Vollbrecht Family Photos | Family Photographer | Stafford VA

The Vollbrecht family have been with me since close to the beginning of my photography business. It's always a pleasure to be the family photographer for some of my favorite people, and we did the session at one of my favorite places too, Government Island in Stafford VA!

Jeremy, my husband, met Marlar Vollbrecht when they were both in diapers, and they basically grew up together! I've personally known them since I got married. She's been like another aunt to our daughter as well! The Vollbrechts have three kids, Evelyn, Brendon, and Danny.

The first time we met these three kiddos they were all pretty young. Their family's session was one of the first photography sessions I did when I started my business! I love it when my clients come back for more, and it's even more amazing when someone has stayed with me since the beginning. As I've grown as a photographer and as a photography business, they've been right here with me, and that's so special!

The session was over Easter Weekend, and they traveled up from North Carolina. We went to Government Island near me for the photoshoot. I scheduled the session an hour earlier than I normally would so that they could come over for dinner afterwards. We all wanted to hang out!

The weather was warm and it was a full, sunny day. Since we started earlier in the day the light was a little different than I normally shoot, but am really trying to push myself creatively and stylistically. And I LOVE how their photos came outl!

We started with some family shots and then did some with the parents and the kids. My favorite part of any photography session I do here are the creek photos. Not all of my clients want to get into the water, but the Vollbrecht girls were all about it! We got some mommy-daughter shots in the creek and then some of just the girls, it was awesome!

We were just about done, but Brendon, their middle son, wanted to get up on this log over the creek. I've wanted to get someone on this log since I've used this location, but getting to it is no easy feat! It was a bit of a climb and though I wouldn't let little kids try to get out onto it, Brendon was able to get there. The pictures I got were amazing! I'm shooting through the trees framing the creek and soon the girls got involved too!

I got some of the coolest photos I think I've ever shot at this location! From about 300 yards away I got a few pictures of the siblings snuggled up together on this log with the creek reflecting them below. They may not know how much this log has intrigued me, but I finally got a client out on it for some fantastic pictures!

The session went great and even though we started earlier in the day the lighting still worked amazing. We shot some great photos of these wonderful friends!

If you need a family photographer near Stafford VA (or other parts of North VA) please contact me, and check out other posts on my blog!

2020 RECAP!!

Every year I am SO embarrassed to log onto my website after a crazy fall and see how far my blogging fell behind. Every year I vow to do better with it and every year I start strong and theeeeeeeen boom life and busy season hit and blogging goes out the window. I had SO many incredible sessions last year but 2020 was a year unlike any other. Words cannot even begin to describe the insanity of this past year and the emotions that shook every single person’s life. But as this year came to an end there was also much to celebrate. With extra time at home we were safe and healthy and really able to focus on our time together as a family. I am so grateful for that extra time as it benefited Finley and I think really benefited us as parents too. Sure being cooped up had its difficulty but overall 2020 gave us so much to be thankful for.

The year started off strong and I was incredibly motivated after completing my best year yet. January-March started better than most winter months and I was fully booked for April and into May. When all of the lockdowns hit I was devastated and terrified. Like most families there was no warning for one if not both family members income coming to complete standstill with so much uncertainty in sight. Panic certainly set in and I had to figure out a way to make the most of my time not working. In that time I began becoming interested in plants and by the end of the summer had a full fledged garden in the backyard and on my deck. Fin was my assistant gardener and we had a blast learning about plants and exploring garden centers. It was incredible! We were able to grow herbs, a few veggies, and sunflowers. We also made the decision to completely redo my studio space. It had been something I had needed and wanted to do for years and we finally made it happen. Now it is so much more cozy and certainly reflects my business style and brand. I am obsessed!

