Some BIG Rachael Dean Photography News! | Virginia Portrait and Wedding Photographer

Alright, y'all, I know that it's been pretty quiet on the home front since my recent return from our epic worldwide adventure, and you're getting antsy for some updates and new photos. Well, friends, the wait is over, and I'm breaking my radio silence with some big news:

Rachael Dean Photography is relocating to Virginia Beach!

As sad as I was leaving the wonderful clients that have become like friends here in the D.C. area, I am excited to make a new home in Virginia Beach. I found out while living on the beach in New Zealand that it's quite a relaxed and laid back way of life, and I'm pretty pumped to get some quality beach and water photography under my belt! And of course, I'm also stoked to get to know all the beautiful families of Virginia Beach -- and help them capture some great memories!

To help spread the word about my relocation, I am offering a limited-time referral bonus to current clients - from now through June 30:

• Refer a new client in Virginia Beach to me, and receive a FREE desk print (8x10 or smaller) of your choice from any of your past sessions!
• To top it off, if your referral books a session with me, they will also receive a FREE desk print (8x10 or smaller) of choice from their session!

So help me spread the word about my big move -- and I'll help you decorate a little bit of your family room, living room, or even your office desk!

A Personal Journey | Virginia Landscape and Travel Photographer

Hello again, loyal RDP fans! (And though it's a little late, Happy New Year!)

Sheesh, it's been quite a while since my last post! While I don't normally include my personal efforts in The Blog, I want to explain why you haven't been hearing much from me lately.  (By my count, just about seven months. Yikes!)

About a year ago, my husband, Rob, and I started thinking more deeply about the direction our lives were taking here in Northern Virginia and what we truly wanted to get out of life in general. We had causally toyed with the idea of long-term travel in the past, and we talked (and talked and talked and talked) about the idea for quite some time. I'll spare you from the gory details of our decision making process, but ultimately, we just took a leap of faith and went all in. Beginning in July, we embarked on a six month journey through New Zealand, Thailand, and China.

A little scary and a lot intimidating at first, in the end this turned out to be one of the best decisions we have ever made. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that exceeded any expectations we had boarding that first plane bound for New Zealand. Through our months on the road we got to know new cultures and parts of the world in a way that no standard two-week vacation could have ever let us. We met amazing people and we saw sights in person that we never thought we'd see outside of a Google image search; we cooked new foods, drove on the "wrong" side of the road, and saw single houses with histories longer than our entire country's. We learned that the world really is smaller than it seems, and that thinking outside the box every once in a while can lead to rewards greater than you can imagine.

While Rob and I mainly took this opportunity to pursue answers to some more personal life questions, I also wanted to use the time to develop the side of my photography that doesn't see much light of day in my portrait and wedding business: landscapes. And what better places to do this but New Zealand, Thailand, and China?! Needless to say, I took thousands of photos over our seven months abroad, and it was pretty tough to cull them down to just a few highlights. These are my personal favorites from each country of our trip. Back stories for each photo are in the captions!

New Zealand

Intricate and delicate, a sure sign of springtime in New Zealand is the unfurling fern. (Even tiny) bright green leaves and sunshine were welcome sights after 5 weeks of rainy days!

Stirling Falls in Milford Sound, New Zealand. These falls cascade over 155 meters to the glass water of the sound from a hanging valley that was carved by a glacier's slow march to the sea over thousands of years. The sight is breathtaking, and this photo in no way captures the full scale of its size and beauty!

Mirror Lakes in Fiordland National Park, New Zealand.  The perfectly still water of the lakes reflects the majestic peaks towering behind them.

The Pancake Rocks, Punakaiki, New Zealand. These unique rock formations look like stacks of pancakes above the water (hence the name) - and form huge caverns below the surface! When the winds and tide are just right, the sea is forced out through blowholes for a spectacular show.

Sunset over the Tasman Sea, West Coast, New Zealand. No two sunsets on the West Coast are the same!!

Sunset from the hidden beach on the Truman Track, Punakaiki, New Zealand. This beach is only accessible at low tide, so catching a sunset from here is tricky. But when the timing works, it's pure magic.

Thailand

Gold Buddha in a temple, Chiang Mai, Thailand. The pure symmetry inside each Thai Buddhist temple is a photographer's dream. The lush colors and moody lighting aren't bad, either.

Scenes straight out of movies like Jurassic Park and The Beach abound where the limestone cliff-islands rise out of the Andaman Sea in south Thailand.

