stafford family photographer

C FAMILY | FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER | WIDE WATER, VIRGINIA

I absolutely LOVE this family!! We met about 4 years ago and have had the joy of photographing them every year since!! We always start our spring session with celebrating all 3 gorgeous girl’s birthdays with their special outfits!! Mama outdoes herself every year!! They are such a fun group of kiddos and always look forward to seeing their new gymnastic skills and of course meeting the guinea pigs <3. I think we have officially photographed them all now!!

This session was also special as we got to photograph the entire family!! It is so hard to get all relatives together and it is always a great time when clients can make it happen. We captured ALL the groupings we could think of and I know these are memories that meant so much to everyone.

At the end of the session we finished up the best way we could by getting in the water! :) Anytime a client wants to get their toes wet is my favorite. I even found some sea glass <3. Loved spending another year with these guys!!! Check out some of my favorites.

T FAMILY | FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER | STAFFORD, VIRGINIA

This family is seriously THE CUTEST!!! When mama contacted me she really wanted a very classic feel of neutral colored outfits and more black and white images than color. I was super excited because this was something I don’t do as often but have really enjoyed it more and more over the years. It allows me to really focus on the families connection and showcase their love and playfulness. The boys were so stinking cute and got a great mix of emotions and fun faces! The best part is we didn’t have to worry about weather! And at the end because weather wasn’t tooooooooo hot we got outside for a few fun photos! Here are some of my favorites!!

If you want your own session full of timeless images that coordinate perfectly with any home decor shoot me a message!! Lets chat!!

R FAMILY | MILESTONE PHOTOGRAPHER | KING GEORGE VA

I absolutely LOVE this family!!  I have been photographing them for about 5 years and every session is such an adventure.  I love seeing their girls grow and love being able to capture their special moments.  When we started brainstorming this painting session we had ideas of denim overalls, cups of paint, big brushes, and a giant canvas.  This wasn’t going to be a traditional formal posing milestone session; it was meant to be more of a fun full body immersive experience.  It was a great activity for the girls to be silly and messy and get paint all over their parents!   What could be better!!??

When it came time for the session we were battling crazy winds and our canvas was flopping all over the place, knocking over paint cups, not staying where we hung it and was def one of those moments when you just have to breathe and be like we can figure this out haha!!  Our visions had not originally aligned which happens sometimes but we’ve been working together for so long we knew we could figure it out! And to be totally honest I am SO grateful for the challenges we had at the start.  Because we worked the wind problem, nailed the canvas and it all came together organically and turned out amazing. Paint was flying, kids were laughing and crying, then laughing again, the wind was whipping, and there was a beautiful moment of connection and play and genuine fun.  Hands down one of our favorite sessions together and I loved that it was completely different than anything we have shot together before.  Here are some of my favorites!

BABY I | NEWBORN SESSION | STAFFORD VIRGINIA

I LOVE when a client comes back to me for Baby #2!! It truly is the biggest thank you from a client to know you not only captured their family once but they continue to come back as their family grows. The funniest thing about this session was 2 years prior to the date we photographed her big sister’s newborn session!! Talk about a fun coincidence.

We started out session outdoors for a few family photos and utilized the great weather! Then headed inside for babies solo photos! She was soooo snuggly and sleepy we flew through every set up. She woke up a bit at the end and we were also able to grab a few smiles and some open eye photos! She was such a sweet little pumpkin and cannot wait to watch her grow!!

Some of my favorite photos are below! Interested in a newborn session? Email me for more info at laura@lauralouphotography.com

V FAMILY | FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER | STAFFORD VIRGINIA

I make it no secret that Virginia weather IS BONKERS!! Summer weather is no exception and with all the wild rain we get, we also get MUD. THICK, SLIPPERY, GROSS MUD!!! So naturally we had a creek session planned following this crazy storm. When I arrived at my favorite creek spot I won’t lie I panicked!! I knew my client and I were super pumped about getting in the creek but the access points were a mess and the thought of getting down a slippery hill with 4 kids under 8 years old gave me some pause. I adventured ALL over the place and FINALLY found a spot to enter that wasn’t great but provided some foliage to eliminate a bit of the slippery situation.

When my client arrived I was really excited because they were totally up for a muddy adventure!! We shot most of the session on the mainland and made sure to capture everything we could want. Then we ventured to the creek!!

We successfully got down the muddy hill and were passing kids between the adults to safely and cleanly get everyone into the creek!!! It was AWESOME and the kids LOVED it. It was refreshing after a hot session and there is no better way to end a photoshoot with splashing in the water. And the creek looked incredible with all the texture and greenery. This session was such a blast and I am so thankful when a new client is up for my ideas and ready to get muddy for some incredible photos! We all made it back up the hill and managed to stay pretty clean!! It was fantastic! Here are some of my favorites!

