2023 RECAP!!!

What a year!! 2023 feels like the longest and shortest year of ALL time. It tested me in ways and opened my eyes to SO MANY THINGS and I have learned ALOT about myself over the last 12 months. With that being said it was also one of the most difficult years for me professionally and personally. Funny thing is nothing really significant happened but more a slew of little things finally pushing me to what felt like a late 30’s crisis LOL! As a mom we wear SO many hats throughout the day but with years and years of trying to balance everything eventually you start to let those hats drop one by one. And for me I think they all fell this year. I can laugh about it now because while I felt like I was falling apart there was also so many good things this year brought that kind of got lost in the shuffle. SO today I am sharing some positives of 2023 and also sharing the AMAZING clients who helped me survive this tough year!! You are what got me through!! <3

2023 kicked off with a bang and I celebrated my 10th year in business! A huge milestone that I still cannot believe is real!! A decade dedicated to serving clients and creating beautiful artwork and memories has been such a blessing. But my biggest achievement is seeing all of the returning faces of clients I have been photographing that entire time. Some clients have let me into their lives for over a decade! I have had multiple brides celebrate their 10 year anniversary, families welcome their 2nd and 3rd baby, kids I photographed in their mom’s belly start school, brides texting me they're pregnant, the list goes on. The overwhelming support from returning clients really lifted me up this year and I am forever thankful for the relationships that I have been built over the last 10+ years. I truly cannot thank you enough.

This year alone I have photographed 136 sessions plus more for my own kiddo. I have met 55 new AMAZING families who have all welcomed me into their lives with open arms and shared their excitement about their photos. This year certainly was one of the most rewarding. It was knowing that these incredible faces believed in me during a time I felt so unworthy. Their support allowed me to keep growing as an artist and photographed some of my favorite sessions of all time. THANK YOU to every single one of you for walking alongside me during a tough season. Your support will never be forgotten <3

Another huge perk of 2023 was that I offered tulip, sunflower, creek, cherry blossom, and tree farm minis in addition to my spring and fall. And I LOVED every second of these sessions. Because these are sessions I can’t shoot all year round they have become some of my favorites. I WILL be offering ALL of these again and cannot wait to see what families will join in on the fun!! This year I will be changing things up a bit with how I book to continue to give me time to be creative and recharge.

My goal for 2024 is to make this year about savoring every last moment! I did a terrible job of capturing my own family this year and I am super sad that I let my negativity and self-esteem stop me from capturing more moments with my family. I will NOT make that mistake this year!! So if you are feeling blah email me! Lets chat and make your session this year extra special! I cannot wait to meet new faces and catch up with returning faces!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! To everyone who supported my business this year! You rock!! <3 ~Laura

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!

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!

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

PATRICK | NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER | STAFFORD, VIRGINIA

Meet Patrick!! Believe it or not but this handsome baby boy is already over a year old!! HOW!? I saw him early March for his one year session and yes I am just now blogging his newborn session! But hey thats ok because it was a GREAT one! This adorable baby boy had the BEST hair ever and was so cuddly. I loved every second of getting to know his parents and have loved working with them over the past year. I miss you guys and am SO thankful to see you once more before the world went crazy <3 Here are some of my favorites:

NICOLE MATERNITY | MATERNITY PHOTOGRAPHER | MANASSAS, VIRGINIA

Every January I feel so refreshed from the holidays and excited to see what kind of sessions the new year will bring. That first session always has high expectations because you’ve taken a little shooting breather and just dying to get back out there and create. WELL. This year certainly started off better than I could have imagined.

We had originally planned this session in December but with her hubby’s deployment schedule we needed to push it until after the 1st. When we made the switch she asked if I thought it could snow. I knew it was possible but the weather was so crazy in 2018 I didn’t think it was going to happen. I never know what crazy ideas the weather has up it’s sleeve. In sticking with that crazy Virginia weather, not only was our original weekend a rainy mess, but our new date brought us SNOW!! I couldn’t believe it. Like no joke started snowing as I was driving to the session. It was incredible. It was pretty freezing but these 3 were such troopers and we got some of my favorite shots of all time!! Take a look at my favorites!

LIAM TURNS ONE! | MILESTONE PHOTOGRAPHER | STAFFORD, VIRGINIA

I love photographing cake smashes! I do not shoot them as much as I want too, BUT every once in awhile you get one like this and it reminds you of how much fun they can be. Liam was by far one of the best cake smashes I have ever photographed. I loved his airplane setup and he came to the session ready. He DESTROYED that cake and had a blast. It was fantastic!! This little guy is such a character and I loved every minute of this session.

COLIN TURNS ONE | MILESTONE PHOTOGRAPHER | STAFFORD, VIRGINIA

This summer i had so much fun capturing Colin’s one year photos and cake smash!!! He was so good for his newborn session and did amazing for his one year session. I love getting to see my newborn clients grow up and become fun little toddlers full of personality! Colin is the most handsome little guy and his smile melts my heart! This kiddo was such a cutie pie and really destroyed his cake and I loved every minute of it!! Here are my favs <3

BABY WAVERLY | NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER | NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER

Meet sweet little Waverly! This baby is the youngest of 3 and I had the pleasure of photographing both of her siblings as newborns! In fact her big sister was one of the first newborn sessions I have ever shot!! There is nothing more rewarding and amazing than being able to photograph a family’s newborn but when you’ve been trusted to do it 3 times it is truly a blessing. Waverly was SOOOO sleepy and did amazing. We got the most setups I have ever been able to get and in record time. Here are my favorites :

AMBER 9 MONTH MILK BATH | MILESTONE SESSION | STAFFORD, VIRGINIA

I absolutely adore these gorgeous gals!!  I met Madeliza almost 2 years ago when I photographed a mutual friend's birth.  Little did I know we would shortly both become pregnant just a few months apart and that I would be following along her pregnancy and mommy hood journey.  Her beautiful baby girl Amber is such a fun little girl and absolutely GORGEOUS.  She is full of personality and sass and so much fun to photograph.  We had sa great time capturing her 9 month milestone with a milk bath.  Here are a few of my favorites!