Name: Ever After Portraits
Price range: $$$

Great Places to Explore in Northern Virginia | Northern VA Family Photographer

You don’t need to be a professional photographer to be struck by the beauty of the Virginia landscape between Sterling, VA where our studios are located and the general Purcellville, VA area. While we tend to see things through the eye of a photographer, anyone can enjoy the many beautiful sites Northern Virginia has to offer!

We wanted to share a few great spots with you in case you’re inspired to explore with your family and maybe even get that camera out. We’re pretty sure you’ll get some fabulous pictures in any of these places. Feel free to share some of yours!

Fun Family Places to Photograph

1. Sunflower fields: Just across the Potomac near the Seneca Schoolhouse, you’ll find the Sunflower fields. There are several opportunities there to browse and cut your own flowers (purchased), but you also can get some stunning pictures here throughout the day. Remember to ask before wandering around on private property!

2. Walney Pond and Park: This lovely park with a nature center, extensive trails, and a pond makes a great choice for those who love water pictures! It’s also a lovely place for fine art photography for the pros out there.

3. Algonkian Regional Park: You can get some nice sunset pictures here (if it’s not too busy). There are some open fields and meadows as well as picturesque wooded areas accessible by paved and natural trails. Check out the Potomac while you’re there!

4. Walker Nature Center in Reston also offers some beautiful sites to enjoy as well as photograph. There are more than 700 acres of forest, 50 meadows, and four wetlands in addition to four lakes, three ponds and 20 miles of streams!

5. Meadowlark Botanical Gardens with its stunning 95 acres of ornamental-display gardens in Vienna, Virginia are also perfect for exploring and photography. If you want to take pictures, you might want to consider a weekday. There are lake views, a Korean Bell Garden, and a restored 18th Century log cabin.

6. We’re stepping out of Virginia for this one, but Harper’s Ferry is both a town and national park. History abounds here from the charming streets of the town to the lush forests of the park and historical site.

As one of the leading professional photographers in the Purcellville, VA and Sterling, VA area, we’d love to hear from you on what your favorite places are across Northern Virginia. Maybe we’ll feature of few of them on our blog as well!

Family Photographer, Professional Photographer

Ever After Portraits is comprised of Mindy Belcher and Joriana Belcher Anderson, a mother-daughter portrait photography team located near Purcellville, VA in Northern Virginia. We specialize in timeless and emotive fine art family portraits.

Family means everything and capturing those precious moments to preserve forever will mean family heirlooms for you to share for years to come.

Best,

Mindy & Joriana – Contact Us!

Professional Photographer

Photography Tips & Tricks: Pets | Northern VA Family Photographer

Continuing our Photography Tips & Tricks for our clients and friends, we want to discuss our pets! Yes, we may be a family photographer near Purcellville, VA, but we know just how much humans love their pets. So, let’s talk pet photography!

When is the last time you took a great picture of Fido? (We are using a dog name but it isn’t to demean cats or their indentured servants a/k/a humans!) You don’t need to bring Fido into our studio, but it’s really worth taking a nice photo of your beloved four-legged friends!

Here are some tips on photographing your pet:

Natural light

It’s much easier for you, and less frightening for your pet, if you use natural light as much as possible. There won’t be a flash to startle the dog/cat/lizard/pot-bellied pig (you get the idea!) and it will be much easier if you don’t have to fiddle with a flash!

Focus on their eyes

With human subjects, we suggest you focus in on their face and, especially, their eyes. You should be able to see light reflected in their eyes. If you can’t see the reflection, there’s not enough light. Focus in on your pet’s eyes!

Get down to their level

Just as with human photos you’ll find on any photography websites, you want to get down to their eye level or below. Get down on the floor at Fido’s level.

Personality

Just as we work hard to capture your family’s personality in our portrait work, you should do the same for your four-legged friend. You know them better than anyone. Documenting what they typically do or like is a great way to capture their portrait. Do they have a favorite spot on the couch or armchair? Shoot them there.

Come in close

People often make the mistake of shooting their pet from a distance and not zooming in. Some of the best pet pictures involve their face – after all, the eyes are the window to the soul. Zoom in close!

Candid shots

Unless your pet is exceptionally well-trained, it will be difficult to get him to strike a pose for more than a few seconds, if at all. Make sure you’re ready to take the shot before you actually try to take it!

Patience

Use your patience, dear human; these are animals after all, descended from the wild!

Snap away

Just like with humans, you’ll likely need to take a lot of pictures in order to get a few great shots. Snap away and be prepared to do more than one “pet session”!

