Hi ~ I’m Allison, a Maternity, Newborn, and Family Photographer Based in Bethesda, MD

I grew up in a small town in north-central Florida, playing with snakes and lizards in my back yard. My childhood summers were split between extended roadtrips some years, and lengthy stays in the Dominican Republic -where my mom is from- other years. On our roadtrips, we spent entire summers camping in state and national parks around the US. 

After getting my first undergrad degree in psychology from the University of South Florida, I decided to “visit NYC for a month”… needless to say that visit lasted longer than planned, and I ended up staying there for thirteen years.

My first Christmas alone in NY was the first time I really dedicated myself to using the camera I had, which at the time was a 35mm film SLR. I spent all of the holiday wandering the mostly empty streets of Manhattan taking photographs. Even though I didn’t really know how to use that camera, I enjoyed that day so much that I never put a camera down again.

While living in NY, I also: got a second undergrad degree, this time in fashion marketing and merchandising from Parsons, ran for and won a public election to be a delegate for my congressional district (it was absolutely surreal to see my name on an official NYC ballot and then participate in a massive part of history at the national convention!), managed the US division of a team of specialty wholesalers (day job), sat on the board of directors of a non profit organization, fostered displaced Sandy (the hurricane) dogs, and met my husband online!

Shortly after getting married, my husband and I moved to London. While there, I decided to further my photography and camera knowledge by taking classes at The Photographer’s Gallery. With my new knowledge, and proximity to many amazing travel destinations, I decided to try my hand at travel photography and worked as a freelance travel photographer for the remainder of our stay there. 

As a travel photographer, I had the incredible opportunity to travel to six continents to photograph the spectacular world we live in. Some of my favorite experiences were tracking a wild puma in the Patagonia region of southern Chile, witnessing funeral pyres while doing a puja on the Ganges River in Varanassi, India, seeing Masai warriors perform their adumu (traditional jumping dance) in Kenya, getting a flat tire in the middle of nowhere on the northern portion of the Ring Road in Iceland, and visiting ancient Hindu temples in Bali, Indonesia. 

While life as a travel photographer was always interesting, it didn’t lend well to starting a family, so we made the decision to move back to the states. After a bit of a rough start, we were blessed with a son in August of 2018.

Well, thank you so much for checking out my little corner of the internet and reading all of that! 

I’m so humbled and thankful that you’re considering allowing me to not only witness, but also document this amazing time in your life. I’m big on finding the beauty in everyday moments, and I hope if you don’t already, you’ll leave your session feeling the same way. 

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