Liam's Newborn Session | Virginia Portrait Photographer

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend and the Monday Blues aren't getting you too down. But if they are... here's a yummy newborn session that will cheer you right up!

I had the pleasure of photographing my friend's perfect new little guy, Liam, a few week ago. He is such an adorably small person with the best button nose! I had so much fun with him, though the session was a little stressful for him at the end (I think all the fun stuff just wore him out). His mom had the cutest little hats for Liam to wear, made by a friend of hers just for Liam. I especially loved the little elephant hat. Liam's nursery theme is elephants, and the hat just fits right in! Here's a little peek into our day together:

Wedding Wednesday: It's All In (Capturing) The Details | Virginia Wedding Photographer

If big-picture ideas and overarching themes are two great cake flavors, the details are the frosting that glues them together. As a bride you've spent hours poring over ALL the details, from color schemes to flower arrangements to cake flavors to seating card displays. You've invested months of your precious free time into making each and every detail of your wedding picture-perfect, and while some guests may not notice all of these details, your photographer definitely will! We know how hard you worked making 400 of those tiny and oh-so-cute toothpick drink flags, or painstakingly inscribing that heartfelt thank-you note on each and every guest's favor, and it's our job to capture these details for your eternal memory.

Details! They take a lot of planning, and we're here to help capture them beautifully.

Yet photographers are human, too. In the hustle and bustle of the big day, we won't always capture EVERY detail - no matter how hard we try, that's just how it is.

But this is where you can step in to save your own day! There are other ways to make sure the wonderful details of your wedding are preserved by you and your guests (in addition to the details we manage to snag as photographers). And the beauty of multiple methods is multiple perspectives. You'll get 100 versions of your day to remember, not just two or three!

Photo Booth 
A photo booth is a great way to capture the funny, silly, and quirky sides of your guests! With fun props, photo booths can instantly set a "party" atmosphere during your cocktail hour or reception. Another plus with renting a photo booth is that your guests can have memories from your night as well! Consider using a photo booth to create favors from the night for your guests, and save a copy of the images for an fun-filled guest book.

Check with your photographer if you're interested in a photo booth - most provide some version of one these days, although what they offer varies by photographer. If your photographer doesn't offer a photo booth, renting one is also easy-peasy!

Disposable Cameras
Disposable cameras are a classic wedding staple. They're fun for your guests - and fun for you! You can even customize them with your names, wedding date, and colors to coordinate with the rest of your wedding decor. While you won't get top-notch images from the cameras you set at each table, you'll get boatloads of memories and a little something from each of your guest's perspectives. You can order customizable disposable cameras through sites like The Knot and Etsy.

Smartphone Apps
Let's get real, y'all; it's the 21st century. Everyone and their grandmother has a smartphone, which means all of your guests (including your grandmother) already have a camera. Your guests are snapping images left and right with the camera in their phone and blissfully instagramming the night away. Instead of giving them another camera to worry about, why not make it easier for them to share the photos they're already taking at your wedding?

The best smartphone app I've seen for just this purpose is called Wedding Party. It's a nifty app that lets you create a private and collaborative album for you wedding, where your guests can upload their mobile images throughout the wedding. All you need to do is create the album and give your guests instructions to download the app (it's free!). The best part about this is that everyone has access to view and contribute to the album when they download the app, so you get hundreds of the candid and fun images to remember - and so do your guests!

Wedding Wednesday: Fitting Photography into the Picture | Virginia Wedding Photographer

Two weeks ago, I introduced my Wedding Wednesday series and talked about one of the first and most important things you should do when you're planning your wedding, setting your budget. (If you missed that post, you can check it out here!) This week, I'm writing about something a little closer to my heart: some tips for selecting your photographer!

As you can imagine, selecting your photographer (or any of your main vendors, for that matter) takes time and research.  With that in mind, here are some tips for fitting your photographer into the picture!

Yep, that's me in action at my sister's wedding, where I did double duty as the photographer and a bridesmaid. (Taken by the Seven Springs resort photographer.)

Brush up on your style.

What's your photographic style? It's OK if you have no idea -- most people don't. During the first leg of your research, ask friends or family for photographer recommendations, or do an online search for wedding photographers in your area. As you look through the portfolios, ask yourself a few questions. Do you like a more vintage feel in your photos, or are crisp, classic black-and-whites more your style? Do you like the quirky, colorful images? Can you feel the emotions coming through in the images? These are all important factors in determining the style you want for your photos, and you'll want to go with a photographer who produces well-lit, high quality photos that go with your style.

Personality is important.

The relationship that you develop with your photographer is one of the most crucial relationships you'll develop during the wedding planning process, and because it's such a personal, intimate occasion, you want the best person for YOU on that day. While there are plenty of extremely talented wedding photographers out there, only a handful of them will be the right fit for your wedding. As you chat with your potential photographers, it's important for that mutual chemistry to be there. Think of these conversations as a first date! Do you click right away? If not, move on! 

Don't be afraid to ask questions!

Communication with your photographer is key in getting the coverage that you want. Your questions will most often come when you're discussing the packages each photographer offers. Often times photographers can put together custom packages, so if you really like a photographer and her style, but aren't seeing something you want in her packages, go ahead and ask for it! Don't be afraid to ask other questions as well: How many images will we get? How many hours will you be there for this fee, or does the fee cover an assistant or second shooter? How long will it take to deliver our proofs? These things are all important in assuring that you don't get any big surprises on the day of -- or a few months after -- your wedding. 

A picture is worth a thousand words, and fantastic wedding pictures are worth the price tag. 

Yep, that's right: spending money on a good photographer is well worth the splurge. Your photographer's job is to capture the essence of your day and produce a product that you'll cherish for the rest of your life, not just snap some pics and call it a day. We take pride in what we do, and the average wedding photographer spends anywhere from 20 to 40+ hours on your images after the wedding putting together the best images to convey the story line that you worked so hard to plan. There is nothing like being able to look back on your photos 10 years from now and instantly relive that special day, and that often comes with the price tag of a talented photographer. 

And finally, vision under pressure. 

A good photographer will pick up on subtle cues throughout the day, and won't need much direction at all. A great photographer will also be there with an "emergency kit" to make sure the little things that pop up (like stray hairs or torn stockings) don't derail you. An amazing photographer will be able to make suggestions on the fly if something just isn't working, or even suggest ideas for images that you had not previously thought of!  It's our job to capture you at your best, and we will work with your coordinator to make sure that everything goes smoothly and that you look your best, happiest self on one of the happiest days of your life. 

And the Winner Is...

Last week, I announced my holiday engagement feature contest, and I was blown away by all of your responses and stories. I just LOVED reading about how excited and surprised everyone was (well, at least the half of you that did not know your better half was going to propose!). It's just another reason that I love the holidays!

So, on to what you all are dying to hear: the winners! It was tough to pick just one, but I had to. The lucky couple is...

Erica and Bryan! Their Christmas Eve story was so sweet, and I was a sucker for the picture they included to go along with it.  Congratulations to Erica and Bryan, and stay on the lookout for their special feature in the next few months!