Tips and tricks for scheduling your newborn session | Newborn Photographers Northern Virginia

So you just discovered you’re about to have a baby! This is so exciting! This is one of the most wonderful times in your life that you’ll ever experience. And this time deserves to be captured and celebrated! Newborn photographers are here to help you out and give you a newborn session that is special and unique. And in northern Virginia, that’s what I do! So, now you’re wondering, “is there anything I need to know about scheduling a newborn session?” Well, read along, and I’ll give you a few tips and tricks I’ve picked up along the way!

Book your session early

First of all, I recommend waiting until the end of your first trimester before scheduling. But once you’re there, you should start researching for your photographer around weeks twelves/thirteen. BY the time you reach week twenty, you really want to have your session locked in. Why so early? Well, there are many reasons, but one is that the first few weeks of your pregnancy will be slow, full of waiting and anticipation, but the longer time goes on, excitement and stress builds and builds daily! Also many clients who want a newborn session wind up desiring a maternity session as well! And the time frame for these two sessions are fairly specific. So by booking early, you have time to make decisions and have everything planned out before your little one’s arrival.

Ask the hard questions

Secondly, don’t be afraid to ask your photographer questions. You want to create a dialog with your photographer and get to know their work. Knowing this information can inform you about your photographer’s personality and there photography style. What’s their training? How long have the been photographing newborns, etc. Answering this will tell you if your photographer knows how to accommodate different situations that can occur.

Safety Safety Safety!

Lastly, safety protocol is super important. Does your photographer have a strict sick policy? Do they wear masks? Your newborn is young, and their immune system, is not quite developed yet. You want to know how seriously your photographer takes health and safety! I consider your and your newborn’s health my top priority!

Laura Gooch with Laura Lou photography is one of the Newborn Photographers in Northern Virginia serving clients and their babies! If you’re interested in your own photos, come get some of your own!

Dane is 6 months | Stafford Virginia

Happy half birthday to this sweet smiley little boy!! I cannot believe Dane is already 6 months old and just happy as ever! This little dude is the youngest of 3, and super lucky to have 2 big sisters to learn from! He is seriously one of the smiliest little guys and I had so much fun capturing one of my favorite milestones! That 6 month time frame is so special because babies are really starting to let their personalities shine. They are still so squishy and chunky and love chat and coo. They also still laugh at me being goofy! ;). This kiddo is growing so fast and I just cannot believe he is already sitting up and looking more and more like a toddler and less of a baby!! That first ear goes by SO fast and am so blessed to have clients who let me capture these precious milestones!! Take a look at some of my favorites.

Michelle & Ken | Vienna, Virginia

Here we are 2 years into a pandemic. STILL. As much as the last 2 years have thrown so many curve balls at everyone, there is still SO much to be thankful for! Covid may have cancelled Michelle and Ken’s original wedding plans but it did not stop them from celebrating their love story!!! On a FREEEEEEZING morning in January these two said “I do.” Their first date was at a brewery and there was no better place to celebrate and become husband and wife. We started the morning with their incredible portraits at The Boro in Tysons. When I say it was freezing that is the understatement of the year. It was 16 degrees when we returned to the car and windy!! Their families were all smiles and somehow they all made it look like they were toasty!! It was a really cool spot to capture their first family portraits. They then said their vows in a small ceremony at Caboose Brewery in Vienna VA. Officiated by their close friend and all of their kiddos as witnesses, Michelle and Ken had one of the coolest weddings I have photographed. We even had a blast taking some parking lot portraits!! Everything about this day was perfect and I am so grateful to have been there to capture this big day for you both!! Congrats to the newlyweds!!!!

Erika's Maternity Session | Stafford Virginia

I LOVE having the opportunity to photograph big moments for my friends! This mama of 4 rocked her session last month! We had a 55 degree day in January, with leftover snow patches from one of our biggest snowfalls in years. When I saw the weather was supposed to be nice and warm (for January) we had to take advantage. Erika wore one of my gowns and I loved the way her maroon dress popped against the little white patches of snow and the insane sunset!

After taking full advantage of that gorgeous sky we switched gowns and headed to the creek!! Maternity photos are one of my favorite things to capture but when you are photographing your bestie you really just encourage them to do anything, like get into the freezing creek! :). She did incredible!! And we got to capture a few photos with her youngest who was VERY excited about becoming a big sis! Winter maternity sessions are certainly becoming one of my new favorite things!! They may be chilly at times but there is something so unique and beautiful about these winter nights! <3

Why you should book your newborn photography session early | Stafford VA

So, you found out you’re pregnant. CONGRATULATIONS! In all the scrambling and figuring out what to do and getting all the info and all the appointments lined up around Stafford VA, you decide that you want newborn photography! Awesome! But, you have no idea what to say or what to do. So, the biggest piece of advice I can give you is - Book Your Session Early! When your baby is born, there is a very short window of time, usually less than one month, where he or she changes very quickly. That first month is the perfect time to capture the innocence and beauty of your baby!

Availability

Newborn photography is very beautiful and exciting! So, it’s a popular choice for many new and expecting mothers. This means, unfortunately, that I cannot promise availability. All newborn photographers fill up fast, and while last minute availability is something that can happen, it doesn’t mean that it will. Getting your session locked on early in your second trimester is super important, so that we can adjust as needed and make sure that you don’t have to worry about finding an available date last minute.

Avoiding Stress

Avoiding stress is one of the biggest reasons why you should book your newborn session early. The first trimester will feel like it's taking forever, filled with anxiety and nervousness, but as time goes on, your life will feel like it's speeding up - faster and faster until you have your baby! So, it’s super important to secure that session before time feels like it’s speeding up! Also, once you have your baby, those first few weeks, no one wants to have to take time away from just enjoying and being with your newest family member. Making phone calls and searching for photographers while trying to do this would be difficult for anyone!

