No, I did not quit photography! I was actually working diligently on opening up my photography business. It is sad to apart from Girls with Big Cameras, but I am very excited to announce my new blog www.clairechoiphoto.com! Please come visit and say HI! Grace is planning to launch her business in Boston pretty soon, so stay tuned!  

As of September 2008, Girls with Big Cameras is going on hiatus and is no longer accepting appointments.  Thank you to all of our wonderful fans.

The Girls would like to thank all of our friends, family and customers for their overwhelmingly positive support over the past year.  It’s been a joy and privilege to serve the community.  It has also been an amazing opportunity for the three of us to grow as artists, photographers, and business people.

Our email, withbigcameras@gmail.com will remain open for questions, comments and referrals or if you’d like to contact one of the girls.  Again, thank you for supporting our venture!

- “The Girls” (Grace, Claire, & Loun-Loun)

One of the great perks about doing engagement sessions (beyond meeting fun people of course) is the time that I get to spend venturing into parts of the city that I would have otherwise never explored.   My friend Corey assisted on the shoot with Laura and Craig and admittedly, at first, we scratched our heads at their unusual choice of selecting the Supreme Court as their location.

As it turns out Laura and Craig are both lawyers!  With their wedding taking place next year in Buffalo, NY, they wanted to showcase Washington D.C. as the location of the highest court in the land.  I couldn’t resist taking a power lawyers shot. They do look rather powerful don’t they?

Turns out there is an amazing residential area surrounding the Supreme Court. Corey and I were able to use the gorgeous architectural details, like this set of beautiful iron work stairs, to our advantage.

This is another one of my favorite shots from the afternoon.  On a whim, I asked if Laura and Craig would be willing to dance in the street.  Whizzing traffic aside, they were adventurous sports and we got some great shots with the US Capitol building.

One last favorite shot, there were just too many to choose from during this shoot!  As we bid adieu to the afternoon, check out some more shots from Laura and Craig’s engagement session.

An afternoon of sweet surprises awaited us in Old Town Alexandria for June and Bryant’s engagement photo session.  The couple traveled all the way from New York to capture the essence of DC for their wedding next year.  For this special session, I invited along a mutual friend Corey to help second shoot.

June and Bryant really put a lot of thought into their session and surprised us with the Nintendo DSs that they had brought with them.  Seems that they enjoy some mean hand to hand electronic combat when they are lucky enough to find time to relax.

Another surprise awaited us just outside the Torpedo Factory when we spotted Food Network star, bakery owner, and local Washington DC celebrity Warren Brown and his fiance walking with their own set of photographers in tow also getting their engagement photos done.  Seems that Old Town is just such a popular place to be!

To see more from June and Bryant’s session, like their his and hers flipflops, just click here!

Georgetown continues to be a happening place even as the temperature rises. Howie, Michelle, and I hit the cobblestones in search of some gorgeous light and quaint scenery. Along the way, we ran into some cupcakes (albeit concrete tattoos and very non edible) .

A few blocks later, we confirmed that everything does get better with a kiss of lime. Isn’t this great? I love this shot, it’s a really nice pop of color.

Michelle is the best sport ever, she REALLY hit those jumping shots with everything she’s got. I love how I got to catch her hair in midair like this. Very awesome action shot. Howie used to play a ton of basketball and chimed in with his best Jordan imitation!

So who are Howie and Michelle? See the family resemblance? That’s ok, most people don’t. Howie is my brother and Michelle is my future sister-in-law. Congratulations guys!

It was finally time to shoot my bestest friend Rachel’s engagement session. As her maid of honor, I tagged along mainly for moral support, but I was able to take a few pics while carrying the lights for her photographer, Hyon Smith. As a person who witnessed how their love has transformed over the years, I am SO HAPPY for them. I just need to figure out ways to translate my love for them in words for the MOH speech in Nov!!!!!!!! YIKES.

The lovely couple.

Due to schedule conflicts, I asked Jennifer again to help out with Tara and Andrew’s E-session. (Thanks to Jennifer again for coming out!) We met Tara and Andrew on a very hot and humid day in Old Town Alexandria. It was more meaningful for this couple to have the session there because Andrew actually grew up right in the neighborhood. SUCH a cute couple!

Some pictures from the session!

My apologies to Kate and Dante, I’ve been a bit slow in processing and posting photos, but due to a last minute e-session cancellation this afternoon, I had a few hours to work some magic on their photos.

I met with Kate and Dante (and Max!) on the same afternoon as my shoot with Joan and Ben. K&D were very flexible and changed the location of their session at the last minute to meet up with Grace and I at the C&O Canal in Georgetown. I think they made a very wise choice since their photos turned out really well!

We met some colorful DC characters along the way, but K&D never broke character and delivered some fantastic 1000 watt smiles, they’re both so incredibly photogenic. The funny thing is that one of my favorite photos from the afternoon does not have either one of their faces in it. Instead, it’s a subtle shift, both visually and philosophically that moving forward in a successful marriage as a couple requires a different perspective in thinking, sharing, and ultimately buliding a life together with someone that you love.

To Kate and Dante, wishing you all the best!