It’s hot and I’m sick. Like triple-digits-hot, and painful-chest-cold-sick. The weather is expected to get back down into the 80s next week, and I hope I’ll be over my cold by then. In the meanwhile, I want to jump into the lake outside my window and hide from the heat.
At least this sick time has given me a chance to start a project I’ve wanted to do for a while. I launched a new website!
I am happy to announce Reston Daily Photo.
As the name suggests, it’s a photo blog with a daily image of Reston, Virginia. My friend Tamera has been running Colorado Springs Daily Photo for a few years now, and I’ve always wanted to do something similar. Her site is part of the City Daily Photo organization, which I hope to join soon.
If you’d like to contribute images or articles to Reston Daily Photo, please let me know. I think this is going to be fun!
If you have a daily photo blog, link to it here in the comments. 
A massive wildfire has destroyed miles of Colorado’s beautiful Front Range, including hundreds of homes in northwest Colorado Springs. The fire is spreading, and tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes all over the region. You can see horrifying photos of the fire at the Denver Post.
I lived in Colorado Springs for six years. My heart is breaking as I watch the news and see the destruction of so many places that I know. I’m thinking of you, my Colorado Springs friends, and the city that we love. I hope you and your houses are safe.
As countless people lose their homes this week, I’m reminded to take a moment to appreciate the roof over my head and the special belongings around me. I encourage you to do the same.
Today I read an interview with an evacuee who grabbed his wedding photos before fleeing his house. It gave me chills to think that perhaps some of the 18,000 evacuees chose to save the photos that I or my friends took for them.
If any of my Colorado Springs clients have lost their photos in this fire, please contact me at [email protected] I have all my images archived, and I will send you anything you need. I really hope none of you are in that situation. My thoughts are with you tonight.
I’ve decided to start blogging again. For the past year, I haven’t known what to say here. I’m not taking wedding or portrait clients at this time, and that’s pretty much all I’ve blogged about for the last few years.
I’m still taking care of Danny full time. I’ve done a lot of soul-searching about my career in the meanwhile. I haven’t done any portrait or wedding assignments since August, and I’m still not taking bookings. I haven’t decided when or if I’ll go back. I did wedding and portrait work for eleven years. I feel like I might be ready to move on to something else.
I’ve finally created a Facebook for my photography. Please like me there if you are interested in photo tips, wedding ideas, recent images, and special offers.
www.facebook.com/CharlotteGearyPhotography
You can also find me on:
Twitter
Flickr
Livejournal
Formspring
RSS feed
I’d love to hear from you!
We finally moved into our new house last weekend, and we’re absolutely loving it. With a three-week-old baby and a house full of unpacked boxes, I will continue to take time away from the office for a while. I will be needing extra time to respond to emails and voice messages over the next several weeks. In the meanwhile, I’m loving this time with my family as we settle into our new home and continue to fall in love with little Daniel. Thanks for all your support, everyone!
Stay tuned for baby photos – I promise that they’re coming! I just haven’t had time to process them yet, but I hope to have several to share very soon.
Our new neighborhood
Reston, Virginia
If having a baby wasn’t enough excitement for one week, we also bought a house last week! We left Colorado on November 1st, and it has taken us all this time to find a house that is perfect for us. My wonderful parents invited us to stay with them during the months that we were house hunting. We had a hard time finding houses that we liked within our budget in neighborhoods that appeal to us, so we took our time.
Finally we discovered a gorgeous, mid-century modern house in Reston, Virginia. This house was beautiful indoors, but we also fell in love with the lake scenery and walkable community. The house is just a few minutes’ walk away from restaurants, shops, salons, art galleries, a coffee shop, a post office, a pool, and offices. The lake itself surrounds us with the natural beauty that we loved about our Colorado home. In short, it’s our dream house. We didn’t think we’d find a house that we love even half as much.
We’ll be spending the next few weeks moving in. Having a new baby and a new house at the same time is going to keep us BUSY. I’m taking maternity leave right now, but I understand that wedding planning can’t always wait for new mothers. I apologize for the extra time I need right now for responding to emails and phone calls, and I hope you understand. Email is the best way to reach me in the next couple weeks.
After we get settled in the new house, I’ll be meeting with clients there. I can’t wait! I’m especially excited to have friends and family over in the warmer months for drinks on the patio and canoe trips on the lake. I’m so excited that I can’t believe it’s not too good to be true.
Welcome to the world, Daniel Anthony Pritchard! He was born Sunday, January 9th, weighing 7 pounds 10 ounces. He’s adorable, healthy, and very cuddly. Mike too this picture just minutes after he was born, when I held Danny for the first time. We are already smitten with our little blond cherub.
I will share more pictures after I get home and settled. In the meanwhile, I’m resting comfortably and loving all the cuddles with the baby.
Mike and I are so touched by the outpouring of love and support from all our friends near and far. Thank you for cheering for us – every message has been cherished.
Posted via LiveJournal.app.
We’ve arrived in DC! After several hectic weeks of preparing to move and then driving cross-country, we’re now getting settled in Northern Virginia. I will be getting back to work on Monday, and I appreciate everyone’s patience during this past week.
I will be available for DC-area weddings and portraits starting in May, after my maternity leave. I will no longer be taking Colorado portrait commissions. As always, I’m willing to travel anywhere for weddings, including Colorado, but travel fees will apply.
Our next step is to find a new home! Wish us luck… this process is overwhelming! In the meanwhile we are settling comfortably at our temporary address in Annandale, Virginia. We hope to find the right home very soon.
We are moving to the DC area!
We’ll be arriving in Northern Virginia in late October, just a few weeks from now.
As you may have read earlier this summer, we’re having a baby. (If you missed that announcement, you can find it HERE.) Right now I’m 25 weeks along, due right around New Year’s Day, and expecting a healthy little boy. I hope he’ll be just like his dad, because the only thing better than Mike would be two Mikes.
Mike and I have decided that we’d like to be closer to family when the baby arrives, so we’re moving back to the DC area, where my parents and brother lives. Our son will be surrounded by loving grandparents and cousins. DC is also much closer to Mike’s family in England, and a shorter flight each year will be a welcome change when we’re traveling with a baby.
As excited as we are for all the big changes in our lives, we’re so sad to be leaving Colorado. We’re going to miss our friends, the mountains, the open spaces, the laid-back way of life, the skiing, the sunshine. I could go on and on. We’ll miss it all dreadfully. Colorado has been good to us. But we’ve been considering this move for a long time, and we know it’s the right decision for our family.
Please tell your friends in the DC area about me.
I’ll be available for DC-area weddings starting next summer, and I’d love for you to recommend me to your friends who are getting married. I will also be available for portrait sessions after my maternity leave ends in June.
My website is www.charlottegeary.com. Please pass it along to your friends in that area. I really appreciate it!
I finally set up an account at Formspring, a question-and-answer website. If there’s anything you’ve been wanting to ask me about photography, business, or just about anything else, I’d love for you to stop by and ask. You’re welcome to ask anonymously if you’re shy, but I’d love to hear from you.I hope that this account will be place for people to learn more about me and the way that I do things. I have a lot of frequently asked questions, so if there’s something you want to know, don’t be afraid to ask. You might even help out someone else by asking.