We’re always happy to have you include your beloved furry friend in your next family portrait whether or not yours have worked out. It can take years of experience (and a large dose of patience) to photograph children and pets. Luckily, as a family photographer near Purcellville, VA, we have both and we love both children and pets!

Other posts in this series:
Photography Tips & Tricks: Lighting tips for family snapshots
Photography Tips & Tricks: Get natural smiles from your kids!
Photography Tips & Tricks: Underwater Pictures

Family Photographer

Relax! You’ll enjoy your session with us! | Northern VA Family Photographer

Have you ever been nervous in a portrait session or when someone is taking your picture? Well, you’re not alone! Many of our clients show up for their session nervous and a little anxious about how it might all turn out. We understand. We’ve been in front of the camera, too, and understand it can be a bit daunting! As a professional photographer in Potomac Falls VA, near Purcellville, VA we know it is important for people to feel comfortable during their portrait session. We have a powerful “secret weapon” to ensure they do: Talking!

Yup, that’s right! Talking. We chat with you and help put you at ease. By the way, you can apply our secret weapon to other nervous moments in life – not just when you’re in front of a camera. Read on!

First, we get to know you before the portrait session takes place, before you’re even in front of our cameras. In our consult, you’ll get to know us and we’ll get to know you, so you’ll already be familiar with us before we even bring out the cameras!

No rushing! We take our time. We’re never rushed through a session. Remember the last time you had an appointment with a professional and they rushed you through the appointment? That’s not a great feeling!

We understand that people, especially children, can be a little nervous coming into a new place. We also realize that there are a lot of nerves that go along with being in front of a camera during a professional photography shoot. You won’t see us agitated or running around. We’ve preplanned this session. We’ve got it under control so that we can chat with you along the way!

We spend time talking with you before we get started. It’s amazing how some chatting and some laughs instantly put people at ease! We talk to you about your lives. We joke with you. We take a few moments to get to know you, chatting and putting you at ease. We act silly with your kids and make them laugh. We make our sessions fun for everyone!

We talk about the each step, so you know what we are going to do next. There are no surprises for our clients during their family portrait session! We might even give you a sneak peek and show you your pictures on the back of our camera and hear what you think about them. We also ask if there is anything else you want photographed.

We’ve photographed a thousand times in our outdoor studio and we have the confidence that the images we are taking will be amazing.

As a professional photographer we want to give our clients the portraits they want, so we go out of our way to ensure that all our photo sessions run smoothly. If you live in the Purcellville, VA, Potomac Falls, VA or surrounding area, we’d be happy to discuss your next session with us! Our studio and outdoor portrait park are easily accessible from across Northern Virginia.

Family Photographer, Professional Photographer

Ever After Portraits is comprised of Mindy Belcher and Joriana Belcher Anderson, a mother-daughter portrait photography team located in Potomac Falls, VA, near Purcellville, VA, in Northern Virginia. We specialize in timeless and emotive fine art family portraits.

Family means everything and capturing those precious moments to preserve forever will mean family heirlooms for you to share for years to come.

Best,

Mindy & Joriana – Contact Us!

Professional Photographer

Top 9 Reasons to Book Your Family Portrait This Fall | Northern VA Family Photographer

Fall isn’t that far off – believe it or not! Have you booked your fall family portraits, yet? The landscape of the Lowes Island, VA and Reston, VA areas are ideal for spectacular fall foliage in your family photos!

Here are our Top 9 Reasons to Schedule Your Professional Family Portraits for the Fall:

1. Fall colors make for gorgeous portraits!

There’s nothing like Virginia in the autumn! A bounty of warm colors flourishes throughout our state before the leaves drop. A Virginia fall provides a lush, warm backdrop for your family portraits.

2. It’s so easy to coordinate with practically any home décor.

Do you favor a neutral color palette in your home? Or maybe you love to decorate with an array of bright tones? Either way, fall’s earthy colors will showcase well in your family portraits no matter what the color of your walls. Whether warm goldens and russets, bright oranges or reds, the possibilities are endless!

3. Fall temperatures are comfortable.

Fall temperatures are ideal for outdoor family portrait sessions. Gone are the hot, humid days of summer, and winter’s bitter days haven’t yet arrived. Most fall days are comfortable for all ages in your family from young to elderly.

4. You still have a little color from the summer sun.

While most of us know better than to spend long summer days tanning, a lot of us still have that sun-kissed glow from summer’s outdoor fun. A little glow goes a long way in your fall family portraits!

