Winter 2018 Flashback: Yoga Heights DC Family Class + New Studio Snaps

There's something super special about having a client as awesome as Yoga Heights. Not only are the founders, Jess and Amy, amazing to work with, but every single shoot I do for them always seems to become my next favorite shoot.

This winter 2018 session, which combined a Baby + Me class and an All Levels Flow class all into one, certainly didn't disappoint, and is up there as a favorite shoot now!

Not only was capturing all these cute kiddos and a lot of my friends who were in the All Levels Class incredibly memorable, but I was feeling particularly attached to yoga and the studio during this time last year, making for all the feels (as you may or may not remember, at the time I took these photos, I was deep in the midst of completing my own -- now complete! -- 200 hour teacher training).

Promotional Sunrise Shoot for Yoga Heights' New Studio in Takoma Park, MD

For those that don't already know, I do a lot of work for the wonderful DC-based yoga studio, Yoga Heights.

In addition to being fabulous studio owned by two fabulous ladies that I couldn't adore more, Yoga Heights is also a rare yoga space that celebrates every body, every level and every budget.

With so much "Instagram yoga" floating around on the internet these days, making people thing that yoga is about being a skinny minnie doing crazy poses in beautiful places, its refreshing to have a wholesome studio like Yoga Heights so close to home.

The even more exciting thing about all of this is that Yoga Heights is expanding to a new neighborhood later this year with the opening of their new Takoma Park location. Clearly, this big news called for a sunrise shoot to collect new photos to promote the upcoming location.

Even though it was an early, muggy late summer morning, and it took us a little while to wake up, I think this shoot is magical. The smiles from the Yoga Heights team plus the warm morning light make me smile every time I flip through this photo set.

Thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!

Summertime Mini Session Fun for Yoga Heights DC - Juliana Cole

Happy hump day! To help start off your Wednesday in style I thought I'd share the latest installment of my marathon mini session at Yoga Heights featuring the fab Juliana Cole.

Aren't her asanas awesome? I wish I could bend like that!

Until then, I'll just keep taking pictures of people that can :)

Summertime Mini Session Fun for Yoga Heights DC - Jess Pierno

There's something about yoga mini sessions that I just love.

The set up is always simple -- 20 minutes and one location -- but the results are almost always fabulous.

Take Jess Pierno's mini session for example. She's the fabulous co-owner of Yoga Heights, a mom and busy business lady. She looks so strong, confident and poised -- you'd never guess we were moving through poses as the rate we were.

Jess's is the first of a few Yoga Heights mini sessions I'll be sharing over the coming weeks -- get ready to see alllllll the poses!

My USO VETOGA Video in Honor of International Yoga Day!

Today is the longest day of summer and -- not coincidently -- the International Day of Yoga.

In honor of this extra-long day of daylight, I thought I would share something that is the perfect expression of the wonders of yoga *and* the wonderful work I get to do as part of my job for the USO: a video piece (and photos. and a print story.) about a local nonprofit in the DC area -- VETOGA.

I don't want to give away too much of the story, but here's a sneak peak at what it's all about:

Justin Blazejewski knew something was wrong.  

In 2008, the Marine Corps veteran — who had been working as government contractor in active war zones on and off since 2005 — noticed that the stress of his job near the front lines was beginning to take its toll on his mental health. 

“The stress and depression and all that stuff started coming in,” Blazejewski said.  

Aware that Blazejewski was battling depression and extreme stress, Blazejewski’s roommate at the time invited him to attend a yoga class with her under the guise that it might help him recover from a recent ankle surgery he had earlier that year.  

“She was trying to trick me because she knew the meditation would help with the stress and the depression,” Blazejewski said. 

But by the end of his first yoga class, he was hooked.  

“I was like, there’s something special going on here so I have to get more of this and see what this is all about,” he said. 

Almost immediately, Blazejewski began to incorporate yoga into his everyday life, practicing five to six times a week. After a year of attending classes and one life-changing yoga retreat in Bali, Blazejewski decided to become a yoga teacher so he could bring the transformative power of yoga to others like him... read more here!

Sounds interesting, right? Oh! I forgot to mention, I also shot some sweet photos in addition to shooting the feature video and writing a mini story about the organization.

Check them out!

Yoga Heights: March Shoot in the District

Another day, another shoot for my fabulous client Yoga Heights.

Earlier this spring, I had the opportunity to snap these fun, colorful pictures of the current Yoga Teacher Training group in action. The result? More colorful, fun photos for my latest client.

Everyone at the shoot was so smiley, welcome and genuinely happy to be there -- all things that make my job as a photographer about 8 million times easier.

I already can't wait for my next shoot with them!