As Covid restrictions started to lift I was fortunate to be able to reopen for outdoor sessions and then shortly after indoor sessions. I am so thankful for the flexibility, patience, and overall understanding of my clients that allowed me to do so. This year alone I photographed 152 sessions and met 53 new families. The highlight of the year was capturing the newest additions of past clients whose other kiddos I also photographed. I even had the amazing opportunity to photograph my first home birth, and caught lightning on camera 3 times! This year gave me the time to really push myself creatively and feel like I truly honed in on my style and was able to express my artistic vision with each session. Every single on of these families holds a special place in my heart as they stood by me and supported my business through the most challenging year for small businesses. The trust you have had in me to safely photograph your families and newborns is truly a blessing and what kept me going all year. It is because of you that I crushed my goals for the year and saw my business only increase since 2019. THANK YOU. There are so many times in business you feel defeated or uncertain and having new and returning faces contact me with exciting news of pregnancies or wanting updated photos is the best part of my job. Every year I try to do a recap of some of my favorite images and this year was SOOOO tough. Once again I narrowed it down to well over 250 images and made Jeremy narrow it down for me :) Thank you everyone again for supporting me and my business!! I am so excited to tackle whatever 2021 throws my way and cannot wait to meet you!

GENERATION SESSION | FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER | MANASSAS, VIRGINIA

I have really enjoyed photographing and getting to know this gorgeous family the last few years. So when Maria wanted a generation photo shoot I was ALL about it. I have started shooting more of these sessions and the more I do them the more special and important they become to me. There really is nothing more priceless than photos of our families and capturing these moments together. I loved being able to celebrate the relationship and incredible bond between these 4 gorgeous women. We had the most AMAZING sunset and everything about the location was perfection. It was really tough to narrow down the photos for the blog so here is a photo overload :)! My favorites:

PIKE FAMILY | FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER | MANASSAS, VIRGINIA

Here is another one of my favorite families!! I LOVE seeing them every year and watching their girls grow! I met Maria at my college roommates wedding and our friendship was instant the second I saw her again at their first session with me. She is one of those amazing people who just make you feel like you are family and welcomes you with open arms! I so miss these connections with my clients/friends and just reminding myself life will return to normal one day soon! I had SO much fun for their fall session celebrating their families love and soaking up all that golden light. Since spring is quickly passing I am focusing my energies on things being normal enough to shoot again this fall!!! And looking forward to many more sessions with these 4!! Here are some of my favs <3

CAMPBELL FAMILY | FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER | MANASSAS, VIRGINIA

Last fall came and went SO fast and has been really fun going through these sessions again! I am missing my clients so much everyday and this helps a little to remind me this wont be forever!! Here is another family I love dearly!! This month we were supoosed to celebrate this baby boy’s first bday and I am sending you guys lots of birthday love from afar!! And cannot wait to see you again!! Here are my favorites from their fall session!!

THOMAS FAMILY | FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER | FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA

I am missing that holiday cheer these days!! And thought no better way to bring it back than with this amazing tree farm session. I always have a blast when these 3 are with me!! Their little one, Grayson, reminds me SO much of my own little one and I absolutely LOVE IT!! I have captured Grayson since he was a little newborn and was fortunate enough to capture his first year of milestones! Seeing him now as a 2 1/2 year old is why I have the best job in the world! Each time i saw him, his personality blossomed more and more and he is the happiest most energetic little boy. We had a blast running around the tree farm and playing hide and seek. I loved being able to capture this gorgeous family again and celebrate their love for eachother. This is one lucky little boy! Here are my faves!

MILLER FAMILY | FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER | WOODBRIDGE, VIRGINIA

As I go through last years sessions I really enjoy re-looking at all of the images from the day and selecting some of my favorites. It reminds me of how the weather was, the foliage, the gorgeous light, the amazing connections between family members. I love working with this family they are always so wonderful and give me THE BEST family images <3 I am SO ready for warmer weather and things to start blooming and embrace that warm summer light!! Here are some of my favs.

2020 HERE I COME!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
As I kick off this new decade I wanted to thank all of my clients who have made 2019 AMAZING!  This has been an extremely challenging year for my family and for me, personally.  It has been a year full of loss, personal development, and a lot of chapters in my life coming to a close.  But the amount of growth my business has had this year is incredible and an absolute dream come true.  