5. Clothing coordination made easy!

Fall’s rich and broad palette of colors makes it easy to choose color-coordinated outfits for your entire family. Remember, we’ll help you with that!

6. Accessories!

Oftentimes family portrait sessions are styled with a particular color scheme or look to work within, and the clothing each family member wears needs to coordinate with one another. In the fall, cooler temperatures mean you can do some layering and bring in coordinating colors with accessories, a scarf, a belt, boots, etc. It makes it easier for each person to show off their own unique style, while still staying within the color scheme planned for the portrait.

7. Playing in the fallen leaves is just fun!

Falling leaves combined with rich colors make our Outdoor Portrait Park the perfect playground for outdoor family photos! Kids feel free to revel in the open spaces without the stifling heat of summer. It’s perfect to capture candid moments of laughter and fun. The environment naturally lends itself to fun, casual portraits, showing off your family as they really are.

8. It’s perfect timing for planning gifts.

Fall is the perfect time if you want to use your family photos for seasonal cards and gifts. It gives you (and us) just enough time to do your portrait session, make selections, and return your final products, ready to go!

9. Just because!!

It’s always an excellent opportunity to photograph your cherished family so that years from now you can look back and enjoy what once was. Your children will only be this age once! Don’t wait for life to get in the way. Give yourself and your family the gift of beautiful portraits, heirlooms to be treasured and passed on to future generations.

Are you ready to book and reserve a date for your fall family photos? Call us today to schedule! We look forward to hearing from you.

Family Photographer, Family Photos

Ever After Portraits is the mother-daughter photography team of Mindy and Joriana. We’re located near Lowes Island, VA and Reston, VA in Northern Virginia. We specialize in timeless and emotive fine art family portraits.

Family means everything and capturing those precious moments to preserve forever will mean family heirlooms for you to share for years to come.

Best,

Mindy & Joriana – Contact Us!

Professional Photographer

Pass on your family legacy & bring your old photos back to life | Northern VA Family Photographer

There are many ways to tell a story. More than a decade ago, we chose photography as our form of storytelling. It’s not just our profession; it’s our passion here in the Lowes Island, VA area. Long before the invention of photography, written and oral storytelling were how families passed down generations of history. Although those forms remain invaluable today, combining the three is a powerful way to retell our stories through the generations.

Not long ago, our friend and fellow photographer was fortunate enough to experience all three forms of storytelling: oral, written, and photographic. Her story reminded us that many people have old photo albums and pictures collecting dust somewhere. It’s time to pull those out and do something with them!

Our friend, Sabina, had the opportunity to enjoy weeks of visits with a beloved grandmother before the older woman’s passing. During their visits, Sabina and her grandmother sat and looked through old family photos. The older woman recounted memories and the stories behind the pictures. As her grandmother talked, Sabina wrote down her stories. It was a rare opportunity and precious gift from one generation to another.

After her grandmother had passed away, Sabina gathered the stories from her visits, as well as the photos, and created an album for the family. Thanks to Sabina’s visits, the old photos and the stories shared by her grandmother and written down by Sabina, a precious legacy was left by Sabina’s grandmother for future generations of family.

Creating a Legacy

We all have old pictures and old albums (remember those sticky pages and plastic covers?) lying around our homes somewhere. Whether you have an older generation who can share their stories or not, you too can create a legacy by gathering old photos and restoring or scanning them. There are numerous internet companies where you can upload your old photos and create albums.

Share your Story through Pictures

It’s time to tell your family stories through pictures and, more importantly, create your legacy for the next generation in your family. We aren’t all as fortunate as Sabina to have those precious weeks worth of visits with our grandmothers. Use your family photos to document your history. Create new family portraits to tell the story of your family.

If you’d like to do family portraits with Ever After and add to a rich collection of memories through photography, contact us. We are within easy driving distance from Lowes Island, VA and many other Virginia cities and towns. It would be our honor to help you document your family’s story and help pass on your legacy.

Family Photographer, Family Photography

Ever After Portraits is the mother-daughter portrait photography team of Mindy and Joriana, with studios located near Lowes Island, VA in Northern Virginia. We specialize in timeless and emotive fine art family portraits.

Family means everything and capturing those precious moments to preserve forever will mean family heirlooms for you to share for years to come.

Best,

Mindy & Joriana – Contact Us!

