Photography Tips & Tricks: Pets | Northern VA Family Photographer

Name: Ever After Portraits
Price range: $$$

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

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

Back-to-school tips for capturing the first day of school | Northern VA Family Photographer

We’d love to be there to do some fabulous (if we say so ourselves) portrait photography for all of our clients’ children on their first day of school in the Potomac Falls, VA area! Obviously, we’d have to clone ourselves dozens of times over and, while the idea sounds tempting, it’s not entirely possible, yet! However, here’s a great article on some back to school pictures you can take yourself on the big day!

You can snap some creative and candid shots on that first morning of school, but you can also schedule professional pictures with us to capture the idea and spirit of back to school. Check out the great mix of snapshots and professional pictures in the article for some great ideas. Together, we can create a great sequence of portraits for your little person as they head back this fall. However, you should schedule your professional session with us as soon as possible! We can get busy in the autumn.

Tips for Back to School Photos:

– Do not forget to charge your battery at least one day in advance! Ideally, you should charge it several days in advance to make sure everything is fully charged and ready to go on that hectic first day back to school. It’s not unusual to hear from a friend who thought the camera was charged only to turn it on that morning and find that it wasn’t!

– Plan out that morning ahead of time – and not just the night before! Start a few days ahead.

Clothing Selection

– Ask your young child to help you pre-select two outfits the night before. The next morning, they can select between those two outfits. Tip: You can be a bit sneaky by stacking the deck by allowing them access to clothes you know will work well together. No sense in wading through drawers of clothes only to have your jaw drop when your child pulls out mismatched pieces. Keep in mind: Their choices reflect their current tastes and, at least on camera, will create a memorable moment!

– If you’d like to have props, such as books or something denoting the grade or year, have it ready to go the night before. See a theme here? Everything should be ready the night before to save you time and frustration in the morning.

– Make sure your child is well-rested, not hungry, and excited about his first day back. All new clothes aren’t necessary each year, but one or two new pieces for that first day can sure be exciting to a child.

– Pictures of a teen? Good luck! Just kidding! It’s not that difficult; just make sure they know what’s coming. At the very least, be ready to get a great candid of your teen rolling their eyes at you or making that face you recognize so well when you’re asking them to do something they don’t want to do. On the first day back to high school, that’s likely going to be the pictures you so desperately want.

Call us if you live in or near the Sterling, VA or Potomac Falls, VA area! Back to school has always been a special day for making memories. Take advantage of this opportunity to shoot some memorable pictures and have us do your portrait photography to commemorate the occasion.

Family Photographer, Portrait Photography

Ever After Portraits is comprised of Mindy Belcher and Joriana Belcher Anderson, a mother-daughter portrait photography team located in Potomac Falls, 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: Underwater Pictures | Northern VA Family Photographer

We are continuing our Photography Tips and Tricks series! As a portrait photography studio here in Potomac Falls, VA we specialize in fine art photography, but we love to share tips with our clients for their personal pictures/snapshots. Summer might be drawing to a close, but you still have some weeks of great weather and warm (warmish?) water! Have you thought of using your phone for underwater pictures?

Unless you’re a professional underwater photographer with a photography studio and specialty equipment, you’re not going to have a camera you can simply dive with; however, don’t let that stop you!

Here are five tips for taking great underwater pics using your phone!

Waterproof your phone!!

1. There are two ways to do this: The cheap way is to encase it in a plastic baggy that is tightly sealed. It’s an old photographer’s trick for unexpected rainfall when shooting outdoors. It’s not easy to get great shots when you’ve covered your lens in plastic, but it is possible with practice! The somewhat more expensive way to shoot underwater is to purchase a waterproof case for your phone. If you plan on buying a waterproof case, make sure you do thorough research. Try reading reviews in trade journals!

Shooting underwater

2. We have to admit that this is going to take some practice so don’t wait until you need to shoot the picture to shoot it! Practice makes perfect, so try it ahead of time. While it can be difficult to see a camera’s screen, that’s not your biggest hurdle. You won’t be able to use the shutter button on your phone’s screen when you’re underwater. Fear not! You can use the volume buttons or on/off side buttons to shoot. Read through your camera’s manual for alternate ways to shoot pictures without using the on-screen button.

Get used to the light

3. Shooting underwater significantly affects how natural light will be reflected. Practice by shooting underwater at different times of day and in different lighting conditions such as sunny or cloudy days. You might have to play with the angle from which you are shooting depending on the angle of the light – although it’s obviously going to come from above you! For example, in the morning and evenings, the light tends to cast more of a spotlight effect underwater.

Be ready to shoot!

4. You can’t always stage an underwater photo session, now can you? Be ready! If you’re going snorkeling, then take a few practice shots to be sure your ready and then anticipate the sudden appearance of the giant turtle or swordfish (certainly not hoping for a shark in this one)! Underwater photography is like most photography. Be ready to shoot when the perfect shot presents itself, and don’t forget to take lots of pictures. It’s digital after all, and you can always delete them later.

