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!
BABY ISABELLA | NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER | STAFFORD VIRGINIA
Meet sweet baby Isabella! This gorgeous little lady came to see me mid January for her newborn session. She is the daughter of a special friend whose senior photos I shot many many years ago!! I couldn’t believe how fast those years have gone and getting to see her become a mommy is such an amazing gift. This little girl is so loved by her mom and dad and it is clear they are going to be phenomenal parents. And lets be honest they made one ADORABLE kiddo!
My favorite thing about working with new parents is having the ability to connect and hear all about their journey to parenthood. Everyone’s story is unique and I love being able to share in their excitement. Those sleepless nights and newborn cuddles dont last forever and being able to savor them is so important! In a matter of weeks this sweet girl will have hit new milestones and changed and I am thrilled we were able to capture these when she was 13 days new.
Check out some highlight from our session!! And if you are interested in learning more about my newborn sessions shoot me a message!
BEHIND THE SCENES | FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER | STAFFORD VIRGINIA
I have had so many clients mention to me that they love it when I post behind the scenes content. BUT in sessions I often forget to grab those fun action shots because I am in the zone! Or I don’t have someone with me to capture the footage while I’m shooting! This is the year of change and this is something I am really passionate about sharing. I love the story and the fun that leads to “the shot” and will certainly be better about posting more of it here!!
I have been sitting on these photos for over a year now and knew I had to blog about it! I luckily had Jeremy with me so he was able to use my camera and capture me setting Fin in place for these magical photos! What you dont see here is just how FREEZING the water was!! While it was a warmer January day, the water was probably around 40 degrees. BRRRRR!!!! So it was super important to find a way for us to capture this without my kiddo losing feeling in her toes!
I shot Fin’s 4 year shoot at this same location and have been wanting to revisit it now that she was a little older and a little more cooperative when it came to my vision. My goal was to capture a very still shot with the sky reflecting in the water and Fin appearing to walk on top. I wanted a piece of art rather than a close up portrait so that displaying it large would be an option. I placed a plastic foot stool just below the surface of the water and of course it floated! I carried Fin to the stool and slowly got her feet in position and in a balancing act we re-submerged the stool until it was secure. She still had to do a lot of balancing and I know her poor little feet were so cold. The entire setup/shoot lasted maybe 5 minutes because that water was SO COLD!!
The photos turned out gorgeous and I still have many more to edit. But here are a few of me setting up and the final product! Enjoy <3
BABY NIZAR | NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER | STAFFORD VIRGINIA
THIS IS THE YEAR!! I have said it year after year that this one would be the best blogging year yet! And each year I have fallen short. I am not afraid to admit this blog has always taken a back seat but I do not want to fall short this year! I have had SO many incredible sessions and their teasers are only a tiny glimpse into the art we have created together. PLUS I just want to share SO much more! This years suggest goal NO more excuses!! Not every past session will be blogged because I am being realistic, but this year I will make sure that my sessions get a home on my blog :).
First up meet baby Nizar!! He was one of my last babies in 2023 and such a treat to photograph. I had the pleasure of photographing his big sis as a newborn and every year since! Seeing her step into her big sister role came so naturally to her and did such an amazing job on her sibling portraits!! She is clearly obsessed with her baby bro and I cannot wait to see her and his relationship grow in the years to come!!
Nizar was such a sleepy little dude and an absolute gem during his session and more importantly it was really great to spend a few hours with this amazing family. The best part of my job is building those lasting friendships and relationships with my clients and watching their families grow and evolve year to year is such a special gift. We captured so many amazing photos!! Here are some of my favorites <3