It’s an Investment

Lastly, newborn photography is an investment. After giving birth to a baby, there’s often medical bills and stress. Even with the best insurance, there’s still the fact that you will be seeing a lot of money change hands. So, by booking your session early, it’s easier to pay and forget about it for months, or even break up those payments over a several month span if you need. The point is, no one wants to have to shell out even more money when they’re already paying a hospital so much already! So, booking early gives you that peace of mind as well as some financial peace!

Lou photography does Newborn Photography in Woodbridge VA and beyond, serving clients and their babies! If you’re interested in your own photos, come get some of your own!

Kelsey's Maternity Session | Leesylvania Park Woodbridge VA

This was a winter session in Leesylvania State Park Woodbridge VA, and it's is one of my favorite places to shoot! Something that I absolutely LOVE is the natural beauty of the park and getting to use some of the natural space for creative shots. And that was something that I got to do this session!

The day started out cold and snowy, but on the drive out to Leesylvania Park in Woodbridge VA, the sun peeked out behind the gray blanket of a sky.

It. Was. GORGEOUS! I was going to be able to do a maternity shoot in some of the most beautiful clouds and sky I had seen in quite a while!

I arrived at the park and Kelsey and Dewey came to meet me. She was rocking a coral dress for her first outfit. I was able to pose her on the shoreline, and among the tumbleweeds. It was SO beautiful! The coral dress and tumbleweeds provided so much warmth against the gorgeous sky!

The next outfit she wore was a long white flowy dress, and she was ready for some creative photos. I always love when my clients are adventurous, because then I can get those amazing shots! For this dress, I got her out to the rock jetty and Kelsey nailed it! We were sharing the rocks with several seagulls, and getting them flying in the background was just amazing!

Then, we got into the water! Once we were there (Yup, I was in there with her!) I was able to get some incredible photos with the most epic sky. As we were in the water, light snow flurries started to fall, and while yes, it was FREEZING, Kelsey was all about it! The results were EPIC!

Kelsey, I cannot wait until our next session! I know we're going to be able to get some phenomenal photos in the future!

Laura with Laura Lou Photography serves clients in North Virginia; Woodbridge, Fredericksburg and beyond! If you liked the shots, come get some of your own!

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:

FINLEY IS THREE!!!

Three!? This kid is three!?? HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my beautiful little girl. This birthday has certainly hit me the hardest because I no longer see as much resemblance of the chunky little baby I met for the first time 3 years ago. This past year has been one of ups and downs for our family but through it all the constant beacon of hope and happiness has been Finley. This little girl is truly the sweetest kid and has such a pure and gentle soul. Somehow when things in the world don’t seem to make much sense she smiles and everything else fades away. I am the luckiest mama in the entire universe and I know her daddy feels the same about being her dad.

This year has been full of firsts for every family and with both of us working from home we have seen so much growth in every aspect of Fin’s personality and her interests. Everyone always says that things change so much that first year but never mention much about the following years. That is very true, but this year I have seen change and growth that has been night and day and it has been so exciting. While this year has been the most challenging, I think it also has become my favorite in that we have been able to watch her come into her own and learn something new everyday. Her independence and feisty spirit and her eagerness to be in the action as much as possible is truly awesome. I will never forget the first unprompted “I love you” or the first full movie we watched together snuggled up and cozy on the couch. I am thankful for a smooth potty training journey and transition to her big kid bed, and for finally being able to take a shower while she plays independently in her room. While she may have totally ditched her naps, we did get to take our first girls trip and spent a lot of fantastic nights in hotels and survived our longest road trip like a champ. I have also loved that while I see her every single second since birth, her daddy has also been able to witness the day to day growing up and am thankful that having both parents home has made vocab sky rocket. They call it threenager for a reason hahah!! Because this girl is a chatty one like her mommy! ;) But most of all this year has brought us both a mutual love for gardening and have spent hundreds of hours outside in the dirt planting and caring for our little plant babies and watching them grow together. I think our gardening hobby has really been my favorite part of this year. It has helped me heal and grieve the family we had once planned for and embrace the unbreakable bond that has developed between this little girl and I.

This year for photos I really tried to do them a few months early JUST in case I ran out of time. They were everything I had hoped for and some of my faves. BUT then she grew and started to look different and I was back to square one haha!! I am so lucky to have an amazing friend with a GORGEOUS garden who let us wander around and capture Fin in her element. I managed to capture both her tomboy side as well as her in a frilly dress. :) There is so much left to edit but hey who has time these days :) Thanks for following along this year! Happy Birthday Finley we love you!!

BABY EVERLY | NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER | STAFFORD, VIRGINIA

Meet Everly!!! This little girl is one special little lady! I met her mom and dad over 4 years ago when I photographed their first little boy. He was one of my first milestone babies and was incredible at every session. Then came their second little boy who I also had the pleasure of photographing for every milestone. He had big shoes to fill for those sessions and he also rocked his sessions. When I got the email that they were pregnant with their third and a little girl I literally squealed lol! To have the honor of photographing 3 kids for every milestone session is truly the greatest part of my job. It really makes you feel like family and watching these kiddos grow into their personalities and uniqueness is the most amazing gift. With all of the crazy covid stuff going on I was SO nervous this session wasn’t going to happen the way we had hoped. BUT someone was clearly looking out for us because she was my first official studio session after I was able to re-open. Literally every setup I had been planning happened and she did INCREDIBLE. Oh Everly I cannot wait to see you for your milestone sessions and watch you grow into an amazing little girl!! Here are some of my favorites from her session <3