The end of January marks the start of my 7th year in business and I am still in shock at how much this profession has provided me, both personally and professionally.  When I started my business, I was fresh out of graduate school and wanted no part of the art historian career path I had invested so much time and money into.  I remember sitting in lectures listening to the stories of how people found their way into their career, and not one of them was doing what they originally set out to do.  I felt so overwhelmed by that, especially since I knew in my heart that this was not the life I wanted.  When I came home from London I had a masters degree, a ton of student loan debt, and zero clue what was ahead or where to go.  I felt like a little girl who loved taking photos and loved working with people, but I had no clue what to do with that.  I applied to so many jobs, had a handful of interviews, a few leads, but no job offers.  It was daunting and very discouraging.  Here I was with a lot of education, little experience, and even less self confidence.  I thankfully had a soon-to-be husband who believed in me, but the biggest challenge professionally was convincing someone to take a chance on me by offering me a job. When that offer never came I decided I needed to create my own opportunity. When I started this business I had no idea if I could make this dream into a career.  But I had a husband who believed in me and a serious drive to make it happen.  So I went for it. I certainly could not have imagined the potential or direction that drive and passion would have taken me.

From year one until now my business has truly transformed into something I am so proud of.  Every year I have pushed myself out of my comfort zone, tackled the balance of my day job with my side hustle, and dealt with some really significant life changing moments. By being a small business owner through all of that I have learned more about myself in those 7 years than i have in my entire life.  When I started this career path my ultimate goal was to provide income for my family while staying home with my kids.   And each year I had the opportunity to be one step closer to both of those dreams.  When I finally quit my day job in 2015 I was terrified, but because of the trust of my clients and their continual support I have not once looked back. There have been SO many tears, late nights,  and a lot of self-doubt.  BUT, at the same time, there have been light bulb moments, bursts of creativity, and some of the most extraordinary moments.  I also had the blessing of enjoying every moment of pregnancy and then being home to watch my daughter take her first steps, say her first words, and literally photograph her every single day of her life. All while pursuing my dream job.  And after a year like this one I cannot be more thankful for that gift.  

This year alone I photographed 162 sessions (42 more than last year) and met 57 new families. That is HUGE!  That means 105 of those sessions were from families who came back to see me again and that is the greatest compliment a photographer and business owner could ever hope for.  We have been through so much the last few years but this year really hit me hard and it was because of my clients being so incredibly compassionate and supportive that gave me the drive to keep on trucking.  And I cannot thank you enough.  It has been with your trust, patience, and willingness to be that person to take a chance on me and my artistic vision that has brought me to this point in my career.  I cannot thank you enough or tell you how thankful I am to have been able to capture your most important, private, and pivotal moments of your lives.  It is because of that faith in me that this year has been so successful. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Some of my favorite images of all time were captured this year and it is because of every single one of you trusting my creative vision for your session.

I am SO excited to kick off a new decade and to see what 2020 will bring.  I am in the process of revamping my pricing guide and packages and really going to be streamlining my brand.  My goal this year is to push myself even further creatively to give you more gorgeous and unique images.  I am also so excited to start implementing new things I have been learning in a business course I enrolled in this fall.  And I am excited to start making your client experience even more special!

Thank you again so much for supporting my business and for continuing to allow me to photograph your family!  I cannot wait to see you in 2020!! But first here is a recap of my favorite images from 2019! Man it was hard to narrow it down!! <3
Much love,
Laura

DAVIDSON FAMILY | FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER | FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA

Since I am on a roll with blogging family sessions here is another EPIC one from this past year!! This amazing couple is another fav of ours as I shot their wedding a few years ago. They welcomed their baby boy 2o days before Finley and have LOVED watching him grow into this incredible kiddo. He and Fin have been able to play a few times and it is really the most adorable thing I have ever seen. We started off the session capturing family photos and then finished with a golden hour cake smash! Russell was such a charmer and gave me SOO many smiles. Narrowing down my favorites was tough so here is one of the biggest blog posts ever :)

CAMILA IS ONE | FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER | ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA

This is one of my favorite families to photograph!! Years ago we met Grissel and Josue at Starbucks to discuss all things wedding. They were the cutest couple and so in love and over the moon talking about their upcoming wedding. (I think its been 6 years, but don’t hold me to that because my brain is mush now and I feel like they have been in our lives as long as I can remember). I have had the absolute pleasure of working with them so many times in those years to capture not one but two of their gorgeous girls milestones. This past summer we celebrated sweet little Camila’s first birthday with an outdoor family/cake smash session in Arlington. It was a beautiful summer evening and the flowers were blooming and the light was glowing. Everything about the session was perfect! Here are my favs: