When Sara M., a theater actress, wrote to us about wanting to update her portfolio, we jumped at the opportunity. In her correspondence, she came across as an energetic, confident young lady, and when we met her in person, we were just as impressed by her presence and her personality. Our goal was to give her a few great head shots that were off the beaten track, just like her. We wanted to capture pictures that not only portrayed her outer beauty, but reflected the intelligent, happy way about her.

We decided on historic Old Town Alexandria for the venue, since Sara mentioned a love of quaint, picturesque architecture. We started outdoors, to take advantage of the soft sunlight, and walked around the narrow streets and alleyways, stopping where we saw something that caught our fancy.

As dusk set in, we hopped into the gorgeous, tastefully appointed interiors of the Hotel Monaco on King St. The rich shades of peacock blue and gold were a fantastic counterpoint to Sara's red dress, and the soft lighting created some very dramatic portraiture. We were so pleased with the results of this shoot, we couldn't wait to get home and look at our bounty, although we were sad to see this wonderful day end. A special thanks goes out to the gracious folks at the Hotel Monaco for their support and cooperation.