Again, symmetry, lush colors, and intricate details adorn Thai temples - and create amazing views chock full of texture!

A relaxing afternoon on the island of Ko Lanta in south Thailand. The calm water, perfect sand, and beautiful cloudscapes undeniably make this beach paradise.

The Thai are experts on layering texture, color, and perspective in their temples. A step to the left or right of the middle often offers a unique and entirely new perspective on the traditional Buddha displays.

China

A decorated pagoda in Jingshiang Park, Beijing, China.

A lone watchtower along the Great Wall outside Beijing, China. This section of the wall is only partially restored, and you can see the decaying, crumbling section being reclaimed by the foliage in the foreground.

A fish pond in the Jade Buddha Temple in Shanghai, China. The fish were huge!

A girl in red walks through the narrow cobblestone alleys in Zhouzhuang Ancient Water Town, China. This town has houses that belong to families with histories older than the entire history of the United States. Unreal!

The narrow alleys and ancient houses line a maze-like network of canals in Zhouzhuang, China. The lights reflecting in the ultra smooth surface of the canals create a beautiful illusion at night.

Rob and I kept a blog of our adventures as a way to capture our memories before they faded. If you're interested in reading more about our travel experience, or want to see more images, feel free to mosey on over to our blog, R2D2Backpacking. We'd love to have you stop by!

P.S. If you liked any of the images in this post, I have some good news for you! I'm going to be offering limited-edition prints of selected images from our travel. Each print will be 11 in X 14 in and will be discontinued after five are made. Ordering details will be announced next week!

Cassi and Steve are Married! | Maryland and Virginia Wedding Photographer

I am so blessed to have been a part of this beautiful, fun, and elegant wedding! Cassi and Steve were married on Saturday afternoon in my lovely hometown of Cumberland, and they had a spectacular day with a bright blue sky and picturesque puffy white clouds. Steve and Cassi are English and History professors, and their Victorian-themed wedding fit their personalities perfectly. I just LOVED all of the Victorian details, from the long coattails that the groom and his men wore, to the bride's gloves and the delicate rose color of the bridesmaids dresses, to the vintage centerpieces at the reception.

Want to know the best part about this wedding, though? This adorable couple's absolute dedication to each other and the beauty of marriage. It's so clear that they are completely in love with each other, and so happy to be married!

Congrats, Cassi and Steve, and enjoy your honeymoon!

The Cali Family | Expecting | Leesburg, VA Maternity Photographer

I met the Calis in Leesburg for a family maternity session this past weekend, and I could not have asked for yummier light, better weather, or a more natural and serene expecting momma! I can't believe it's been a little over a year since I met this fun family for Nora's first birthday cake smash, and boy, has Nora grown so much in the past year. Now that she's walking, she kept us running after geese and looking for monkeys in the trees. I just love spending time with them, and seeing how natural they are with each other in front of the camera is incredibly heartwarming. Annika radiates with a calm, expectant beauty, and it's clear to see that they all can't wait to meet the newest addition to their family. I'm so glad to have helped the Calis document their last few months as a family of three!

Delicious Dessert Photography for Wandering Zorba Bakery | Northern Virginia Photographer

I'm so excited to finally be able to share this great collaboration with everyone! I have been drooling -- literally -- over these dessert photos for a while, but had to wait a tick to officially share with y'all. A while back, I had the opportunity to work with Wandering Zorba Bakery to photograph their desserts as they worked to launch their company. John and his mom, Elvira, run Wandering Zorba as a "sweet" food cart in Northern Virginia. They focus on baking traditional Greek desserts using the family recipes that Elvira herself brought stateside as a young woman from Greece. In addition to using their own family recipes, John and Elvira use locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. 

A great plus of doing a food shoot is that when it's over, there are lots of yummy things to try...and try I did! From the deliciously flaky and nutty baklava to the luscious revani with just a hint of lemon, my taste buds were not disappointed. Trust me, their website and its tantalizing descriptions of each dessert will have your mouth watering in no time, and soon you'll be itching for your own taste of the Wandering Zorba's delightful desserts. If you're in the Northern Virginia area, I strongly urge you to check them out at your local farmer's market. You won't be disappointed!

Note: Wandering Zorba is on Twitter here, and Facebook here. Follow them for cart location updates and specials!

