Sweet baby Jackson was my first newborn session in my new studio! He is also the little boy to a very dear friend of mine who I have known since college, so he really holds a special place in my heart. <3 PLUS he’s just a really cool kid! Smiley, happy, and full of personality. When we planned his one year session we opted for the creek instead of a traditional cake smash. I pulled out my little boat prop and we grabbed a few posed photos but then LOVED allowing him to splash and play in the creek. He def kept us on ur toes because he realllllly wanted to eat the rocks hahaha!! He really did such a phenomenal job for his session and gave me some of my favorite portraits of him to date! Jackson you are a doll and I love you so much!!! Cannot wait to continue capturing this adorable little boy as he thrives as a toddler. <3
Brady Extended Family Session | Government Island | Stafford VA
I love photographing a good family session, and Government Island is one of my favorite places to photograph anything!
I never used to like going to Government Island, even though it's pretty close to me. I've known about that spot since I started my business, but never really got into shooting there, I could never get it to work for me. Then one summer it just kind of clicked for me and now I love it! I love photographing by the creek because it's a great spot in any season! It's best during sunset when the creek has this wonderful golden glow.
I first met Morgan and Zach, as well as their two kids Paige and Parker, about a year ago. I got to photograph Paige's newborn session and I actually get to do her one year session soon as well. I'm super excited! This past fall I took some pictures for Morgan's extended family, which was great! The session was a lot of fun and we actually got to do it at Government Island in a different spot.
This session was purchased for Zach's family as a gift. The family was awesome! We met on a week night and although the April weather has been all over the place and that night was a little chilly, everyone was amazing!
We started with the big group and gradually narrowed it down to smaller groups. I was taking pictures as fast as I could to keep the kids from freezing! There was some ideal lighting and some insane cloud cover which was perfect; we got a lot of different looks and feels in one session! Everyone was super cooperative and I loved what we captured.
This family session was really fun and I'm glad we got to do it at Government Island. I was able to get some photos of Paige, Parker and the grandparents as well as some of Zach's brother and sister. It was cool because his sister is engaged so we got to do some fun little engagement pictures as well. Everything turned out amazing and loved getting to meet the other side of their fam!!
If you or your family need some pictures taken just look me up!
Spivey Family | Family Photography Manassas Park | Virginia
Doing family photography can be such a special thing, and the Manassas Battlefield offers quite the backdrop for it! Nature and Family blend in a beautiful harmony and I get to be there to take the pictures!
Catie emailed me in January to book a spring session, and she was excited to work with me! The booking for the session was super quick, which is always great with new clients. Catie had seen one of her friends' photos from working with me about a year ago and decided to look me up. For me that is huge! I love it when people are excited to book their session with me!
We started in the woods in the Manassas Battlefield Park. I started the session (like I do), with the super posed shots. Whenever a family has younger kids I try to get these out of the way so that the family can get their yearly "updated photos". So we took some of the family together, and then dad and the kids, mom and the kids, and individual shots of each kid. Those are the types of photos that'll probably end up in Christmas cards and frames!
Jack, their little boy was a complete model and did so, so well! Lily, on the other hand was cracking me up because she made me work for it. We did so many ridiculous tricks to get her to smile! We took a lot of photos of Lily with her mom, and those ended up being some of my favorites for the session! And don’t worry she totally warmed up for me ;)
After we took the pictures in the woods we headed down to the creek. I always love the posed photos, but there's something special about letting the family play around and be in their element. Not stressing out about too many structured photos and being natural with each other. We got a lot of amazing photos! The light was great and Lily really enjoyed splashing in the water and taking pictures with her dad.
The session was just about over, but the sunset was phenomenal so I had to get a few more! We drove up into a field in front of one of the monuments in the Battlefield to take full advantage of it. I think I took some of what might be my favorite photos before we left!
All in all the session was very successful! The weather was beautiful and the Spivey's and their kids did so well. I'm glad that they chose me to take some pictures for them and I hope they love the pictures!
