. It was also perfect because of its location in Annapolis. Jessica wanted something close to the water as she grew up by a lake in Michigan. Despite John being from Philadelphia and Jessica from Michigan, Annapolis was a perfect location for their wedding because of it’s picturesque historical sites and the fact that it’s a city on the water.

The bride and groom with the wedding party by the State House. Historic Inns of Annapolis Maryland, Governor Calvert House Greek wedding, by wedding photographers of Leo Dj Photography. http://leodjphoto.com

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Chesapeake Bay Beach Club Wedding: Kaye + Eric

Kaye met Eric on New Year’ Eve 2007 in DC at their friends’ gathering. They immediately hit it off, and since both love the outdoors, they planned a hiking date on the very next weekend! Six years later in 2013, they went for a hiking trip at Old Rag in Shenandoah National Park. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain and heavy thunderstorms along the way there, but Kaye was determined to go because she had a hunch that something wonderful was about to happen. As they reached the parking lot, the sky cleared and the rain stopped. As in Kaye’s on words, “It turned into a great day for a winter hike. When we got to the top, Eric proposed and I said yes!”.

For their wedding, both Eric and Kaye wanted an outdoor reception space by the bay, since they also love being on the water. They absolutely adore the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club, with its perfect location and views along with its elegant but understated decor. The Tavern Ballroom was just the right size for their guest list, and the rooftop deck sealed the deal. Though the weather did not turn out as they hoped on their wedding day, the beautiful venue stood out for any weather conditions.

Bride and Groom on the Beach laughing together. Kent Island Maryland Chesapeake Bay Beach Club wedding photo, by wedding photographers of Leo Dj Photography. http://leodjphoto.com

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Jena, Germany Wedding: Ira + Matthias

Ira and Matthias first met each other on a transatlantic Lufthansa flight and together they made their way through the airport and local transportation in Munich. She went on to meet her family for a trip through Central Europe, while he remained in Munich for a conference. Nevertheless they stayed in contact, and one thing led to another.

After their engagement proposal session at the Lincoln Memorial followed by the photo session at Georgetown, Washington DC, it was an honor for me to finally be able to photograph their wedding in Europe, in Germany!

For their wedding party, Ira and Matthias chose the Landgrafen Restaurant for its scenic view over the city of Jena, Germany, where they celebrated their happy occasion with friends and family gathered from all over the world.

Bride and Groom in the woods almost kissing. Landgrafen Restaurant, Jena, Germany, wedding reception and ceremony photo, by wedding photographers of Leo Dj Photography. http://leodjphoto.com

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One Response to “Jena, Germany Wedding: Ira + Matthias”

  1. Denver Wedding Photographer

    Beautiful session… The wedding is so cute and simple. ^^ I love it!

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