A New Bio

Holy cow! It's been a long time since I've posted here. Actually, I have been using Facebook to share what we've been doing. The first part of the year has been super busy. Over the summer I will be updating this blog with our favorites. I am also going to add more personal photos that I love! 

One of my newest adventures is becoming a better headshot photographer. I used to think that headshots were simply photos of a persons head-and-shoulders. Man, was I wrong. In my effort to be one of the best I have come across Peter Hurley and his PH2Pro community. This group of photographers is very supportive and always willing to offer constructive feedback in an effort to others better. That's rare to find in a competitive field of photography. I have joined Peter's Headshot Intensive to hopefully learn from one of the great photographers and one of the first tasks is to write a bio. for my website. This was a good first step considering I have wanted to get this done for some time. Anyway, I wanted to share it with you all. Let me know what you think.

My journey as a photographer may be different from others you’ve heard. I don’t come from a long line of photographers and I didn’t discover my passion as a young boy. In all honesty, I’m just a “gadget guy” who will spend hours discovering the ins and outs of the newest technology, or anything for that matter. I graduated from George Mason University in 2001 with a degree in psychology and wasn’t exactly sure what to do with my life. Coming from a large family with a lot of kids, I thought education might be a good choice. I decided to go back to school and began teaching 1st grade in 2006. Little did I know, I’d meet the woman of my dreams in the classroom next to mine. She really was “the girl next door.”

Two years later, I moved to Arlington, VA to be closer to my soon-to-be wife, Allison. As my life was changing I decided to purchase a tiny “point and shoot” camera, the Canon PowerShot SD1000.  Every now and again while playing with my camera, I’d snap a photo that gave me new perspective of otherwise typical things, and this is where it all began. Over time, I developed a passion for photography that I couldn’t ignore. I must give props to my mom, who saw this new passion and bought me my first DSLR, a Nikon D60.

Fast forward to 2010 - I was a new husband with a new home, and the desire to take this photography thing to a new level. I must admit, when I began my photography business I had no idea what I was getting into. Tackling teaching full time, with dreams of excelling as a photographer, was tough. When I wasn’t grading papers or emailing parents, I studied material from the New York Institute of Photography, poured over books and watched videos from photography gurus like Scott Kelby and Peter Hurley. I reached out time and again to experts in the Northern Virginia area, inquiring and offering to work for free in an attempt to gain experience. Len Spoden, a well-known local photographer, brought me on as his assistant for weddings and other corporate assignments. My work with Len gave me opportunities to take risks in photography; I developed confidence in my ability to work with my camera and people from all over the country.  

After exploring many different types of photography, I’ve realized that what I enjoy most is telling the stories of the people and families I have the opportunity to work with. In a headshot, I want to convey who you are through your most natural expressions. In our family sessions, I aim to capture everyday moments of your family with candid and genuine photographs. Covey Photography is focused on capturing the true essence of professionals and families. Everyone has a story - I look forward to sharing yours...

Thanks guys for reading. Let me know what you think. If you want to see more check me out on PH2Pro.

Beth & Craig in North Potomac, MD

It's crazy when two worlds collide! Craig and I were high school friends, while Beth and I have been connected through family for as long as I can remember. Somehow, they found one another, fell in love with one another, and plan to get married next summer! Of course I was thrilled when they asked me to take their engagement photographs. Our location was in a bustling town center in North Potomac, MD just around the corner from their home. Though we had to keep passers-by out of the pictures, you would've thought Craig and Beth were all alone during the shoot. It is clear how much they adore one another, and I can't wait to shoot their Rehobeth Beach wedding in July 2013.

The Sanko Sisters at Burke Lake

We also got a chance to photograph Megan and Karen, two beautiful sisters. Their mom was hoping to replace an outdated childhood photo of the girls. We are used to working with small children and families, so it was quite a different experience taking photos of these two. The girls were troopers through the cold temps and windy weather, and I think we got some great photos that capture the unique bond between sisters.

The Hutzel Family at Burke Lake

I'm excited to share a few photos from our November mini-sessions at Burke Lake! We finally got to spend a morning with the Hutzels to get some fall family photos and document Claire's 1st birthday. When you're working with two children under 3, you never know what you might get out of a shoot, but Tess and Claire flashed perfectly natural smiles as they laughed at their Aunt Mary dancing behind the camera! Although we got some great family photos, some of my favorites are of the girls' genuine expressions as they played in the leaves with Mom and Dad!

Heather & Ben at Fauquier Springs Country Club

October 20, 2012 couldn't have been a more perfect day for a fall wedding at the Fauquier Springs Country Club. Ben and Heather said "I do" in a gazebo overlooking rolling hills and beautiful fall trees surrounded by their closest family and friends. Before the ceremony, we got to capture the couple's "first look" at one another, and grab some scenic portraits on the club grounds. The ceremony ended just as the sun set, and guests danced the night away. We truly enjoyed sharing a special day with two wonderful people!

October Mini Sessions at Burke Lake

This weekend we held our mini-sessions for October. We chose Burke Lake Park for its wide open fields and interesting backdrops. It has a railroad, a pond, and excellent climbing trees. I'm not too sure we were supposed to be climbing those trees, but it was fun nonetheless. We took photos for two families. Our first family session was the Chapman family. They were looking for a family photo and some candids of the kids. The Chapman family is a large family, so getting all of the kids to do what we wanted was challenging. They wanted to explore all of the fun stuff at the park! :)





Our second family was the Hawthorne family. We have done a shoot for them before and these girls are too cute. They knew how to pose for the camera and find great shoots. Most of all they wanted to run the fields and climb trees. We started their session right before sunset so we had the chance to capture some great evening light. Here are some of my favorites from the day.

Madison Takes on the Playground

Last weekend we spent a sunny afternoon outside with Miss Madison Bothe. It’s crazy how much she’s changed over the last year! Her mom mentioned that one of Madison’s favorite things is riding through the neighborhood in her red wagon, and boy was she right! Once we got going, you couldn’t wipe the smile off her face as she rode with water bottle in hand. We stopped for a break in a field, and it was fun to watch her reaction as she sat and crawled in the fresh summer grass. We also found a nearby playground and Madison loved playing peek-a-boo with Mom and Dad in the tunnel. Her genuinely happy demeanor and awesome little personality made capturing “a day in the life” a pretty easy task!