If you need someone to do some family photography in Manassas or somewhere else in the Virginia area, look me up!
Kayla's Senior Session | Leesylvania Park | Senior Photography Session Virginia
This senior photography session is very special to me. I've known Kayla's mother since she was in third grade and we even grew up together! We went to different high schools but reunited after I finished grad-school and was working again.
At the time I was trying to figure out my future plans and toying around with the idea of starting my own photography business. I wasn't sure at the time where to start and that's when I ran into Kayla's mom, Lauren, again! Lauren had recently started her own photography business and she was able to point me to resources. She was also one of my biggest supporters from the very beginning!
When I met Kayla she was nine years old and I've had the joy of seeing her grow up over the past nine years! I blinked and Kayla went from being a little girl to graduating high school. I'm so glad I got to be the one to capture it!
Lauren was there at the beginning of my photography business and now I got to share this milestone with her and her family!
We split Kayla's senior photography session into two parts, the first was at Leesylvania Park in Woodbridge Virginia. We photographed some in the woods and I got some great pictures on the beach and some on those fun rocks by the water that I love so much!
It was a fun day - the weather was beautiful and sunny. It did get a bit chilly towards the end but Kayla was a trooper and didn't complain about the wind or the chill. I recommended three outfits for her, a fun casual outfit and two cute little dresses. I wanted to highlight her personality with the outfit choices!
The second part of Kayla's senior photography session was a couple of weeks later. Kayla's cap and gown had finally arrived so we met in downtown Fredericksburg to get some city photos. The city portion of the session was much warmer so Kayla did have to freeze! Seeing Kayla in her cap and gown made this moment finally feel so real!!
I feel so blessed to have had the chance to capture this special milestone for Kayla. It was also great to catch up with Lauren as well as her family celebrates their high school senior!
Please check out my blog for more and give me a call if you need a photographer for your special moments!
Baby Maggie | Newborn Photography | Stafford, Virginia
Meet Maggie!! This little girl is very special to me!! Her mama and I are great friends and I have spent the majority of her maternity leave with them! Maggie even became my daily walking buddy along with her mom and I have been SO lucky to see her grow and change over the last 3 months. For her newborn session we went ALL out. Bonus of having a friend photographer haha!! Born on valentines day, this little rockstar had her first mini photo shoot at just 2 days new!! We had a gorgeous February afternoon and we were able to capture a prop shot outdoors in her backyard! Such a rare thing to have a warm enough day in Feb but it was meant to be!! Then we had her normal studio session around 9 days new. She slept like a champ and we flew through her session. We grabbed beanbag and prop shots and Maggie was a PRO! By the end I just enjoyed holding her for another hour while her mom and I just chatted away!
Then a few days later Maggie came back to see me for a very special photo! One where we used my little pup as part of the setup! I have always wanted to incorporate my pup again in a newborn session and I do believe this is one of my favorite photos of all time! By week 4, I really wanted to see her again for a little easter setup and it was so much fun because she was WIDE awake and gave me the best open eye bunny foo foo photo and I could not be more in love! We certainly spoiled this little beauty in her first month of life with all the photos and I could not be happier. She is such a perfect little model and I cannot wait to continue to watch her grow and change over the next year.
Twin Cake Smash | Baby Photography VA
It's not too often I get to do a Twin Cake Smash! I've had the pleasure of photographing these twin boys since they were newborns! In fact, it was one of the first newborn sessions I got to shoot in my new studio!
For this one-year cake smash the theme was baseball; a perfect fit for two little boys! I took the first few photos with the twins in these totally cute blue and sage green rompers. We got a few solo pictures of the boys out in the yard, and of course I used one of my white Luneberry bowls. After a few individual shots we got some of them together.
After that we started the real deal! We took the boys inside and dressed them up in their adorable baseball pants and got to work! We got a few solo photos of each of the twins against the backdrop and then put on their little baseball caps and started the smash. The cake smash is always my favorite part!
Their mama brought two little baseball cakes and we put them in front of the boys and let them go for it---It was adorable!
