Capturing Moments with Mom
By Lani Gering
Since May is the month that we give Mom some extra attention, we thought it only fitting to profile a local “Mom” who has been bringing joy to the lives of new mothers and fathers in the surrounding DMV with her amazing photos for the last 6 years. Sarah tells me that she spent the major portion of her career – twenty years – in the graphic design arena and still maintains one client, the bulk of her time is spent behind a camera. Her keen interest in photography started when she had her boys – who are both in college – when she began chronicling their paths in life with photos. It appears that they were pretty good subject matter.
Sarah decided that taking photos of expectant mothers, babies and young families might help keep her memories of being a young mother alive. This is why she specializes in maternity, new born and family photos. When I asked her what the key to her success with photographing newborns is, she told me, without hesitation, “the baby runs the show”. When you look at the images on her website and Instagram and Facebook pages you will see what I mean.
She opened a brick and mortar studio on the first floor of 113 South Asaph Street here in Old Town in January 2022. This 1800 circa building interior lends itself to some great backdrops and the large western facing windows make it easy to use natural light for many of her shoots. While she encourages moms to take care of their own makeup and hair and bring their own attire for the photo shoot, she has several styles of dresses available for them to choose from as well as a recommendation for a local salon that can handle the rest.
She doesn’t limit her photo shoots to the studio and has done several sessions around Old Town proper and as far away as the Shenandoah Mountains. She has a very keen eye for creative natural backdrops and knows where the “hot” spots for taking said images are.
Once a session has ended, she puts together a digital file of the photos and gives clients the opportunity to look at them and choose the ones they like. Once the selections are made, they have the opportunity to decide what format/layout they would like to have the images transferred to – hard copy, canvas, etc. You make your selections from her online “Collections” options. Not only does she add her own special touch to the creative process by staging and taking the photos but she will custom design your album upon request.
What does a session with Sarah cost?
A one hour session is $300. The session fee includes your pre-session communication, her personalized preparation guide, your session time together at the studio or at an outdoor location of your choice (approximately 60 minutes) and access to view all of your hand-edited images (45+) approximately 2 weeks after our session.
For family sessions, the session fee includes up to 5 members of your immediate family, but she can customize it to accommodate your parents, in-laws, or extended family.
Please note – the session fee does not include digital files or printed materials. Digital files and printed materials from your time together can be accessed through the collections. All collections are designed so that you will receive digital files and a print credit to the online store. You’ll be able to select your favorite collection once you have viewed all of your images. Collections run from $575 – $1015.
Sarah Drewry Photography
113 South St. Asaph
Old Town Alexandria
703-244-1740