2023 RECAP!!!
What a year!! 2023 feels like the longest and shortest year of ALL time. It tested me in ways and opened my eyes to SO MANY THINGS and I have learned ALOT about myself over the last 12 months. With that being said it was also one of the most difficult years for me professionally and personally. Funny thing is nothing really significant happened but more a slew of little things finally pushing me to what felt like a late 30’s crisis LOL! As a mom we wear SO many hats throughout the day but with years and years of trying to balance everything eventually you start to let those hats drop one by one. And for me I think they all fell this year. I can laugh about it now because while I felt like I was falling apart there was also so many good things this year brought that kind of got lost in the shuffle. SO today I am sharing some positives of 2023 and also sharing the AMAZING clients who helped me survive this tough year!! You are what got me through!! <3
2023 kicked off with a bang and I celebrated my 10th year in business! A huge milestone that I still cannot believe is real!! A decade dedicated to serving clients and creating beautiful artwork and memories has been such a blessing. But my biggest achievement is seeing all of the returning faces of clients I have been photographing that entire time. Some clients have let me into their lives for over a decade! I have had multiple brides celebrate their 10 year anniversary, families welcome their 2nd and 3rd baby, kids I photographed in their mom’s belly start school, brides texting me they're pregnant, the list goes on. The overwhelming support from returning clients really lifted me up this year and I am forever thankful for the relationships that I have been built over the last 10+ years. I truly cannot thank you enough.
This year alone I have photographed 136 sessions plus more for my own kiddo. I have met 55 new AMAZING families who have all welcomed me into their lives with open arms and shared their excitement about their photos. This year certainly was one of the most rewarding. It was knowing that these incredible faces believed in me during a time I felt so unworthy. Their support allowed me to keep growing as an artist and photographed some of my favorite sessions of all time. THANK YOU to every single one of you for walking alongside me during a tough season. Your support will never be forgotten <3
Another huge perk of 2023 was that I offered tulip, sunflower, creek, cherry blossom, and tree farm minis in addition to my spring and fall. And I LOVED every second of these sessions. Because these are sessions I can’t shoot all year round they have become some of my favorites. I WILL be offering ALL of these again and cannot wait to see what families will join in on the fun!! This year I will be changing things up a bit with how I book to continue to give me time to be creative and recharge.
My goal for 2024 is to make this year about savoring every last moment! I did a terrible job of capturing my own family this year and I am super sad that I let my negativity and self-esteem stop me from capturing more moments with my family. I will NOT make that mistake this year!! So if you are feeling blah email me! Lets chat and make your session this year extra special! I cannot wait to meet new faces and catch up with returning faces!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! To everyone who supported my business this year! You rock!! <3 ~Laura
BABY CHLOE | NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER | STAFFORD VIRGINIA
Meet Chloe!! This little miss was such a good sleeper and we got SO many amazing setups! Talk about a dream session! The coolest part was that I photographed it on my daughters 6th birthday, and her big sis was the last newborn I photographed while pregnant. Lets just say this session was MUCH easier to maneuver without that big ole 39 week belly in the way. <3 Ive known this family for over 6 years and love every session we have together. They are always up for adventure and let me be as creative as I want. They have been so supportive of my business over the years and being able to capture their growing family is the best compliment I could ever receive. This little beauty was so much fun to photograph and I am incredibly grateful to have photographed not one but BOTH their gorgeous girls. They truly will always hold a special place in my heart. Here are some of my favorites. :)
WARREN FAMILY | NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER | MANASSAS, VIRGINIA
No better way to kick off a friday than with this ADORABLE family!! They welcomed their beautiful baby girl in August and we sure spoiled her with photos!! And I have loved every minute of it!! Since her big sis is now in school I came to them for an evening family session where we got to use their amazing yard! August is always perfect for outdoor newborn sessions and we were lucky the weather was ideal with temp and low humidity! We started the session with sibling photos and big sister Brooke was a PRO. They are clearly going to be best friends and I cannot wait to see their bond and friendship grow!! I love all of the family and parent photos we got as well and am so so glad we got to do these outdoors! This location was absolute perfection. We even snapped a few solo of baby Chloe in the flower beds. Everything about this location was magical and I am so thrilled with what we captured! We even got an end of the session smile. <3 I adore this family so much and am so thankful to have now captured both of their little girls newborn photos!! Come back next week to see baby Chloe’s in-studio session!! Have a great weekend!!
RACHEL AND SILAS | FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER | STAFFORD, VIRGINIA
If you don’t know Rachel she is the owner of Bangs in Boujee, in downtown Fredericksburg. And also my amazing hair girl!! She is incredible at making her clients feel loved and beautiful and I love her so much! We have years of friendship under our belt and every time we get together it’s always a blast!