If you want your own creek adventure shoot me an email: laurah@lauralouphotography.com

M FAMILY | ANNIVERSARY SESSION | FAUQUIER COUNTY VIRGINIA

I have LOVED capturing this gorgeous family for the last 6+ years!! When I met them, they were expecting their first baby and the connection we made was instant. They were seriously the cutest couple and just a joy to work with. I have captured both of their babies and yearly in between. This year however was a big one as they celebrated their 10 year wedding anniversary!! It’s amazing how time flies and when they wanted to shoot the session where they got married I was in HEAVEN. It was so special to bring their babies to where their love story began and recreate some of the gorgeous locations from their wedding photos with 2 kids in toe.

At the end of the session we even put their sweet baby girl in her mama’s wedding dress. Little did I know that Morais Vineyards had the most gorgeous glass building that looked straight out of a movie. This little lady was dazzling in her mama’s dress and high heels!! Such a little princess. <3. I loved capturing this full circle moment and am obsessed with the photos we captured!!! And to top off the best session ever we ended it with a wild champagne toast!!! Here are some of my favorites!!

RAINY TULIPS | FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER | NOKESVILLE VIRGINIA

Tulip sessions are one of my absolute FAVORITE things to photograph! I love the spontaneity of booking based on the field reports and trying to play weatherman while also managing multpile sessions per evening. Sounds hectic, but I kinda love that part of it. It helps me get into a totally different creative space and brings in colors that I don’t normally get to experience in Virginia, or at least not year round! Tulip sessions at Burnside Farms in Nokesville Virginia, happen for an average of 3ish weeks in the month of April. The start of their season is all dependent on temperature/rain and when in full bloom are STUNNING. Stumbling upon Burnside Farm was the biggest treat and every year I offer mini sessions during this festival of flowers!!

One of the fun things about tulip sessions, is the weather. The weather can be ALL over the place and each session day is unique based on what that forecast gives us. For these sessions I always tell my clients to expect ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING. Rain, full sun, WIND, mud, bugs, and SO MANY PEOPLE.

This year I offered 2 days of minis, and both were complete opposites. I love it. The first day had a wash out the day before, and the rain stopped by late morning. I knew the fields would be muddy but the forecast showed no more rain and overcast clouds really do make for some incredible colors and textures. I had 2 families brave my forecast and the results were incredible. It was chilly, it was muddy, but those flowers were VIBRANT. I still dont know what I prefer for these sessions, both provide such incredible looks. Here are my favorites!!

ARTHUR TURNS ONE | MILESTONE PHOTOGRAPHER | STAFFORD VIRGINIA

FIRST official outdoor session of 2025 and it was an amazing one! This sweet baby boy celebrated his first birthday and completed has milestone package with me!! I have LOVED every second of our sessions together and his first year flew by in a blink of an eye! I had the absolute pleasure of capturing his milestones every 3 months from birth and just adore this sweet baby. I have known his parents since high school and also had the joy of capturing his big sister’s first year!

I love seeing this family grow and truly am honored to have been there for every milestone for their kiddos! We did a pie smash for his big sis and wanted to keep with that theme! We were super lucky with temperature and the forecast because March can be a very tricky time in Virginia! But the weather was amazing so we moved the session outdoors and started with family photos at the creek. When it came time for the pie, Arthur wasn’t too sure if he liked the creek but staying true to a one year session, we got a fun mix of smirks, cries, and a messy face covered in blueberry pie! It was perfect! Here are some of my faves!

S FAMILY MATERNITY | MATERNITY PHOTOGRAPHER | WOODBRIDGE VIRGINIA

March maternity sessions can always go one of two ways in Virginia with its crazy weather. HOT or FREEZING and for some reason there never seems to be an in between! This session took place on my birthday so I knew despite the bizzare weather forecast it was going to work out and be amazing. :) All week leading up to our session temps were chilly but manageable but the weekend hit and we were forcasted in the 40’s and WIND!! SO MUCH WIND!! The temp was SO COLD and there were 30+mph wind gusts. Talk about a wild forecast! With maternity sessions, time is not always on our side when the weather is absolutley bonkers! And with weather this year being so unpredictable we trusted our gut and my incredible clients trusted me to work magic!

The entire session was freezing and windy BUT these two ROCKED IT! They embraced the elements and captured increible photos!! At the end this brave mama even braved the freezing water so we could get those gorgeous water shots!! I am so in love with what we captured. I absolutley adore this couple and couldn’t be more excited to photograph their journey into parenthood! Here are my favorites! If you are interested in a maternity or newborn session shoot me an email!!

BIRTHDAY PUP | PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER | STAFFORD VIRGINIA

I am a BIG dog person and always LOVE when clients want to include their fur babies in sessions. I first met Casino back in 2019, during Alex and Caroline’s first session with me. Fast forward many years later and they have become great friends and also one of my 2023 bride and grooms! So getting to photograph Casino a second time was so much fun. He is such a special pup and will be turning 15 this year!! He is laid back and great with kids. He even sat on my little ones lap later that night and she was loving it. :). We celebrated his bday a little early with some fun portraits and I am OBSESSED with all of them!! We were able to capture his personality and all of the funny faces he makes! The key to getting great dog photos is treats! Lots of yummy treats!! :) We explored my back yard a bit and also got some fun studio shots. This old boy is so loved and I am so glad we were able to capture these. <3 Here are my favorites!