The Williams Family | Cherry Blossom Session | Virginia Family Photographer

I had so much fun with the Williams family this weekend! We had perfect weather on Saturday morning for a session with the cherry blossoms, and really lucked out that the rain on Thursday and Friday didn't bring the blooms down with it. To top it off, their story is fascinating. They're an incredible family that has roots all over the place and had some amazing experiences. They were a pleasure to hang with -- even the littlest Williams spent the entire session with an adorable smile on her face!

Williams family, I wish you all the best on your next big, globetrotting adventure!

Dawn and Jeff's Cherry Blossom Engagement Session | Virginia Portrait Photographer

This time of year in DC is my favorite time of year (I'm sure it's quite obvious by now!). Add in a sunrise engagement session this morning and, well, I'm like a kid in a candy store. This morning's session with Dawn and Jeff was so fun! Although Dawn and Jeff now live in Boston, I met them on the National Mall because they wanted to document their engagement in the city where they met nearly five years ago. As we moved from the Mall to the Tidal Basin, I knew there was something special about this couple. The way that Jeff knew exactly how to bring out Dawn's goofy side was just amazing, and as we chatted about how they met and their wedding plans, their love for each other was obvious. I wish them all the best in Boston and beyond!

Wedding Wednesday: The Importance of Engagement Photos | Virginia Wedding Photographer

Today's Wedding Wednesday post focuses on why I think engagement photos matter -- from personal experience. It's a good one!

It may come as a surprise to you that I, as a photographer who loves making and looking at beautiful  images of people in love, did not have an engagement session with my husband before we got married. Shocker, I know! It just did not seem like a big deal to leave out that step while we were planning our wedding -- in fact, it seemed like it would be more of a hassle to schedule yet another appointment during those already hectic months. We had already sent our save-the-dates as a simple postcard before we booked our photographer, and we thought, "What's the point of more pictures together? We'll have plenty from our wedding day."

Well, my friends, we could not have been more wrong. As I look back over that time, I realize that we could have easily scheduled a one-hour session in our 1 year + 4 months-long engagement.

Yes, we have beautiful images from our wedding day, and we will cherish them forever. We are obviously happy; it's clear from the giddy school-girl grins plastered to our faces in every. Single. Image. Yet those images are not completely us. There are various reasons for this, but perhaps the most obvious one is that despite our grins, our faces wear a mixed bag of emotions: joy, relief that the hard part (ceremony) is over, and even some nerves about being the one in front of the camera instead of behind it!

When I look back, I realize that  by not prioritizing and scheduling an engagement session, we missed out on a wonderful opportunity to document our joy and excitement during that year before the wedding. Just the pure, unadulterated joy and anticipation of the wonderful and awesome things that our life together has in store for us. We missed the opportunity to capture us, as we are in real life: relaxed, easygoing, and totally over the moon for each other.

In case you need any more convincing, here are a few additional reasons for booking an engagement session:

• It gives you some images to show off before the wedding on your save-the-dates. I hear that's all the rage these days!
• It will boost your confidence before your wedding day. Seriously. You'll realize that you ARE photogenic and beautiful, and that you look great together!
• It gives you and your photographer time to bond and get used to each other. This is important. It will make everything easier for everyone on your big day!
• Even if you don't use the same photographer for your wedding day and engagement session, an engagement session still gives you practice time in front of the camera. This is also important, as it helps both you and your fiance feel comfortable as a couple at the center of attention. Well, at least your photographer's attention.
• It helps you work out kinks like makeup and hair details in a situation with far less pressure and time constraints than your wedding day.
• It lets you show off your personalities a little more than your wedding portraits. I'm talking to you, couple with the his and hers RGIII jerseys!

And so, young brides, if you are wavering about scheduling an engagement session, here's my advice: just book it already. You won't regret it!

Weekend Round Up: Cherry Blossom Mini-Sessions (Round One)! | Virginia Portrait Photographer

Whew, this weekend was busy! Spring has finally made its debut in DC, and you won't see many people complaining. The cherry blossoms in DC are quite possibly the most beautiful feature of early spring in these parts; the one week where they are in full force is absolutely heavenly. I highly recommend checking them out this week if you haven't yet!

This weekend also marked the first weekend of my Cherry Blossom Mini-Sessions. Here's a sneak peek into the fun we had around the Tidal Basin and the National Mall. There are plenty more to come later this week and into the weekend, so stay tuned for updates!

Are you interested in a Cherry Blossom Mini-Session? This week is the peak week, so schedule yours today before you miss out on this year's blossoms!