October is just around the corner which means BUSY season for both of us and it was so important to snag some amazing photos of her and her little man before it gets too nuts!!! We lucked out with some incredible pre-fall foliage of wildflowers and tall grass and my favorite fall light! There is just something about September that really gets me pumped for the fall season and is also my favorite time of year for sessions. The weather is cooler, the bugs are starting to be less yucky, and it is a nice calm before the craziness of fall activities and busy season. We don’t get a lot of wildflowers where we live so it is such a special treat every September when I finally have a flowery spot big enough for a session! It doesn’t last long but boy is it magical! We had so much fun running around the weeds, having snacks, and enjoying the cooler weather. I love what we captured and always look forward to our next session together. Here are some of my favorites!! If you haven’t booked your fall session yet NOW is the time!! I look forward to chatting!!
TURVILLE FAMILY | FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER | FREDERICKSBURG VA
The absolute best part of my job is meeting clients that you have an instant connection with! When I first talked to Jen we hit it off immediately and she has been one of my favorite people to work with! Our first session was in the creek and this time we went in the opposite direction with a very formal look in downtown Fredericksburg. Our original date was rained out and ended up pushing our session into the middle of HOT July. July in Virginia is not a pleasant time, but these 3 were absolute troopers! Being our second session together I already knew I could really get creative and they would be all for it! We also got to celebrate their daughter’s 4th birthday and she came ready to shine! She is a natural little model and such a sweetheart!!!<3
We explored several spots throughout the city and took advantage of the amazing textures, the gorgeous buildings, and the glowy golden light. Everything about this session was magical and we captured SO much. Literally every photo was incredible and impossible to narrow down! I adore these 3 so much and am always looking forward to our next adventure together!! Here are some of my favorites from their session.
If you are interested in a session with me shoot me a message! I would love to capture your family!!
TALK TO ME ABOUT THE FALL!!
Hello everyone and happy Wednesday!! I am feeling rejuvenated after a long holiday weekend and wanted to quickly introduce myself to any new followers! Im Laura, the face behind Laura Lou Photography. I am portrait photographer who specializes in newborn, maternity, and family photography. Im in my 10th year of business and am based in Stafford county Virginia. I am married to Jeremy, my hubby of 12 years and we have a 6 year old daughter named Finley and a 15 year old pup named Layla. Thanks so much for everyone taking the time to read my fall update and for following along as I TRY to blog more!!
SO lets talk about the FALL!! We may be having a heat advisory today but that is NOT going to stop me from getting SUPER PUMPED about fall being ALMOST HERE!!! As far as Im concerned September is the green light to decorate for halloween and celebrate ALL the fun things that the crisp fall weather brings! It is by far my favorite season and also the time of year that I get the most creative energy. There is just something about the fall light, blaring music with your windows down and sunroof open, watching scary movies and the smell of pumpkin and apple pie. GAH I love it ALL!! BUT with all of the fun comes LOTS and LOTS of incredible sessions and is another reason why I love the season so much.
I know I have had a lot of people reach out about my fall sessions and I wanted to give a little update and a peak into the amazing families I got to photograph last year! This season flies by and books fast and with a kiddo in school and activities my availability has gotten a little slimmer. Here is a little recap of the questions I’ve been getting:
Where are you located? I am based in Stafford, Virginia BUT I travel all over from Fredericksburg to Northern Virginia. I also travel out of state to the outer banks frequently and other areas in Virginia. If you are unsure if I will come your way email me! Im always looking for a new adventure!
Do you offer mini session? YES! This is the most asked question especially since I know our wallets are getting a little bit tighter these days! I do offer mini sessions and am offering 3 weekends of minis during peak fall colors. I only have a few spots left so if you are interested make sure you reach out ASAP!
Whats the difference between a mini and a full session? Minis are quick 15 minute sessions that are great for families who want multiple sessions throughout the year or for families who just want to grab a few updated family photos for their Christmas cards! Minis are only offered a few times a year and always sell out!
Full sessions are about 45 minutes and are a great way to really capture your family’s personality in a fun, laid back way! I grab those yearly photos but I also make sure we really freeze this moment in time and where your family is in the season of life. We will laugh, play, run around, throw some leaves, and have a great time.
Do you still have fall availability? YES! But the dates I have are getting slimmer each week! SO if you are wanting fall colors this year GRAB your date ASAP because these dates won’t last long!
