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

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

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. :)

WARREN FAMILY | NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER | MANASSAS, VIRGINIA

No better way to kick off a friday than with this ADORABLE family!! They welcomed their beautiful baby girl in August and we sure spoiled her with photos!! And I have loved every minute of it!! Since her big sis is now in school I came to them for an evening family session where we got to use their amazing yard! August is always perfect for outdoor newborn sessions and we were lucky the weather was ideal with temp and low humidity! We started the session with sibling photos and big sister Brooke was a PRO. They are clearly going to be best friends and I cannot wait to see their bond and friendship grow!! I love all of the family and parent photos we got as well and am so so glad we got to do these outdoors! This location was absolute perfection. We even snapped a few solo of baby Chloe in the flower beds. Everything about this location was magical and I am so thrilled with what we captured! We even got an end of the session smile. <3 I adore this family so much and am so thankful to have now captured both of their little girls newborn photos!! Come back next week to see baby Chloe’s in-studio session!! Have a great weekend!!

BABY MILLY | NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER | STAFFORD VIRGINIA

Meet Milly! This gorgeous little baby was such a sweetheart and so much fun to photograph! Her mama and I go way back to college and have loved keeping in touch over the years. When she told me she was expecting a baby girl I was over the moon for her and knew this little peanut would be loved so much! She was truly one of the most beautiful little newborns and her mama and dada were glowing when they arrived at my studio. We captured so many setups and variety and honestly I loved all the baby snuggles. Milly slept like a champ and we flew through her setups. My favorite photo of course was froggy!! This phase goes by so fast and I am so thankful I was able to capture these special memories for my friend and her amazing family <3.

If you are interested in learning more about my newborn sessions shoot me an email! Here are my favorites from this session!!

THE ROACH GIRLS | MOMMY AND ME SESSION | NOKESVILLE VIRGINIA

Once a year the most gorgeous sunflower fields are in full bloom and it is the most magical place on earth. Burnside Farm in Nokesville has truly created a unique setting of over 70 acres of sunflowers where people can come explore mazes, pick flowers, socialize, and partake in all of the things that make summer break incredible. Once a year I am able to offer sunset sunflower sessions and they have easily become my FAVORITE end of summer treat!

Photographing this gorgeous family is always the best experience, but this time we got to focus on mama and her girls!! And also her niece. Mommy and me sessions are SO important!! Kids grow way too fast and capturing some special photos together is such a great way to freeze time and remember these summer nights. All of these beautiful ladies are pros when it comes to sessions with me and photographing them is a dream. They are full of personality and spirit and always rock their posed photos. It was so much fun exploring the fields and chatting. This was my first sunflower session of the season and set the bar really high. I adore these girls and cannot wait to see them again!!

If you are interested in a sunflower session I have one more date available!! Email me! I look forward to hearing from you!!

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!!

Beach Minis | Family Photographer | Woodbridge Virginia

Last year I began offering beach minis and it instantly became one of my favorite mini marathons to photograph. I absolutely love shooting on the river and really enjoy every family that comes to see me. This year I had 6 families all of which I have had the pleasure of knowing either personally or from past sessions. It couldn’t have been a more successful night of great photographs and amazing memories. We had a super hot day, but was pleasant in the shade. The only disadvantage of summer minis is the park is usually PACKED, but that did not stop every single one of these groups from being incredible to work with. We found our little nook along the water and just worked around all of the people haha! The best part Is when my clients receive their images and cannot believe how isolated our location looked because they remember the audience we had during their session :). I love being able to create using the energy from the chaotic beach and make it look like we are the only ones there!

Beach sessions are some of my favorites and I look forward to capturing them every year!! I love that we can use the same location and still manage to make each family’s portraits look a little bit different! Whether you are the first session or the last of the day we always manage to take advantage of the gorgeous location and light and make some magic!

Minis are also a great way to snag some special mommy and me portraits, or just photos of your kids! They are not limited to only family sessions. Minis are meant to be fun and simple and celebrate this season on your life! If you are interested in mini sessions do not hesitate to reach out!

Tips and tricks for scheduling your newborn session | Newborn Photographers Northern Virginia

So you just discovered you’re about to have a baby! This is so exciting! This is one of the most wonderful times in your life that you’ll ever experience. And this time deserves to be captured and celebrated! Newborn photographers are here to help you out and give you a newborn session that is special and unique. And in northern Virginia, that’s what I do! So, now you’re wondering, “is there anything I need to know about scheduling a newborn session?” Well, read along, and I’ll give you a few tips and tricks I’ve picked up along the way!

Book your session early

First of all, I recommend waiting until the end of your first trimester before scheduling. But once you’re there, you should start researching for your photographer around weeks twelves/thirteen. BY the time you reach week twenty, you really want to have your session locked in. Why so early? Well, there are many reasons, but one is that the first few weeks of your pregnancy will be slow, full of waiting and anticipation, but the longer time goes on, excitement and stress builds and builds daily! Also many clients who want a newborn session wind up desiring a maternity session as well! And the time frame for these two sessions are fairly specific. So by booking early, you have time to make decisions and have everything planned out before your little one’s arrival.

Ask the hard questions

Secondly, don’t be afraid to ask your photographer questions. You want to create a dialog with your photographer and get to know their work. Knowing this information can inform you about your photographer’s personality and there photography style. What’s their training? How long have the been photographing newborns, etc. Answering this will tell you if your photographer knows how to accommodate different situations that can occur.

Safety Safety Safety!

Lastly, safety protocol is super important. Does your photographer have a strict sick policy? Do they wear masks? Your newborn is young, and their immune system, is not quite developed yet. You want to know how seriously your photographer takes health and safety! I consider your and your newborn’s health my top priority!

Laura Gooch with Laura Lou photography is one of the Newborn Photographers in Northern Virginia serving clients and their babies! If you’re interested in your own photos, come get some of your own!