WELCOME TO

THE BLOG

If you'd like to see more of my work, then you're in the right place. While you may follow me on Instagram, that's only a highlight reel. I believe it's extremely important to see what a full session with Desiree Ortman Photography is really like - and 2-3 pics from each session doesn't show that. This is your one-stop-shop to learn more about each session, view (almost) all of the gorgeous photos (yes, there are even more than what's shown here) and see what my clients have to say about their experience.

Jul 5, 2019

Class of 2020 Senior Rep Team // Ice Cream Inspired Editorial Shoot // Baltimore Senior Photographer

In case you missed it, I unveiled my 2020 DOP Senior Rep Team a few months ago. Having a rep team has been in the works for quite some time (it was #1 on my goals list for 2019). As a DOP Senior Rep, my girls get to participate in several styled shoots throughout the year. It's a pretty awesome perk of being a rep. I knew I wanted this first shoot to set the tone for the year. I wanted it to be fun, playful, a tiny bit edgy and 100% original. THE CONCEPT Before my team was

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Apr 9, 2019

Jenna | Class of 2019 | Eastern Technical High School | Baltimore County Senior Photographer

It's getting close to that time of year. The flowers are blooming, prom season is kicking into high gear and all of my 2019 Seniors are preparing to graduate! This is such an exciting time for them! I remember those last few weeks as a high school senior. It's hard to believe that was almost 20 years ago for me (eeekk). The days were filled with sharing news about college plans, fun school activities and preparing for senior week (is that still a thing???). Anyway I am p

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Feb 11, 2019

Desiree Ortman Photography 2018 Top 10...or 20 | Maryland Portrait and Event Photographer

You know those things that sit on your "to-do" list and never get checked off? They're simply just not the priority. New items get added and that one item just keeps moving further and further down the list. Well, that's pretty much the case for this blog post. Since the start of 2019, I've been wanting to take an inventory of all of last year's work and post a DOP Top 10. Well, I've been buried in boring tax activities, editing furiously to get Valentine's Day sessions

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Feb 6, 2019

Tips for a Killer Senior Portrait Session | Maryland Senior Portrait Photographer

Long gone are the days of boring senior photos with a drape and a fake red rose. Senior portraits these days are less about the yearbook photo and more about capturing this rad time in a teen's life. I mean, we're documenting a HUGE milestone! For the senior, it's celebrating 12 years of school completed and a massive leap into the real world! For us mamas, it's celebrating 17/18 years of raising this awesome human. Think about the last time this baby of yours had a phot

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Oct 11, 2018

Nick + Stephanie // Camp Hidden Valley at Deer Creek Preserve // Harford County Wedding Photographer

I have been majorly slacking in the blogging department lately, but I hope to share some of the highlights of September over the next few weeks! September was filled with weddings and seniors and some amazing charitable events. I am so excited to share one of my favorite weddings to-date. I was contacted my Nick back in the spring. It's so rare that a groom is my main point of contact. But Nick was referred by one of my cousins, so of course I said yes to the opportunity. N

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Jul 30, 2018

Harford County Engagement Photographer // Brandon Pops the Question // A Surprise Engagement at Ston

So a few months ago, I started a photography "bucket list" - a list of events and ideas I wanted to photograph at some point during my career. If you read my Urban Ballerina post, you know I've already checked off one item, but this weekend I was able to check off another! A surprise proposal! My friend Kate over at Emerald Event Design contacted me about a month ago and said she was working with a client to plan a surprise proposal at Stone Ridge Hollow and that he was look

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Apr 6, 2018

On the Good Ship Lollipop... a Shirley Temple-Themed Portrait Session // Harford County Child Photog

I’m not a huge fan of fancy backdrops or lots of props, so when my friend, Courtney came to me and said she wanted to do a Shirley Temple-themed photoshoot for her daughter (a huge ST fan), I immediately started brainstorming how we could pay homage to this classic character in a fun, creative way. If we could flashback to Shirley Temple’s era, where would she hang out? I woke up one morning a few weeks ago and text Courtney exclaiming, “I’ve got it! We need to do this s

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Mar 6, 2018

Maryland Event Photographer // This is Seven - Teen Beach Style

This past weekend our family celebrated our little girl's 7th birthday (I still can't believe I have a 7-year-old - eeekkk). I have been a little lax over the past few years about getting my camera out to take photos of my own kiddos, but I wanted to soak in and capture every moment of this birthday! And I'm so glad I was able to freeze some super special moments of this super special day! Scarlett is obsessed with every Disney "musical," and when she told me she wanted a T

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