One of the things I love most about being a destination wedding and family photographer is that the work takes me places. New cities, new light, new streets to explore with people who already know exactly how to move through them. When I announced my 2021 travel dates to the Washington DC area, I didn't expect it to lead to one of my favorite family sessions of that year. But that's exactly what happened with Nicole and Patrick.

I had Elizabeth and Juan's wedding on the books in DC and had opened up portrait sessions around it. The timing lined up perfectly.

Nicole and Patrick had already booked me for their destination vow renewal in Puerto Rico, a ten-year anniversary celebration at Hacienda Siesta Alegre. A few months before the trip, they saw my travel announcement and reached out.

We met on a quiet Monday morning in Georgetown, and they took me on a walk through their neighborhood.

A Morning Photo Session in Georgetown, Washington DC

Georgetown is the kind of place that makes photography feel easy.

There's so much to work with: federal-era architecture, tree-lined residential streets that feel genuinely calm even in a major city, brick sidewalks, ivy-covered walls, and tucked-away gardens everywhere you turn.

We started on the residential streets and worked our way through the neighborhood, stopping at the Old Stone House, one of the oldest surviving structures in DC and a beautiful, grounding backdrop for portraits.

From there we moved along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal path, which has this lush, unhurried quality that's hard to find in most urban settings. We finished up at the Georgetown Waterfront, where the morning light had softened into something really lovely.

By the time we called it a day and went for breakfast, I felt like I already knew this family. We talked about weddings, photography, love, Puerto Rico, and life. It was one of those sessions that reminds you why travel photography is so worth it!

Why I Build in Portrait Sessions When I Travel

Traveling for work is something every photographer should try at least once. Shooting in a new city sharpens your instincts in ways that staying home never quite does. You can't rely on familiar spots or habitual angles. You have to pay attention.

Washington DC gave me that.

Georgetown specifically has a layered quality that I wasn't fully prepared for: formal and lived-in at the same time, historic without feeling stiff. Every block offered something different, and Nicole and Patrick moved through it like they owned it, because they did.

But beyond the location itself, building in portrait sessions during travel trips gives me something even more valuable: the chance to meet clients before the big day. By the time we all arrived in Puerto Rico, it wasn't an introduction. It was a reunion.

From Georgetown to Puerto Rico

A few months after our Georgetown morning, Nicole and Patrick flew to Puerto Rico with their family and closest friends to celebrate their ten-year anniversary at Hacienda Siesta Alegre in Rio Grande. The celebration included a formal vow renewal ceremony and a reception that went well into the night.

It's one of my favorite events I've ever photographed. And I'm convinced part of what made it so special was that we had already spent a morning together walking the streets of Georgetown before it.

xo,

Cami