ARTHUR TURNS ONE | MILESTONE PHOTOGRAPHER | STAFFORD VIRGINIA

FIRST official outdoor session of 2025 and it was an amazing one! This sweet baby boy celebrated his first birthday and completed has milestone package with me!! I have LOVED every second of our sessions together and his first year flew by in a blink of an eye! I had the absolute pleasure of capturing his milestones every 3 months from birth and just adore this sweet baby. I have known his parents since high school and also had the joy of capturing his big sister’s first year!

I love seeing this family grow and truly am honored to have been there for every milestone for their kiddos! We did a pie smash for his big sis and wanted to keep with that theme! We were super lucky with temperature and the forecast because March can be a very tricky time in Virginia! But the weather was amazing so we moved the session outdoors and started with family photos at the creek. When it came time for the pie, Arthur wasn’t too sure if he liked the creek but staying true to a one year session, we got a fun mix of smirks, cries, and a messy face covered in blueberry pie! It was perfect! Here are some of my faves!

R FAMILY | MATERNITY PHOTOGRAPHER | COLONIAL BEACH VIRGINIA

I have had the pleasure of photographing this family for many years now! We met when they had their gorgeous little girl and have been capturing their memories and milestones ever since. When I found out they were expecting baby girl #2 I was over the moon!! We took full advantage of a flash storm emptying out all of the summer traffic and we had Colonial Beach to ourselves. This session was so much fun to capture and I am obsessed with all of there photos we got!! The best part was getting in the water at the end :) Cannot wait to meet their little girl in just a few short weeks!

Here are some of my favorites:

BABY ISABELLA | NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER | STAFFORD VIRGINIA

Meet sweet baby Isabella! This gorgeous little lady came to see me mid January for her newborn session. She is the daughter of a special friend whose senior photos I shot many many years ago!! I couldn’t believe how fast those years have gone and getting to see her become a mommy is such an amazing gift. This little girl is so loved by her mom and dad and it is clear they are going to be phenomenal parents. And lets be honest they made one ADORABLE kiddo!

My favorite thing about working with new parents is having the ability to connect and hear all about their journey to parenthood. Everyone’s story is unique and I love being able to share in their excitement. Those sleepless nights and newborn cuddles dont last forever and being able to savor them is so important! In a matter of weeks this sweet girl will have hit new milestones and changed and I am thrilled we were able to capture these when she was 13 days new.

Check out some highlight from our session!! And if you are interested in learning more about my newborn sessions shoot me a message!

BABY NIZAR | NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER | STAFFORD VIRGINIA

THIS IS THE YEAR!! I have said it year after year that this one would be the best blogging year yet! And each year I have fallen short. I am not afraid to admit this blog has always taken a back seat but I do not want to fall short this year! I have had SO many incredible sessions and their teasers are only a tiny glimpse into the art we have created together. PLUS I just want to share SO much more! This years suggest goal NO more excuses!! Not every past session will be blogged because I am being realistic, but this year I will make sure that my sessions get a home on my blog :).

First up meet baby Nizar!! He was one of my last babies in 2023 and such a treat to photograph. I had the pleasure of photographing his big sis as a newborn and every year since! Seeing her step into her big sister role came so naturally to her and did such an amazing job on her sibling portraits!! She is clearly obsessed with her baby bro and I cannot wait to see her and his relationship grow in the years to come!!

Nizar was such a sleepy little dude and an absolute gem during his session and more importantly it was really great to spend a few hours with this amazing family. The best part of my job is building those lasting friendships and relationships with my clients and watching their families grow and evolve year to year is such a special gift. We captured so many amazing photos!! Here are some of my favorites <3

BABY CHLOE | NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER | STAFFORD VIRGINIA

Meet Chloe!! This little miss was such a good sleeper and we got SO many amazing setups! Talk about a dream session! The coolest part was that I photographed it on my daughters 6th birthday, and her big sis was the last newborn I photographed while pregnant. Lets just say this session was MUCH easier to maneuver without that big ole 39 week belly in the way. <3 Ive known this family for over 6 years and love every session we have together. They are always up for adventure and let me be as creative as I want. They have been so supportive of my business over the years and being able to capture their growing family is the best compliment I could ever receive. This little beauty was so much fun to photograph and I am incredibly grateful to have photographed not one but BOTH their gorgeous girls. They truly will always hold a special place in my heart. Here are some of my favorites. :)

TURVILLE FAMILY | FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER | FREDERICKSBURG VA

The absolute best part of my job is meeting clients that you have an instant connection with! When I first talked to Jen we hit it off immediately and she has been one of my favorite people to work with! Our first session was in the creek and this time we went in the opposite direction with a very formal look in downtown Fredericksburg. Our original date was rained out and ended up pushing our session into the middle of HOT July. July in Virginia is not a pleasant time, but these 3 were absolute troopers! Being our second session together I already knew I could really get creative and they would be all for it! We also got to celebrate their daughter’s 4th birthday and she came ready to shine! She is a natural little model and such a sweetheart!!!<3

We explored several spots throughout the city and took advantage of the amazing textures, the gorgeous buildings, and the glowy golden light. Everything about this session was magical and we captured SO much. Literally every photo was incredible and impossible to narrow down! I adore these 3 so much and am always looking forward to our next adventure together!! Here are some of my favorites from their session.

If you are interested in a session with me shoot me a message! I would love to capture your family!!

BABY EOWYN | NEWBORN SESSION | STAFFORD, VIRGINIA

CUTEST FAMILY EVER!! Sweet baby Eowyn’s newborn session was a DREAM come true! Not only was this little beauty a good sleeper, but her bothers and sister were equally as AMAZING! We flew through family and sibling photos in no time and it is very clear that these 4 kiddos are going to be best buddies as they grow up. The love and joy radiating from this family was such a blessing and I am so lucky they came to me to capture these first moments as a family of 6!

We kept our color scheme very neutral with earth tones and the headbands and bonnets very simple. I pulled a few earthy setups for her prop photos and pulled a little pop of color for the beanbag. I absolutely love being able to create images that will fit perfectly into my client’s home. I had so much fun this session and just adored this amazing family. Here are some of my favorites!!

EMILY AND DECLAN | MOMMY AND ME | STAFFORD, VIRGINIA

I cannot believe that this summer is coming to an end! Kids will be back in school in 3 short weeks and pumpkin spice candles and fall decor will be slowly entering my house!! But until then I am having a blast going through the sessions I photographed this summer! The creek will always be one of my favorite locations and I am LOVING this mommy and me session. There is no better place than the creek for a little boy to get his feet muddy and splash and hang out with his mama!

This session didn’t go without its weather challenges though! Forecast showed scattered storms most of the day/early evening but did have a pocket of sun peeking back out around golden hour. We moved our session a teeny bit early, enjoyed watching the crazy storm roll in, and sure enough cleared off for the perfect golden glow as we arrived.

I loved everything about these 2 and our session!! Capturing their relationship is so special and am so glad the weather cooperated for us to capture these. There is still time to grab a creek session this summer if you are loving these images as much as me! Contact me for details! And take a look at my favorites!!

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!

NOAH IS ONE | MILESTONE PHOTOGRAPHER | WOODBRIDGE, VIRGINIA

I love love love loved this session!!! Sweet baby Noah was the most ADORABLE newborn and I had the pleasure of capturing his first year! We had an amazing one year session and I got some of my favorite photos EVER. This little dude is a rockstar and has the greatest parents who always let me be creative and trust my vision <3. I cannot wait to see them this spring and celebrate this little guy again!! here are my favorites:)