Professional Photographer

Families, 7 Tips for Your Portrait Session! | Northern VA Family Photographer

The idea of a family photography session for the very busy parents in the Lowes Island, VA and Northern VA area can seem daunting. Visions of trying to gather all your children long enough for a portrait might make you feel a bit overwhelmed, but it shouldn’t! As a highly-seasoned family photographer, you can leave it to us. We’ve been doing this a very long time, and we know just how to run a family portrait session so that it’s easy and very manageable. Don’t be surprised if your children come out saying they had a lot of fun!

On that note, let us offer a few tips to reassure you for your family’s photography session. If you do decide to work with us, we will provide you with even more information so that by the time you arrive for your session, you are feeling totally relaxed and ready to enjoy yourselves! We’ll get the best portraits that way.

7 Tips for Your Family Portrait Photography Session

Clothing Conscious

As part of our service to our clients, we will assist you with clothing choices, but here are a few things to keep in mind: Don’t wait until the day before your session to select your outfits. Selection should happen well in advance of the day of your portrait session, just in case there turn out to be some wardrobe malfunctions. Here’s what we strongly advise:

• Dress comfortably, attractively, and in well-fitted clothing. We usually suggest something that reflects your normal tastes.
• Pick your clothes according to the tone of your pictures. Are you opting for more formal, black and white pictures? Dress accordingly, which usually means somewhat dressier. For more casual portraits taken outside during the fall, rich earth tones will coordinate beautifully with the background, and the results are stunning.
• Choose coordinating colors but don’t match exactly (boring!). The entire family should not show up in white shirts and blue jeans. You want to mix it up with coordinating colors in the same palette or tones. Feel free to browse Pinterest for ideas on outfits you like. We also have dozens of Pinterest boards you can browse for outfit advice.

Coordinate Your Schedules

If your children are young, we recommend trying to organize the photography session around their nap or bedtime. You don’t want a child doing a portrait session instead of taking their nap. They won’t be too happy about sitting for portraits if they’ve missed a nap!

Also make sure they’ve had a meal or snack. Please avoid bringing sugary and messy snacks (like chocolate) to the session.

We are happy to try to schedule around a child’s nap time for your session. Just let us know when you call to schedule your session.

Plan Enough Time

If you rush out the door to get to your session, you’re likely to leave something behind, such as snacks, or arrive stressed and not quite ready for portraits. Give yourself enough time before a session so that you all arrive relaxed and willing to do portraits.

Also, consider having hair and makeup done professionally before your session. That eliminates two things you’ll have to worry about doing for yourself right before the session. Let the pros handle it!

We suggest gathering whatever you plan to bring to the portrait session the night before or early that morning. Lay out your outfits the night before and make sure your children know (and agree with) what they will be wearing for the session. Last minute battles over outfits is a sure way to derail the experience!

Hand Us Your Children!

We have a lot of experience as children’s photographers. If you start giving your child orders during the session, it’s very likely that they will not listen! Step back, and let us handle it. We can work with all children, and most of them are more apt to listen to us as the photographer than the parents during a portrait session! Trust us! We can elicit the naturalness needed for a candid family portrait. We’ve been doing this for almost two decades. We’ve seen it all.

Don’t worry. Be happy.

The more fun you have during your session, the more natural your portraits will turn out. Tickle your child! Crack jokes. Feel free to giggle. Don’t be shy. Hugs should abound, and love should be active and evident! We promise to capture it in a portrait.

We don’t like “stiff” portraits, and you won’t either! The more relaxed you are, the better your portraits will turn out. Not everyone has to be staring at the camera. Some of the best portraits are ones where we catch the family interacting with each other naturally during the session! Those are also some of the most authentic portraits.

What Makes Your Family Unique?

Something that also makes for a great portrait is when a family brings a special prop for their portraits. One of the best we’ve done involved a family who decided to bring a prop of something they loved doing together. Does your entire family play tennis? Bring your racquets. Is Scrabble a regular family competition? Cool! Does your child have a beloved teddy bear they rarely part with? Bring it. Be creative and think of what best represents your family.

If you are looking for high-quality family photography in the Lowes Island, VA area, Ever After will work with you to create treasured art pieces you and your family will enjoy and appreciate for many years. We are passionate about helping and engaging area families in their quest to document their family through photography!

Family Photographer, Family Photography

Ever After Portraits is the mother-daughter portrait photography team of Mindy and Joriana. We’re located near Lowes Island, VA in Northern Virginia. We specialize in timeless and emotive fine art family portraits.

Family means everything and capturing those precious moments to preserve forever will mean family heirlooms for you to share for years to come.

Best,

Mindy & Joriana – Contact Us!

Professional Photographer

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