Every cake smash is a bit different. Usually there's a few tears and some kids take to it more than others. It's always interesting to see their little personalities come out! For the twins, one of them was more into the photos while we were outside and one got more into them while we were inside. But they both really enjoyed that cake. It was loads of fun!
The boys ate their cakes fairly delicately and gave me some of the funniest faces to capture! At one point the twins slowed down a little so their big sister came in and helped feed them. By the end though, the cakes were demolished, it was super cute!
The twins weren't too wild but they sure did give me some epic faces lol! It was so fun to watch them have their cake and eat it too! They made a huge mess of course, but that's one of my favorite parts! This twin cake smash was really great, the family is wonderful and the boys were fantastic. I get to see them all again this fall for some more family photos. I'm really looking forward to it!
It's been a blast watching these little boys grow up, I got to photograph them for their newborn stage and also at five months and now a year!
I really enjoyed this cake smash and can't wait to see the twins again!
If you're reading this and looking for someone to capture these special moments for your family, look me up at https://www.lauralouphotography.com
Baby Jackson | Newborn Photography Session | Stafford, Virginia
I absolutely adore this family!! They came to see me when sweet little Jackson was just a few days shy of turning one month! If the pandemic has taught me anything, it's that photographing newborns a little older than the 2-3 week range is still possible and equally as amazing!! This little guy was a dream and slept like a champ for his session! We were able to photograph SO much from family, parent, sibling, to his adorable solo shots! We also made sure to celebrate his big sister who is watching over him from heaven.
One of the joys of photographing newborns passed that 2-3 week mark is that they are really starting to fill out, and their faces are evolving from that fresh newborn to a sweet little chubby baby. I mean this kiddo has the cutest little lips and even gave me a little smirk!! At the end of the session he was up and ready to party and I loved being able to grab some open eye photos.
This family was truly a delight to work with and I am so happy we got to celebrate such a wonderful memory for them! Here are some of my favorites!
Aimee's Maternity Photoshoot | Manassas Park Virginia
I’ve had the pleasure of working with Aimee and her family before, and this time was no different! I had a wonderful time with her maternity photoshoot! Her baby girl was so cute and posed so well for pictures! Clearly she’s a natural. :)
We did our session at Manassas National Battlefield Park, and the scenery made for some incredible pictures! The day was nice and warm, which is rare for March in Virginia. And the light was PERFECT.
I started by lining everyone up for some family shots. We got some pictures of Aimee and her daughter and got a few photos of them playing around in the woods. We had fun with some blue smoke bombs to celebrate baby Levi!! After that we went down to the creek and that was my absolute favorite! Aimee dressed in a gorgeous burgundy dress and her daughter and husband dressed in burgundy and red to match!
We did family photos along the creek bed and then got a few of just momma and her little girl and few of just mom and dad. We ended the session with solo pictures of mama and they were awesome!
The lighting was glowing and the creek is always one of my favorite spots to photograph maternity sessions. We got a few pictures on this old rickety bridge which I just loved.
By the end of the session I had packed up my gear for our hike back to the car.
As we were all walking back to the parking lot, the field where we had begun the session was so bright and filled with beautiful golden sunlight that I just had to pull out my camera for a few more pictures!
We stopped in some long grass framed by the tree-line and the light came through and made it look like the sky was on fire, it was so gorgeous and just perfect for some final shots!
All in all, this was a very fun session, with a great family. I got to do a session for them two years ago at a tree farm. It was great to see them again and capture these special photos for their family.
Check me out and see more of my work at my website!
