Hello and welcome to Cristina Elisa Photography. Here you will learn a little more about me, not just about my photography. I hope to get to know you soon too!
I’m a Rhode Island girl, born and raised. My husband grew up in Northern California. We moved to Frederick in 2012 on his military orders. Oddly enough, Frederick reminded us both of where we grew up. For me, it’s the architecture, small towns and historic homes that feel very New England, and bring joy to my heart. For him it’s the hills, agriculture, and beautiful outdoors. Who knew we’d find the perfect blend of the two of us here in Maryland!
I have to say my photography journey started when I was seven. My Nana gave me her old 110mm film camera and I fell in love with taking pictures and getting them developed. It would be many years before I started my formal training however. That didn’t start until I went to The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. At Holy Cross I studied Spanish and Art History and met my best friend, who is now my husband! It’s also where I finally got to take photography classes, learned on a fully manual camera, and worked in a darkroom to process and edit my film into prints. After college, I got a “real job” and worked in trading technology in Boston, NYC, and Houston for nearly a decade. Through those years, I kept working on photography as a hobby. I’d take classes when I could (Houton TX has a wonderful photography school by the way) but it was tough to balance with my work schedule. As a creative at heart, this was soul crushing.
It wasn’t until our daughter was born that photography took on more importance for me. There she was, this perfectly precious little baby. I realized time would fly and worried I wouldn’t be able to remember the little details about her. I wanted to remember it all, from how tiny her features were, to how soft and fluffy her hair was. I knew I had to capture it in portraits, so I took it upon myself to re-learn photography. DSLR’s and digital processing are quite different from what I was used to. I’m glad I learned, because I was able to capture the same when our son was born, and I continue taking their portraits as they grow. The funny thing for me is, I don’t realize how much they change in our day to day life. Looking back at pictures from a year or two ago though, and WOW, it’s incredible to see how much they’ve changed. My goal as a photographer is to capture those memories for you. I want to freeze time, even for just a moment, and have you be able to look back at that particular age or stage in their lives with joy and love. My children are now 6 & 10 and some of the cutest kids around in my opinion.
To complete our family, we have two double-doodles (mom is a labradoodle and dad is a goldendoodle) who are the sweetest pups ever! They are named Comet & Cupid, and yes, we named them after Santa’s reindeer 😉 Here they are celebrating Cupid’s birthday at Christmas time.
Beyond family, work, and puppies keeping me busy, I love trying my hand at anything artistic or crafty, playing tennis, volunteering at my children’s school, and preparing and eating my family’s Colombian recipes, yum! I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about me, I’d love to connect soon!
Cristina Elisa Photography is now located in Virginia Beach, VA and specializes in natural light, and black and white photography.
Submit an inquiry to book your portrait session today!
