Cover Story Sessions are modern editorial and glam portrait sessions created for women who are used to being responsible for everyone else. These sessions are calm, intentional, and fully guided, designed for women who value quality, efficiency, and thoughtful experiences.
If you are searching for glam portraits, editorial photography, or magazine-style photo sessions in the DC area and want something elevated, private, and worth the investment, this experience was designed with you in mind.
This experience is for women who have built full lives, careers, families, and identities, yet rarely give themselves space to step in front of the camera just for themselves.
This is not about pretending to be someone new.
It’s about showing up as you already are, with support, direction, and care.
Based in Silver Spring, Maryland, this portrait experience serves women throughout Washington, DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia who want images that feel strong, grounded, and unmistakably them.
What This Experience Is (and What It’s Not)
A Cover Story Session is a high-end, editorial-inspired portrait experience that blends modern glamour with thoughtful restraint. The imagery takes cues from magazine photography but is refined, minimal, and focused on you rather than trends.
This is not a quick photoshoot or a novelty experience. It is designed for women who appreciate intention, expertise, and imagery that holds up under a critical eye.
You want something that feels considered, not performative.
This is not a makeover day that leaves you wondering who you’re looking at.
It is a calm, guided portrait session where everything is handled for you, so you can relax into the process.
You don’t need to know how to pose.
You don’t need to arrive confident.
You don’t need to perform.
You just need to show up.
From professional hair and makeup to gentle direction in front of the camera, every part of the experience is designed to help you feel at ease and supported.
The Cover Story Experience
Your session is thoughtfully paced so you never feel rushed.
Professional Hair and Makeup
You’ll begin with a full professional hair and makeup session with Valerie Hammer Makeup Artistry, designed specifically for editorial photography. The goal is polish, not transformation.
Private studio portrait Session
After hair and makeup, you’ll move into a private studio portrait session in Silver Spring, MD with clear guidance, natural movement, and space to settle in.
wardrobe guidance
You’ll receive support choosing outfits that photograph beautifully and align with how you want to feel in your images.
A Calm, Supportive Environment
There is no rushing, no guessing, and no pressure to perform. You arrive, you are guided, and the work is done with care.
For women who spend their days managing people, schedules, and outcomes, this experience is intentionally contained and efficient.
Thoughtful Preparation, Before You Ever Step Into the Studio
A successful editorial portrait session does not begin on the shoot day. It begins with alignment.
As part of the Cover Story Session process, every client completes a detailed pre-session questionnaire designed to understand the tone, energy, and visual direction you are drawn to. This allows us to move beyond surface-level preferences and ensure the session reflects how you want to be seen.
This is not about trends or copying specific images. It is about clarity.
The questionnaire covers elements such as:
The overall mood and presence you want the images to convey
Whether the imagery should feel powerful, understated, soft, or direct
How polished or relaxed you want the final images to read
Any visual references that resonate with you
This information allows the session to feel intentional from the start, rather than exploratory or reactive.
Your Personal Session Guide
After reviewing your questionnaire, you will receive a curated personal session guide outlining how we will approach your shoot.
This guide is designed to make the experience feel clear, calm, and efficient. It walks through:
The overall visual direction for your session
How we will approach posing and movement
Wardrobe guidance tailored to your goals and the editorial style of the shoot
What to expect on the day so nothing feels uncertain or rushed
For women who spend most of their time planning for others, this process removes decision fatigue and ensures we are fully aligned before the camera comes out.
Why Cover Story Sessions Feels Different
A cover story is never accidental. It is thoughtful, edited, and focused.
These sessions are named Cover Story Sessions because the imagery is not about transformation or spectacle. It is about clarity and showing up as the feature of your story. You are photographed as the central subject, not styled into something unfamiliar.
The result is imagery that feels composed, confident, and unmistakably you.
SHARE THE EXPERIENCE
If the idea of doing this alongside someone you trust sounds even better, you can.
Choose to share this journey with a close friend, sister, or partner. Each of you will have your own individual portraits — with an optional few together — in a session intentionally designed to let your connection shine without distraction.
Frequently Asked Questions:
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Cover Story Sessions include elements often associated with glam photography, but the approach is more editorial and restrained. The focus is polish and presence, not excess.
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No. This experience isn’t tied to a milestone or a life event. Many clients book simply because they’re ready to do something for themselves. That’s more than enough reason.
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Once you book, you’ll receive wardrobe guidance to help you choose outfits that photograph beautifully and feel like you. Most clients bring two outfit options. Think polished, comfortable, and true to your style rather than trendy or overly formal.
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Yes. The goal is not to create a version of you that feels unfamiliar. Hair, makeup, lighting, and direction are all designed to enhance what’s already there. Clients often say the images feel like themselves on a really good day.
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No. Direction is built into the experience. You are guided throughout in a way that feels calm and efficient.
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Yes. This experience can be booked as a shared session for two women who want to do it together. You’ll each have your own individual portraits, with the option to include a few images together. Shared sessions are limited and scheduled intentionally.
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Sessions take place in my studio in Silver Spring, Maryland, easily accessible from Washington, DC, Bethesda, Kensington, and Northern Virginia.
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This experience is offered on weekdays only. That keeps the process unhurried and allows for the full hair, makeup, and portrait flow without feeling rushed.ption
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Hair and makeup takes about 2 hours and the portrait session is about 45 min - 1 hour. Everything is at 1 location.
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Both. Clients use these images for personal milestones, branding, and moments where they want to be represented at a high level.
Location Details
Sessions take place in Silver Spring, MD, conveniently located near Washington, DC, Bethesda, Kensington, and Northern Virginia, with easy access from I-495 and the ICC.
Hair, makeup and the photoshoot are all at one location, so you just need to show up!
This experience is offered on weekdays only to keep it intentional and unrushed.
Investment
This is a premium, all-inclusive portrait experience that combines professional makeup artistry and private studio photography.
Includes full hair and makeup (~2 hrs per person) and Val stays onsite for touchups along the way (and doubles as the best hype woman)
Up to 1 hour studio photo session with option to bring 2 outfits
Full gallery of images, you pick your 7 digital downloads (option to purchase more after the session)
1 person $1245
2 people $1575
Ready to Step In Front of the Camera?
If you’ve been waiting for the right moment, this is it.
Not because everything is perfect.
But because you are.
Reach out to reserve your session or ask questions. I’m happy to walk you through what to expect and help you decide if this experience is the right fit.