National Infertility Awareness Week
Octobr 2019, we received the terrible news that our final embryo transfer had not worked, I vividly remember the shock, the grief, and the overall disappointment I felt. Not only for us as a couple but for our daughter who would never experience becoming a big sister. That pain hit us hard. It devastated us individually and also as a couple. It impacted us financially, and physically took a huge toll on my overall health. It impacted friendships and changed our entire outlook on parenting. I became a hovering helicopter mom in constant fear of something happening to my miracle baby. It truly became some of the darkest days of my life. I had never felt more broken and angry. Each failed transfer left me feeling empty and heartbroken, and by the end I felt like a shell of a human. Six months later when Covid hit I didn’t think I could feel any worse. I was going through the motions of the day to day but I was hurting badly. BUT with covid, came quarantine and a lot of family time with Jeremy and Fin. We were given a strange period of time where life seemed to pause and even stop all together. I felt like this time was given to us to process the last year and a half of treatments and come to terms with what a family with one kid meant. The transition of us all being home was tough but we were truly blessed with 2 FULL years of being home with our girl. Our day to day life transformed into an entirely new reality. It is a very rare thing to have both parents home to raise their child 24-7. We are both really involved in raising her, but the involvement in the day to day and watching your 2.5 year old grow was undeniably the biggest gift. This time allowed us to grieve the loss of our embryos and heal together as a family, and really embrace our family of 3 (plus our pup). We saw Finley’s vocabulary blossom and her personality reach new levels. While we couldn’t give her a sibling, what we could give her was a life that would be so unique to us. It helped me to find a comfort and a peace in our infertility diagnosis, and final outcome. And for the first time I was starting to feel ok with moving forward.
Yes I still feel heartbroken for my kid and I still feel angry sometimes knowing we cannot have more kids. I also still feel that fiery sting in my soul when im told I am lucky to have a kid at all. Because yes, I know that I am extremely lucky to have experienced the most incredible pregnancy. But I also know the damage this diagnosis did to us and how hard we fought for it not to destroy us. It was unfair and shitty, and everyone going through this is allowed to hurt and feel angry. I constantly must remind myself that this pain will slowly subside. But most importantly I know that our infertility diagnosis no longer dictates my identity. It no longer holds me back from celebrating the miracle we have. And gives me a new appreciation of being a mother, and also reminds me how strong we are individually and as a couple. This journey transformed out marriage in a way I could have never predicted when we got married, and it made us stronger and closer. And I would not change any second of it because it brought us Finley and the happiness we feel today..<3
SO during this week I encourage those fighting for their families to share their stories. You deserve to be heard. Reach out to support groups and dont be afraid to talk to a counselor. Ask questions, and advocate for yourself, and find a clinic that makes you feel heard. Treatments are A LOT to process and the hormones layered with the stress is like nothing you are ever ready for. But know you are not alone. And this part of your life will have an ending. And you will get through it. One way or another you will get to the point where enough is enough and you will learn to grieve and find peace in whatever the outcome may be. It may not be easy but you will survive it. Spreading awareness and supporting those who face this battle truly makes the difference. I can never thank the incredible nurses enough (you know who you are) for being with me every step of the way, the new friends and the clients I have met who we have shared and cried about our stories together. And for all the people who surrounded us with love, and mostly to Jeremy for being the most incredible partner though it all. And dont forget to keep fighting! <3
Jacobs Family | Outdoor Newborn Session | Stafford, Virginia
I absolutely adore my friend and have had SO much fun capturing her baby journey. When sweet Maggie was born on Valentine’s day we were blessed with a heat wave for about a week and a half in Virginia. We had temps over 75 degrees which is so rare for our area in the middle of February. W made sure to take full advantage of it and brought their newborn session outside onto the creek! I have always love outdoor newborn sessions, but Virginia temps are so crazy you really need to go for it when that warm day hits! I wrapped baby Maggie in a light pink wrap and an adorable pink bonnet to coordinate with her family. I am obsessed with every single photo we captured!
Then I made sure to get a little prop shot along the creek bed and put Erika back in the gorgeous gown we used for her maternity session. With temps being so warm she eagerly tiptoed into the water for me and she was absolutely glowing!! Between the golden light and the special mommy and baby connection I was in absolute heaven!! Erika, your family is absolutely gorgeous and I am so thankful for your friendship and continual support for me and my business!!! I hope you love her session as much as I do!!