The color of the seas

5. Underwater shots will not have the same colors as being outside the water. That’s a given. So work with what nature offers you. Keep in mind that it can be difficult to get the skin color as accurate as it would appear above water. If you’re the type who prefers colors to be as precise as possible, then consider printing your pictures in black and white or sepia. The effect can be more dramatic, and you’ve resolved the issue of bluish skin tones. There are also some apps available for phones to help you correct phone pictures.

Whether or not you are one of our regular portrait photography studio clients here in the Potomac Falls, VA area, if you have any questions about your photography, call us! We’re happy to help you. Meanwhile, be certain to practice water safety during your underwater photography shots!

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

Family Photographer, Portrait Photography Studio

Ever After Portraits is comprised of Mindy Belcher and Joriana Belcher Anderson, a mother-daughter portrait photography studio team located in Potomac Falls, 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: Get natural smiles from your kids! | Northern VA Family Photographer

We’re continuing our portrait photography series for our clients on Tips and Tricks for better photography! Our Potomac Falls, VA and area clients sometimes ask us how to achieve better snapshots. Smiling is one way! The more relaxed everyone is the better the portrait.

So here are some tips for getting children (and Dads, sometimes!) smiling:

Avoid the phony smiles!

1. Don’t try to force a smile. If you try to get your child to smile, if you say “Say cheese,” if you beg, it’s not going to work. Even if they crack a smile, it will appear forced. Shake things up a bit. The more spontaneous you are, the goofier you are, the more likely children are to respond.

2. What makes your child laugh? Tickles? Giggles? Telling them NOT to smile usually works too! Sing a silly song. Better yet, have them sing a silly song and be ready to snap the picture.

3. Every photographer knows that the best photos sometimes come at the most unexpected moments. Our advice is: Always to keep your camera nearby, battery charged, and ready to take a snapshot. If your children are doing something and having loads of fun doing it, pull out that camera and be ready to shoot some great candids. You’re almost guaranteed to get at least a few great shots of them smiling.

Have some fun and be ready to play

4. If you are setting up your personal photo session for your children, it’s going to be tough to get them to smile. What they see is their parent preoccupied in getting everything just right before asking them to pose. How much fun is that for anyone, let alone a child?! Turn the photo session into a fun opportunity with some interactive games or puzzles.

5. Fascinate them! What interests them? Have something ready that you know will captivate them. When you show it to them, make sure you are ready with your camera. Catching pictures of them when they see something that fascinates them will get you some rewarding shots.

Remember, you get maybe one good shot for every dozen or more, so shoot a lot of pictures!

When we shoot family or children’s portraits, we always tell the parents to let us handle the children. Let us be the ones to interact and provide the instructions or guidance. They are far less likely to rebel against us than their parents. Fun is key to kids’ pictures especially the younger ones. We enjoy those sessions as much as the kids end up enjoying them – which is usually quite a lot!

Contact us if you want great portraits of your family and your children — with natural smiles — at our portrait photography studio and outdoor portrait park in Potomac Falls, VA (Sterling, VA). We are just savvy – and goofy – enough with kids to get them grinning chin to chin!

Previous posts in this series:
Photography Tips & Tricks: Lighting tips for family snapshots

Family Photographer, Portrait Photography

Ever After Portraits is comprised of Mindy Belcher and Joriana Belcher Anderson, a mother-daughter portrait photography team located in Potomac Falls, 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: Lighting tips for family snapshots| Northern VA Family Photographer

How are your photography skills these days? While we are your professional photographer for family photos in Lowes Island, VA and across Northern Virginia, we also know that you are probably taking lots of family snapshots! We’d love to offer a few tips for taking better pictures of your family especially if you’re using a nice camera, not just your phone.

Photography lighting can be tricky. It can require a lot of skill and experience to get it just right, but there are some things to keep in mind for everyday snapshots:

1. If you are the one in charge of the family photography and tend to shoot on auto, then try to take advantage of natural light. Early evening is ideal – just before dusk. The light is soft and not glaring into your subjects’ eyes.
2. If you can’t wait until dusk, then at least try to shoot in the shade. Be careful because a bright background while your subject stands in the shade can throw off your camera’s automatic light meter giving you darkness in front and light in the back. Opt for a larger shaded area or be prepared to use your flash to lighten the forefront.
3. Some photographers advise you to take pictures on overcast days while others say to avoid them. Cloudy days are better than sun angled into your subject’s eyes causing them to squint, but it can be tricky as well. If it’s cloudy, but so bright there are shadows cast across a subject’s face, then it’s likely too bright. Find some shade.
4. If you peer through your lens and can’t see light reflected in a subject’s eyes, you don’t have enough light. Use your flash. If possible, you always want light cast slightly to the side of a subject and at about 30 to 45 degrees from the camera.

We hope these few tips will help you with your everyday snapshots!

Obviously, you don’t need to struggle with lighting. You’re always welcome to call us, and we’ll be happy to do your family photos for you! If you’d like professional family photography in the Lowes Island, VA and surrounding area, call to schedule a family portrait session with us.

Family Photographer, Family Photos

Ever After Portraits is Mindy Belcher and Joriana Belcher Anderson, a mother-daughter portrait photography team 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